2005 HLC Self-Study Steering Committee
Review of February 3, 2005 Meeting

Members Present: Jim Baker, Barbara Bushman, John Catau, Bill Cheek, Tom Dicke, Frank Einhellig, Sue George, Tammy Jahnke, Etta Madden, Victor Matthews, Pete Richardson, Lois Shufeldt, Roger Sell, Don Simpson, and GA Linda Rogers.

The steering committee met at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, February 3rd at the ADC Office.

Committee members were provided with a copy of the "Higher Education Preliminary Performance Survey" which has been sent to each state-wide institution by the Missouri House of Representatives. The stated purpose of the survey is to provide some insight for members of the House as they begin considering performance measures for state funded institutions as a part of budget deliberations. While the HLC is not responsible for responding to the survey, it is important for the committee to be aware of it, as it may be useful in preparing the self study.

Bill also brought up the need to mention the Missouri Virtual School in the final report as evidence of both the University’s K-12 engagement and its future planning.

Bill requested that all those going to the HLC Conference in April e-mail him by the close of the day and let him know which session(s) they will be attending. Participation in as much of the conference as possible was encouraged.

The committee discussed their general impressions of the initial reading assignments. While the responses are widely varied in their styles, some general patterns are beginning to emerge. One of the overarching messages reflected in nearly all the responses is a concern over the budget. This will need to be addressed in the final report.

As the subcommittees go through the responses, they are advised to err on the side of excess when listing every possible example of evidence, strengths, or concerns. It will then be the committee’s responsibility to identify those patterns of evidence that emerge and warrant inclusion in the final report. Prior to posting the reports on the Web, however, a blanket e-mail may be sent to give each group a last chance to clean up their response.

The sub-groups then met to formulate individual plans of action. Each group is to meet, discuss their assigned reports, and come up with a 2-3 page summary report that lists strengths, concerns, and examples of evidence.

During the next week, Bill will send out all remaining academic reports for everyone to read (sent 2/3/04).

Due to the Presidential Search Open Forum scheduled next Thursday, there will be no committee meeting February 10. The next meeting will be 9:30 a.m., Thursday, February 17 at the ADC office.

Respectfully submitted,
Linda Chadwick-Rogers