2005 HLC Self-Study Steering Committee
Review of November 22, 2002 Meeting

Members Present: Don Simpson, Barbara Bushman, John Catau, Tom Dicke, Frank Einhellig, Tammy Jahnke, Martha Kirker, Etta Madden, Pete Richardson, Roger Sell, Lois Shufeldt and Bill Cheek

1. There was a discussion of the HLC "Proposed New Criteria for Accreditation with Patterns of Evidence" at www.higherlearningcommission.org/restructuring.

   See review of 9/20/02 workshop sent to you 9/23/02.

   Bill reported that Missouri State had not received any correspondence from the HLC Chicago office about the restructuring, but it was his opinion that there would not be major revisions to the current draft.

   The committee discussed the question of, "Why revise the accreditation program?" Rationale written in Restructuring Accreditation: Project Update, 7/1/02, included:

   1. A new accreditation program is needed to support the new statements of mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities, particularly commitments to innovation, inclusiveness, diversity, and learning.

   2. Teams often find that the current criteria do not address important aspects of the new organizational environments of many of member institutions.

   3. Member institutions indicate that accreditation criteria should relate to the challenges they face in the ever-changing higher education landscape. Site teams say that too much of the on-site evaluation is vested in audit activities rather than in conversations about fundamental institutional commitments and goals.

   4. Rather than resting primarily on historical data, accreditation must be forward looking and support institutions as they envision their futures.

   After discussing questions concerning the proposed revisions, it was the consensus that some the criteria and patterns of evidence would offer challenges, the university should not have difficulty providing evidence that we meet expectations.
    

2. The committee spent the remaining time discussing initial questions that should be addressed as we begin the self-study.

   1. What questions should we be asking as we begin the self-study?

      1. What are the major goals of the self-study?
         ("Obtaining continuing accreditation" was unanimously agreed to.)

      2. b. How will the self-study tie to the Missouri State Public Affairs Mission?

         1. What do faculty, staff, and students think the Public Affairs Mission is?

         2. What would the site visit team find if its members were to ask?

         3. Could the Steering Committee help promote conversation about public affairs and the Public Affairs mission?

         4. Should the Steering Committee conduct a survey or ask faculty to state what class activities reflect the Public Affairs mission?

      3. How do the five themes of Performing Creative Arts, Professional Education, Business and Economic Development, Health, and Science and the Environment fit in?
         (Connection of the themes with the community was pointed out.)

      4. What benchmarks can be used?

         1. Performance Measures can be used.

         2. Program assessment.

The meeting adjourned at 4:00 PM

The next meeting the HLC Steering Committee will be scheduled in January, 2003. Time and date for that meeting will be determined later.