Reaccreditation project culminates in site visit

A two-year reaccreditation project that provided vision and dimension to the university’s strategic planning for the coming decade is reaching its culmination.

“Our success, going forward, requires that we take a long view,” Chancellor Biddy Martin says in her introduction to the reaccreditation self-study. “The changes we need to make will not happen overnight, or even in the next year. But with clearly stated goals and defined paths to reach them, we can turn problems into opportunities. What better challenge for a university?”

The university’s reaccreditation process began in spring 2007, and a site visit from a 16-member team assembled by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools is approaching on Monday–Wednesday, April 27–29.

Accreditation is the primary means of assuring accountability and improving the quality of higher-education institutions. It is required for eligibility for federal and state funding and is a prime authority for private-sector financial support. The university has been continually accredited since 1913.

Members of the team are reviewing the 317-page self-study, titled For Wisconsin and the World: A Great Public University (PDF), which was prepared as part of the process.

During the site visit, consultant evaluators from peer institutions will review evidence provided in the self-study, which shows how the university meets the five criteria for accreditation. They will also learn more about the university’s successes and challenges the university faces and offer their advice and perspectives.

This will be done through meetings with governance groups, faculty, staff and students and through a thorough study of documents and policies.

During the visit, the site team will hold about 50 meetings around campus with more than 200 faculty, staff and students. It will also hold three one-hour open forums at the Pyle Center on Monday, April 27, all beginning at 3 p.m. A forum for faculty will be held in Room 313; for staff in Room 325–326; and for students in Room 309.

Interim Provost Julie Underwood says the reaccreditation process has reminded the campus of the importance of remaining grounded in the core values that make UW–Madison a great university, yet thinking boldly about its future.

“The foresight of our predecessors has given us much to cherish as a pre-eminent public university,” she says. “It is my hope that through this planning process we are able to continue with this visionary tradition while leading the way in modeling the public university of the 21st century.”

Nancy Mathews, who led the campus’s reaccreditation effort, says that the transparency and inclusivity of the process has helped create broad-based alignment and awareness of the new strategic framework.

“Strategic planning is woven into the outcome of the reaccreditation process,” Mathews says. “We took this work very seriously. The reaccreditation/strategic planning cycle is becoming a hallmark of this campus and has prepared us well to weather the tough economic climate. Through this effort, we are able to not only showcase our strengths, but also acknowledge our challenges.”

Mathews notes that the site team may engage people in conversation during its visit, and she urged people to provide clear and forthright answers to their questions.

Mathews says she was impressed with the diligence and thoughtfulness of the campus community who freely gave their time to help assemble the self-study. About 480 people across campus participated in some aspect of the project

John Booske, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, co-chaired a team that looked at preparing global citizens and leaders of the future. One idea proposed was a Center for e-Campus and e-Learning, which would empower students to learn key 21st century competencies and allow faculty and staff to invest their time in maximizing everyone’s learning opportunites.

“This vision is palpably exciting, and can only culminate from a comprehensively inclusive process such as the 2009 reaccreditation self-study,” Booske says.

Paul Evans, director of Housing and co-chair of the team that examined being a responsible and sustainable public institution, says the process reminded him of the importance of the university’s engagement.

“We needed to look back and rediscover — or at least remind ourselves — of who we are and have been,” Evans says. “Academic freedom and the Wisconsin Idea are a very important part of our history; they have made us who we are today. We reaffirmed that they also need to be an important part of our future.”

Teri Balser, associate professor of soil science and another theme team co-chair, praises the process.

“I believe the lasting impact of the reaccreditation effort lies in the process we used, and in the way that it brought together diverse staff, faculty, researchers, instructors and students in working to articulate their values and how we want to be as a campus community,” she says.

Louise Robbins, director of the School of Library and Information Studies, joined Evans as co-chair. She noted that the process has played out at a time of “harsh realities” for the university.

“We certainly can’t get to a worthy destination unless we envision it on our map,” she says. “I guess I’m an incurable optimist. I think sometimes you have to tack if the wind’s against you, and if there’s no wind, row.”