220 likes | 392 Views
Reaffirmation of Accreditation @ WCU. General Orientation Wednesday, June 22, 2005 Carol Burton, Director, SACS Review. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - SACS. 785 member institutions of higher education (includes private, public, junior colleges and universities)
E N D
Reaffirmation of Accreditation @ WCU General Orientation Wednesday, June 22, 2005 Carol Burton, Director, SACS Review
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - SACS • 785 member institutions of higher education (includes private, public, junior colleges and universities) • Eleven southernmost states, Latin America and the Caribbean • Voluntary process/federal involvement • Process AND product • Integrity AND commitment • Self-regulation AND self-government
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - SACS • Commission on Colleges oversight • Emphasis on institutional assessment of effectiveness related to: ~ Mission ~ Compliance with common standards ~ Enhancing quality of student learning ~ Programs and services ~ Evaluation and continuous assessment • Accountability to external and internal groups
SACS Resources Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement
Review Process - Compliance • Core requirements – institutional mission and effectiveness; educational programs; faculty. • Comprehensive Standards – governance; degree programs; faculty credentials; library and learning resources; student affairs; physical and financial resources. • Federal Requirements – HE Amendments, recruitment; academic policies; publications.
Compliance – Core Requirements • Twelve Basic Qualifications • Degree-granting power • Governing Board • CEO • Mission • Effectiveness • General Education • Quality Enhancement (etc., see pp. 15-17)
Institutional mission Institutional governance and effectiveness Administration Assessment Educational programs graduate undergraduate post-baccalaureate professional Faculty (credentials) Library/learning resources Student affairs Student services Distance education Resources physical financial (see pp. 21-27) Compliance Comprehensive Standards
Compliance – Federal Requirements(see p. 31) • Quality indicators (job placement, state licensing exam rates, course completion data) • Curriculum relevance • Quality control of public documents • Student complaints • Recruitment materials • HE Amendments
Quality Enhancement Plan cont’d • Complement strategic planning and institutional mission • Enhance student learning • Focused and futuristic • Reflect current best practices • Capitalize on university strengths and weaknesses • Engage university community • 75 (+25) Pages
Committee Co-Chairs - Compliance • Noelle Kehrberg Dean, Applied Sciences • Eloise Hitchcock Assistant Director Personnel and Planning, Hunter Library
Committee Co-Chairs - QEP • Brian Railsback Dean Honors College • Scott Philyaw Associate Professor History
The Quality Enhancement Plan Dr. Scott Philyaw, Co Chair WCU’s QEP Committee
SACS Review - Current Issues • Institutional Strategic Plan • Assessment (unit/university-wide) • Employee Data base(s) • Faculty Credentials ~ documentation ~ infrastructure/Banner ~ orientation for FT/PT
Faculty Credentials • Institution must authenticate degrees; • Institution must have international credentials evaluated for comparability; • Institution must justify and document qualifications of ALL faculty; • Institution must connect qualifications and course outcomes/descriptions; • Higher the degree expectation, more difficult it is to justify informal qualifications.
Making our case… “it is the responsibility of the institution to establish its extent of compliance. It is the responsibility of peer reviewers to determine whether the institution has established compliance.” (SACS Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation, 2003, p. 18).
Abbreviated Timeline • June 13, 2005…SACS Orientation in Atlanta • August 30, 2006…Compliance Certification due • December 1, 2006…QEP due • April 2, 3, 4, 2007…On-Site Team Visit
http://www.wcu.edu/sacs Carol Burton, Director, SACS Review Darlene Stonesifer, Staff Assistant 560 H. F. Robinson Administration Bldg. 227-7497/3019/3018 burton@email.wcu.edu stonesifer@email.wcu.edu