SITE VISIT NEXT WEEK!

What has MSUM done to prepare for the visit?

MSUM’s self-study steering committee, co-chaired by Dr. Judy Strong and Dr. Deb White, has been working for two years with five teams made up of over 60 faculty, staff, administrators, and students. They have been investigating, collecting, compiling, and studying everything about the university and campus community. They held several open forums to solicit feedback. The result is a 200-page Self-Study Report which has been sent to the visiting team and is available online at web.mnstate.edu/ncavisit. The steering committee is currently organizing documents for the visiting team’s resource room, as well as preparing the campus community for the visit.

How will MSUM benefit from the visit?

Besides gaining re-accreditation, the self-study and site visit provides MSUM with an opportunity for critical self-analysis leading to improvement in quality and performance. Through this process, the self-study committees have identified several specific areas that MSUM can improve and the visiting team will offer a list of recommendations following its visit.

What will happen during the visit? How might people on our campus be involved?

The visit team will meet with a variety of campus groups and individuals while they are here. You may be asked to meet with the team, so please keep your schedule open from March 5-7. The team will likely hold a series of informal meetings with faculty, staff, and students as well. At the conclusion of their visit—sometime before noon on Wednesday, March 7—the team will meet with President Barden to discuss their findings. The campus community will be invited to a celebration event on the afternoon of March 7.

What will happen after the visit?

Based on the team’s report, the HLC may re-accredit MSUM for 10 years with no stipulations. Or, the HLC may request that MSUM file a progress report on a specific area of interest. Or, the HLC may request a focus visit in a few years to discuss at more length any area of concern. MSUM faculty, staff, and students will all be asked to help implement suggestions that have been made during the self-study process or the team visit. In any case, we will continue to use what we have learned through the self-study process to inform future decisions regarding MSUM.

What can I do to prepare for the re-accreditation visit?

·        Know the university mission: “We develop knowledge, talent, and skills for a lifetime of learning, service, and citizenship.” Know how your position helps the university achieve its mission.

·        Know how your department/office and its division engage in planning.

·        If you are in an academic department, you should know how your program assesses student learning, what it has learned through assessment, and what changes have been made as a result of assessment.