January 31, 2008

University begins preparing for accreditation review

Purdue, which has been accredited continually since 1913, was last reviewed and fully accredited during 1999-2000.

More than 80 faculty and staff have begun preparations for the next review, to be conducted in 2009-2010.

The nearly two-year process involves teams of Purdue faculty, staff and students who take a look at strengths and weaknesses throughout the University.

"Although many of our colleges, schools and programs go through regular reviews in their particular areas and disciplines, this is the only time we take a really good look at the entire University," says Vic Lechtenberg, interim provost.

"This process is not about benchmarking others, but about benchmarking ourselves. This is where we gather information from all corners of the University and compile it into a comprehensive self-study that will help lead us into the future."

Among the recommendations from the accreditation review in 1999-2000 were to initiate a strategic planning process and to grow commercialization technology efforts.

For the 2009-2010 review, the Higher Learning Commission specifies five criteria for accreditation and allows for one or more additional areas of special emphasis.

Lechtenberg has appointed Christine Ladisch, vice provost for academic affairs, as chair of the accreditation steering committee and Mark Pagano, dean of continuing education and conferences, as co-chair.

A self study committee has been appointed for each criterion and each of the two areas of special emphasis. A steering committee will guide those groups and an additional committee will be charged with producing the documents and materials to be used during the process and for the site review.

"This is an incredibly important process and we have set out to give ourselves the time and the resources to bring it to a successful conclusion," Ladisch says. "We are thrilled to have assembled a group of talented and knowledgeable faculty, staff and students for this project."

The five criteria for self-study and associated criterion statements are:

* Mission and integrity. The organization operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff and students.

* Preparing for the future. The organization's allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

* Student learning and effective teaching. The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.

* Acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge. The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practices, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

* Engagement and service. As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.

Purdue has chosen as its areas of special emphasis:

* The student experience.

* Synergies between science/engineering and liberal arts/social sciences.

"We have chosen our special areas of emphasis deliberately to go along with our strategic plan focus on those areas," Ladisch says.

The committees have begun meeting and will submit findings to the steering committee at the end of the spring and fall semesters of 2008. A draft self-study will be prepared during spring 2009 and will be reviewed during summer and fall 2009 in preparation for the HLC site review team visit in late 2009 or early 2010.

"We hope to keep the campus community well informed of our findings during the next two years," Ladisch says. "We want to build awareness, and we want and need the input of our faculty, staff and students as we work toward our goal of full accreditation."