April 3, 2008
Accrediting progress to be reviewed April 21-22
Representatives from the North West Commission of Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) will be visiting the UW Seattle campus April 21 and 22 to review progress that has been made since the last decennial accreditation visit in 2003.
The NWCCU conducts comprehensive and in-depth report every 10 years, with a check and follow-up at the five-year mark. This will be the UW’s five-year interim visit.
Visitors will talk to University administrators and to members of the task forces brought together to respond to specific recommendations from the 2003 decennial review. “But they have also let us know that they would like some time in their schedule to just walk around campus and talk to students and faculty about the University,” Provost Phyllis Wise said.
Accreditation is the process by which an external agency examines an institution and determines whether it does or does not meet nine established standards in areas such as students and educational programs, sound financial practices, and good ethical standards.
Ana Mari Cauce, who, along with James Antony, associate professor in the College of Education, co-led the accreditation task forces when she was executive vice provost (she has since been named dean of arts and sciences), said, “We submitted our interim report in March, focusing on six selected areas that were identified as needing further attention — the relationship between the three campuses, setting and assessing student learning goals, improving faculty compensation, maintaining quality in the face of shrinking resources, improving computer security and information technology, and expanding the diversity of our students and faculty.
“The evaluation team’s visit is to assess, in person, the validity of what we reported in our self-study, and I am confident they will like what they see.”
“The assessment of learning goals for students is an area that has received increasing attention across the country,” said Antony, who also represents the University on the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Voluntary System of Accountability Committee.
The improvements in this area, which will be covered in more depth in the next issue of the University Week, have been noteworthy, especially Catharine Beyer’s work with UW SOUL (Study Of Undergraduate Learning). When Antony was on a fellowship last year, he shared the learning goal work done here with Peter Salovey, the dean of Yale College. “He was so impressed he’s asked me to work with him on doing something similar there, and he even wrote a letter to the accreditation team in support of the UW,” said Antony. (For more information about UW SOUL, see <a href=http://uwnews.org/uweek/uweekarticle.asp?articleID=17600>here</a>.)
“We are confident that we have presented a strong five-year interim report,” Wise said. “We have much to be proud of in all areas examined, since we have made substantial progress in the area of student learning goals, finances and improvement in faculty compensation. The challenge will be to continue to make real progress in all aspects of learning, discovery, and engagement in meaningful and measurable ways.”
Putting together a response for the interim accreditation report began in earnest last fall. Several task forces, including representatives from the three campuses, and all the Seattle schools and colleges, were involved in the development of the report.
