REACCREDITATION 2007: WHERE ARE WE NOW?

With just less than a year until the March 2007 NCA site visit, we have made a great deal of progress on the reaccreditation self study. Teams of faculty, staff, and students have been meeting weekly and using the valuable feedback you have provided through the Open Forums, In Service days, on-line and in-class surveys. The value of the self study is in the process- what we learn both for the better and for the worse- about the university. So let us take this opportunity to share some of what we have learned so far about MSUM:

• We provide an incredible number of services to a wide array of constituents.

• We demonstrate openness to innovative practices that enhance learning, such as the Corrick Center and Academic Service Learning

• MSUM supports and encourages undergraduate research- there were over 600 presentations at this year’s Student Academic Conference!

• Faculty are very interested in being involved in individual mentoring relationships with students.

• We found that a great deal of planning takes place in departments and offices, but also under the auspices of the University Planning and Budget Committee (UPBC).

• This year, work plan initiatives were used to provide funding to 22 programs, including TOCAR, support community college recruitment, this summer's Student Success Institute and others.

• MSUM offers some very unique programs and majors, including Film Studies, Women's Studies, and the recently proposed Doctorate in Nursing Practice.

• Tenured and tenure track faculty teach from 66% to over 80% of the liberal studies courses in five of the six divisions.

• Many faculty on campus use student feedback as part of continuing course development.

Challenges:

• Despite the significant planning that takes place on campus, we have found that faculty, staff, and students are generally not aware of these efforts.

• The university does not have good processes for addressing weaknesses.

• There are concerns about the funding for graduate studies.

• Data on web pages need to be more frequently updated.

• We found unexpected difficulties in locating policies covering academic honesty, ethical responsibilities, and procedures for handling infractions.

• Defining who we are and who our students are is a challenge. 

• Students are unaware of many programs.

• Only one-third of faculty and staff surveyed agreed that understanding of and support for our mission pervade MSUM.

What’s next?
The Reaccreditation Steering Committee and team volunteers will continue to meet regularly over the summer. We plan to have a complete first draft of the report soon. In the fall, we will finalize the report, publish an executive summary, and hold a mock site visit. Remember to look for the logo on Continews articles and the Advocate for updates and more information on how you can get involved and stay informed.

Congratulations!
The greatest attendance across the five Open Forums was by the staff at Continuing Studies and students from the Corrick Center. Both groups will receive a pizza party compliments of the Reaccreditation Steering Committee! Departments/divisions with greater than 50% attendance included Anthropology and Earth Science, Instructional Media, Academic Affairs, and the Library.