2008 Woodie Awards
WASC team set to visit SSU
Cheyenne Lee
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: News
A team of former University administrators will descend upon SSU next week to ensure that a degree is going to be worth something. And, as one faculty member put it, they only want to help.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) reviews all universities' accreditations every 10 years in order to hold higher educators to deliver quality education to students. They certify that schools are meeting regulations and standards.
"They will look at all the finances; they will look at our building projects. They will look at our five year forecast, our 10 year forecast. They will look at University strategy planning. They will look at the total package," said Cathy Kroll, Assistant Professor of English.
Trustees Professor Paul Gaston from Kent State University and his Assistant Chair, Professor of Mathematics Nalsey Tinberg from Occidental College, will head the visiting WASC accreditation team. Tinberg will also be the team editor.
WASC does more than just accreditations. There are two visits to every accreditation review. The first, the Capacity and Preparatory Review visit, will review how SSU is preparing for the second visit. The team will see if the University has the funding, the committees and the forums for dialogues and dissent on University issues, and if they have the faculty.
The second visit, the Educational Effectiveness Visit, is the actual accreditation where the team will look at how the professors are performing as teachers and the effectiveness of the professors' teaching.
There are four standards of accreditation, which the University defines as: defining the campus' mission and academic purpose; attaining these through teaching, learning and support; maintaining stability by investing in recourses and having good decision processes and organization; and lastly, by creating committed organization to learning and development.
"It's like having the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Being accredited tells people that you do have a quality academic program," said Elaine Sundberg, Associate Vice Provost and the campus accreditation liaison officer for WASC.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) reviews all universities' accreditations every 10 years in order to hold higher educators to deliver quality education to students. They certify that schools are meeting regulations and standards.
"They will look at all the finances; they will look at our building projects. They will look at our five year forecast, our 10 year forecast. They will look at University strategy planning. They will look at the total package," said Cathy Kroll, Assistant Professor of English.
Trustees Professor Paul Gaston from Kent State University and his Assistant Chair, Professor of Mathematics Nalsey Tinberg from Occidental College, will head the visiting WASC accreditation team. Tinberg will also be the team editor.
WASC does more than just accreditations. There are two visits to every accreditation review. The first, the Capacity and Preparatory Review visit, will review how SSU is preparing for the second visit. The team will see if the University has the funding, the committees and the forums for dialogues and dissent on University issues, and if they have the faculty.
The second visit, the Educational Effectiveness Visit, is the actual accreditation where the team will look at how the professors are performing as teachers and the effectiveness of the professors' teaching.
There are four standards of accreditation, which the University defines as: defining the campus' mission and academic purpose; attaining these through teaching, learning and support; maintaining stability by investing in recourses and having good decision processes and organization; and lastly, by creating committed organization to learning and development.
"It's like having the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Being accredited tells people that you do have a quality academic program," said Elaine Sundberg, Associate Vice Provost and the campus accreditation liaison officer for WASC.
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