Guidelines for Responding to Charge

Introduction

In preparation for our HLC site team visit in November 2005, the Missouri State University community must conduct an extensive self-study which addresses the HLC’s “Five Criteria for Accreditation.” In the process of pulling together evidence which shows that we fulfill the expectations expressed in each of these criteria, we must also focus on the core components which comprise each criterion. (See the complete inventory of these criteria and core components.)

In preparation for this crucial undertaking, the HLC self-study steering committee, chaired by Dr. William Cheek, has declared that the overriding goal of our self-study will be “to show that Missouri State University is mission focused and guided by a long-range vision.” Consistent with the objective of involving the University’s many constituencies in this self-study process, while also wanting to avoid the creation of unnecessary de facto study groups, the steering committee has agreed to issue specific charges to many of the University’s existing committees. Use the links on the right to find the questions assigned to a particular group.

As you address these questions, the steering committee asks that you identify and comment upon any evidence which can help us convince the HLC site visit team that Missouri State University fulfills all the assessment criteria and core components. If, in the process of preparing your response, you discover that your group can contribute additional evidence, beyond the scope of your specific questions, which will allow us to complete our self-study evaluation, do not hesitate to also include that information in your response. The steering committee welcomes all relevant insights.

The Missouri State University Mission

A careful review of the Criteria of Assessment and the Core Components reveals that the HLC places a heavy emphasis on the mission of the University. In particular, they repeatedly ask for evidence that the mission is not only embraced by the university community, but that it forms the foundation of all our decision-making and day-to-day activities. Furthermore, since the overriding goal of our self-study is to show that Missouri State University is mission-focused, it is imperative that everyone begin this process with the same understanding of the various dimensions of this mission.

As stated in Countdown to the Missouri State University Centennial: A Long-Range Vision and Six-Year Plan (2000-2006), “Missouri State University is a multi-campus metropolitan university system with a statewide mission in public affairs whose purpose is to develop educated persons while focusing on five themes: professional education, health, business and economic development, creative arts, and science and the environment .” Clearly, therefore, although the University’s identity is distinguished by its statewide mission in public affairs, there are other dimensions of the overall mission which are also essential and must be addressed in the self-study.

Because our purpose is to develop educated persons, the University is committed, in all of its programs, both undergraduate and graduate, to the use of the most effective and regularly evaluated methods of discovering and imparting knowledge, and to the appropriate use of technology in support of these activities. Furthermore, the University understands that it has an obligation to draw upon the insights generated in this quest for knowledge in order to provide service to the community which supports it. Countdown notes that “the characteristics of an educated person are clear, assessable, and recognizable:

The general education program, which draws heavily from the liberal arts and sciences, provides students with the shared knowledge and intellectual tools needed to successfully explore the disciplines. As defined by the faculty, “the aim of general education at Missouri State University is to develop people capable of making thoughtful choices that lead to creative and productive lives and to responsible participation in society.” The specific goals of the general education program can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog, pages 80-81.

Undergraduate majors and minors provide opportunities for students to build upon their general education foundation by developing mastery of the knowledge, abilities, dispositions and skills of disciplinary and professional studies. Missouri State University graduate programs further enhance student abilities and readiness to enter career pathways at a higher level of discipline-related capabilities and maturity of thought and practice. Many of the disciplinary emphases interact within and across the five themes.

The statewide public affairs mission, which provides the embracing framework for the total institutional effort, has the overriding goal “to produce citizens of enhanced character, more sensitive to the needs of the community, more competent and committed in their ability to contribute to society, and more civil in their habits of thought, speech, and action.” The University recognizes that public affairs in higher education are not restricted to politics, humanities or the social sciences. They are present in all areas of life that require knowledge, participation, civic skills, and the willingness to work for the common good. By defining and developing the skills of responsible citizenship, we believe that in addition to mastering one or more disciplines, and thus enabling problem solving in a variety of occupational settings, students should prepare for their life-long careers as citizens.

Self-study Charge

Your group is asked to respond to each of the following questions as a part of the self-study process. As you proceed, you will want to keep your focus on the Five Criteria for Accreditation and the Core Components. If your group feels that it can offer additional information beyond these specific questions that might help the university prove it is fulfilling these criteria, please feel free to do so.

In addition to the above materials relative to the mission of the university, the Criteria for Accreditation, and the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs, other helpful information can be found at the HLC Self-study website at: www.missouristate.edu/hlc. In particular, the website lists suggested examples of evidence for each criterion and core component which might help your group form its response to the questions.

Your responses should be forwarded electronically to Dr. William Cheek no later than January 5, 2005. Dr. Cheek or any other member of the Self-Study Steering Committee will be available to answer your questions. Keep in mind, the response you submit to the committee may be made available verbatim to the HLC site visit team. It may also be revised and/or edited by the Steering Committee as it prepares the final Self-Study Report. Please submit your response to the questions in a MSWord attachment.

The members of the Steering Committee are: Jim Baker, Barbara Bushman, John Catau, Tom Dicke, Frank Einhellig, Sue George, Tammy Jahnke, Martha Kirker, Etta Madden, Pete Richardson, Roger Sell, Lois Shufeldt, Don Simpson, and Bill Cheek, Chair (6-5249 or billcheek@missouristate.edu).