Preparing and Planning for Self Study Washington & Jefferson College November 2010

Introduction to the College Eleventh oldest college, located south of Pittsburgh Private, undergraduate, co-ed, residential: approximately 1500 students Liberal arts and selected pre-professional programs 35% of graduates go to graduate or professional schools Most popular majors: psychology, English, political science, business/accounting

Institute Lessons Learned in 2006 Benefit the institution Meet the standards Look forward, not backward “Assertion is not proof” Bundle standards in a useful way

The Steering Committee Twelve people:  Four faculty  Three staff  Two students  Three with both faculty and staff status Two Co-Chairs Steering committee liaisons to the work groups Committee met approximately once a week during the academic year

Selection of A Model For W&J, given our circumstances in , the comprehensive model was the only reasonable choice Leadership changes Enrollment growth Uncertain documentation

Helpful Resources from MSCHE Publications  Self Study: Creating a Useful Process and Report  Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education  Team Visits: Conducting and Hosting an Evaluation Visit MSCHE Liaison  Self-study design  Clarification of the “comprehensive model”

Two Overarching Goals 1.To benefit the college 2.To show, with concrete evidence, that W&J meets the 14 Middle States standards

Advance Planning by the Steering Committee Cannot do too much advance planning; develop a plan and stick to it Cannot foresee every contingency; must be flexible and committed to the process Dedicated steering committee members

Getting Started Planning the Self-Study Report Bundling the Standards: each bundle represents a chapter Continuity of Mission (Standard 1) Students (Standards 8 and 9) Faculty and Staff (Standard 5 [partial] and 10) Curriculum (Standards 11, 12 and 13) Leadership, Governance, Institutional Integrity, and Communication (Standards 4, 5 and 6) Planning and Resources (Standards 2, 3 and 4 [partial]) Assessment (Standards 2 [partial], 7 and 14)

Getting Started Surveying the Community Gathering Relevant Evidence Topics of greatest interest:  Diversity  Communication Surveys of faculty, staff and students Creation of self-study “resource room”

Getting Started Creating the Work Groups Seven work groups  Seven bundles, seven chapters Each work group  Faculty, staff and student members One or more liaisons from the steering committee Groups responded to specific questions from the steering committee Follow-up reports

Self-Study Schedule On the whole, W&J kept to the self- study schedule recommended by Middle States

Creating the Self-Study Report Work groups: Provided substance and perspectives but not final text College community: Numerous open meetings and opportunities for online input In the end, one author, with one voice, but with much input from the steering committee

Specific Steering Committee Goals Broadly participatory process Build trust and confidence in the process Report should be honest and fair Don’t try to solve all the institution’s problems Build widespread understanding of the institution’s current circumstances and challenges Gather relevant evidence and make it more readily available Prepare all College members for the Visiting Team’s visit

Conclusions about Self-Study Beneficial to the college Greater appreciation for colleagues Source of pride Reaccredited