2020 University of the West Newsletter
News for the Consortium
Accreditation Preparation at University of the West

 
Accreditation is the process for evaluating and assuring the quality of educational institutions and programs. The WSCUC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission) accreditation process aids universities in developing and sustaining effective educational programs and assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness. WSCUC requires that member schools demonstrate that they are taking real steps to fulfill their mission, are collecting data to measure the effectiveness of those steps (culture of evidence and data-driven decision making), and are using the results of those measurements to improve what they do (program review and closing the assessment loop). Thanks to WSCUC accreditation, eligible UWest students are able to receive Federal and State Financial Aid, have their UWest degree recognized in their home countries, and easily transfer courses taken at UWest into other US colleges and universities. The term of accreditation granted is generally between 5 and 10 years. The new dates for WSCUC Reaffirmation of Accreditation review are:
 
  • Institutional self-study deadline: summer 2021
  • Offsite Review: fall 2021
  • Accreditation Visit: spring 2022

Upon the departure of Chief Academic Officer Dr. Peter M. Rojcewicz, Interim President Dr. Chiung-Sally Chou has designated Chief Student Affairs Officer, Vanessa Karam, to serve as the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) to WSCUC. Vanessa held this role in the past, significantly, during the 2012 Special Visit and the 2014 Educational Effectiveness Review, which led to reaffirmation of accreditation through academic year 2021-22, punctuated by a Special Visit in 2017. In the meantime she has served as a team member on four WSCUC accreditation team visits to other institutions. Vanessa will be working closely with Institutional Effectiveness Manager Jessa Forsythe-Crane, the interim president, and the members of the Accreditation Steering Committee, which is to include ETeam as well as academic chairs and some other members. Per WSCUC standards, the BOT needs to be knowledgeable about and actively involved in the process. Preparations for the WSCUC review have begun and will be in full swing from January 2020.
 
Strategic Plan Update

While University of the West is preparing for a full visit in the spring of 2022, the university has embarked on a strategic planning process for the next five years taking us to 2025. WSCUC considers strategic planning to be an integral component of a university’s ability to demonstrate that it meets accreditation standards of quality and effectiveness. WSCUC requires accredited institutions to demonstrate fulfillment of three Core Commitments, the second being the Core Commitment to Quality and Improvement, which specifies that “Through strategic and integrated planning, institutions demonstrate the capacity to fulfill their current commitments and future needs and opportunities” (WSCUC, 2015, p. 8).
 
The Strategic Planning Steering Committee met multiple times over the fall 2019 semester to determine the strategic planning process. The committee reviewed various frameworks and models of university strategic plans as well as progress made towards achieving the strategic goals as outlined in the 2015-2020 strategic plan. Following agreement that the 2015-2020 strategic plan is, in many ways, still relevant to the university’s current context, committee members were asked to review each goal (and related progress) independently and participate in a survey asking if each goal should be kept as is, modified, or discarded for the 2020-2025 strategic plan. Survey results and accompanying feedback and comments were reviewed and discussed by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee members who also serve on the Executive Team (former CAO Dr. Peter M. Rojcewicz, Chief Enrollment and Student Affairs Officer Vanessa Karam, and Institutional Effectiveness Manager Jessa Forsythe-Crane), who distilled the committee’s input into four strategic goals for 2020-2025:

Goal 1: Campus Engagement - Our campus will offer a vibrant, inclusive, and engaging culture in which to study, learn, live, work, and excel.

Goal 2: Academic Quality - We will improve the quality of our academic programs to increase their desirability and competiveness among prospective students and to better serve current students. We will support our faculty towards achieving and maintaining excellence as educators, scholars, practitioners, and mentors.

Goal 3: Revenue and Resources - We will strengthen and improve the university’s financial outlook through enrollment growth/ increased tuition revenue, fundraising, and cost-effective practices.

Goal 4: Educating for a Successful Life - We will support our students at all levels in their self-defined journeys towards success through regular engagement with and co-creation of programs and activities that promote professional readiness and social responsibility.

With the establishment of strategic goals, the strategic planning process has moved forward to the next phase: development of specific measurable objectives in support of accomplishing the strategic goals. These goals will continue to evolve as more data and input from the wider community are received. The steering committee will continue to meet and refine the goals and their corresponding objectives.