M E M O R A N D U M
To:
Frank Abrams, Provost’s Office From:
Karen Helm and Will Kimler, Co-Chairs Date:
August 29, 2002 Subject:
Institutional Effectiveness Compliance Committee NC State is beginning to prepare for reaffirmation
of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
in 2004. SACS has revised the entire reaffirmation process, which now
involves two primary parts: a compliance certification, and preparation
of a Quality Enhancement Plan. Chancellor Fox has named a Leadership
Team to oversee and coordinate preparation of these two reports. As chairs of the Compliance Certification Team, we
request that you serve as a member of the committee that prepares the
institutional effectiveness section of the compliance certification
report. We are asking Jeff Scroggs and Ephraim Schechter to co-chair
this committee, with administrative support to be provided by University
Planning and Analysis. SACS’ term “institutional effectiveness” is
analogous to what we at NC State usually call “outcomes assessment.” The
relevant SACS criteria are: ·
Core Requirement
5: “The institution engages in ongoing and integrated research-based planning
and evaluation processes that incorporate a systematic review of programs and
services that (a) results in continuing improvement and (b) demonstrates that
the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission." ·
Comprehensive
Standard 16: "The institution identifies expected outcomes for its
educational programs and its administrative and educational support services;
assesses whether it achieves these outcomes; and provides evidence of
improvement based on analysis of those results." Your tasks include the following.
The draft of your section should be submitted to
the Compliance Certification Team by February 14, 2003. The Compliance
Certification Team must submit a draft of its report to the Leadership Team
by late March and the final version of the report must be submitted to SACS
by August 15. In addition, the Compliance Certification Team and
the Institutional Effectiveness Compliance Committee will be asked to assist
in preparing any follow-up reports or documentation that may be recommended
by SACS or the Leadership Team prior to the on-site visit of a SACS team in
spring, 2004. NC State is in the first class
of institutions to implement the new SACS process, which gives us an
opportunity to help shape that process for the improvement of institutions
throughout our region. Please work with us to provide a model of how
reaffirmation can proceed efficiently while supporting our efforts to improve
quality. cc: James Anderson |