The planning for the Middle States accreditation visit in 2014-15 is underway in most areas of the college, but a significant amount of work remains to be done to enable the College to demonstrate in its self-study that we fully meet or exceed all fourteen standards and the numerous Fundamental Elements that comprise the standards established by the commission. Middle States expects, and I concur, that assessment in its many forms will become the way of doing business for the college. This means that continuous improvement, ongoing assessment of all units of campus, assessment of student learning, and the integration of these assessments with planning and budgeting must evolve to become a continuous and seamless responsibility for all.
To better focus the college’s attention on the accreditation standards, I am announcing the formal creation of a permanent Accreditation Oversight Committee (AOC) to oversee and coordinate the assessment and communication processes for all aspects of accreditation standards. The committee charge is as follows:
1. Communicate with and educate all units of campus on what needs to be done to meet relevant accreditation standards for each unit or activity.
2. Oversee the development and implementation of assessment data, and provide advisement on rubrics and other methodologies to define and gather data for both the institutional context (standards 1 to 6) and student learning assessment (standards 8 to 14).
3. Develop an information warehouse to store and access assessment reports and data.
4. In relation to accreditation standards, review current assessment and planning strengths and weaknesses for all units of the college, to include advisement and feedback on status reports, coordination, and integration with other units of the College.
5. Provide a calendar and timeline for the completion of development, gathering, and implementation of assessment data and assessment processes. This includes deadlines for status reports to permit feedback for improvement from the AOC.
6. Develop a consistent reporting process for units of the college to the AOC and administration in relation to accreditation standards.
7. Utilize the College Level Assessment Coordinators (CLAC) committee to ensure that knowledge about student learning assessment is distributed to all relevant units of the college.
8. Ensure that the assessment plans of the college’s units are consistent with and complement the overall Strategic Plan of the college.
9. Provide interim reporting over the next academic year on where we stand and recommendations on how to proceed in 2013-14, the final year leading up to the writing of the self-study and Middle States visitation team in 2014-15.
10. Make recommendations for changes in the composition of the AOC as needed to achieve accreditation goals.
After consultation with Richard Wall, PhD, we have asked Guy Gessner, PhD, professor of marketing, to chair the AOC. Gessner and the AOC will report to Wall and will also provide regular status reports on the progress of the accreditation work to the college’s Senior Operating Team.
I am also appointing the following individuals to the AOC. I am grateful for their service to the college on this critically important matter.
Mollie Bollaro, director of Undergraduate Admissions
Dianna Civello, associate vice president, Institutional Advancement
Patricia Coward, PhD, director, Center for Teaching Excellence
Lawrence Deni, director of Network Services
Richard Escobales, PhD, professor of Mathematics and chair of the Faculty Senate
Blair Foster, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, and Dean of Records
Ronald Haberer, associate controller
Debra Instone-Noonan, PhD, associate dean of Arts and Sciences.
Larry Jones, PhD, professor of history, director of the Core Curriculum
Gary Lew, senior facilities operations manager
Matthew Mulville, director of Resident Life
Jerome Neuner, PhD, associate vice president, Academic Affairs
Nancy Wellenzohn, EdD, associate dean, School of Education and Human Services
I hope that the accreditation process is a time of discovery and growth for Canisius College. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with the AOC in the months ahead.
Submitted by: President John J. Hurley
