Introduction
Portland State University's self study process for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities' (NWCCU) ten year reaffirmation of accreditation began early in 2003 with the designation by President Daniel Bernstine of an Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dr. Terrel Rhodes, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Kathi A. Ketcheson, Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, were appointed as Co-Project Directors. Dr. Sherril Gelmon, Professor of Public Health in the College of Urban and Public Affairs and a nationally recognized faculty expert on accreditation and educational assessment, was appointed to chair the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee consisted of a number of faculty and administrators appointed to ensure representation across all colleges and schools, as well as major academic and administrative units of the university. Representatives were also appointed from the Alumni Association, the Associated Students of Portland State University, and graduate students.
Committee Organization
The President selected individuals from among the Steering Committee members to chair sub-committees for each of the standards. In addition, he appointed key administrators to support each standard sub-committee. The sub-committee chairs assembled committees that included other faculty, administrative staff, students, alumni and community members to assist in developing each standard narrative. Because of its breadth, Standard 2 was divided into three sub-committees: undergraduate education, graduate education, and continuing and off-campus programs. Once members were identified, they received an appointment letter from President Bernstine, thanking them for their anticipated service and releasing them from all other campus committee obligations (as feasible).
Framework for the Self-Study
Because Portland State was part of the Urban University Portfolio Project (which was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and sponsored by the American Association for Higher Education) the President decided to use the Portland State institutional portfolio as the medium for developing and presenting the University's 2005 self-study report. In Fall and Winter of 2002-03, Portland State and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) agreed that Portland State could proceed with using the electronic portfolio as the medium for the self-study. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) began to develop a template for the self-study report within the institutional portfolio during the summer of 2003.
Over the two years of self-study, Portland State has committed to developing a local product that reflects the character and activities of the campus and which involved students actively in the process. Under Dr. Ketcheson's supervision, graduate students provided graphic design and layout for the portfolio template, contributed to editing and formatting each section, and designed and developed the supporting websites for departmental profiles and assessment. Both undergraduate and graduate students assisted in the development and completion of the self-study, which was coordinated and by OIRP.
Activities of the Steering Committee
At the beginning of the Fall 2003 term, an off-campus, all-day retreat was held for the Steering Committee. The meeting focused on the steering committee's charge, a general discussion of the standards, and a schedule for the preparation of the self-study. Sub-committees spent Fall Term organizing and identifying specific tasks related to their respective standards.
On October 8, Dr. Ronald Baker, NWCCU Associate Executive Director, visited the campus and meet with President Bernstine, the Project Directors, and the Steering Committee to discuss the expectations for the campus self-study process.
The Steering Committee met once or twice each quarter during the self-study process. Beginning in January 2004, each sub-committee periodically reported on their identification and cataloging of necessary documentation, using summary grids. During Spring 2004, each sub-committee also began to a compile list of accomplishments and challenges that were emerging from review and analysis of their individual topics. Each sub-committee established its own schedule for its work and its own processes for gathering input from appropriate individuals and units both on and off the campus.
Campus Involvement
While the sub-committees were engaged in their work, the Steering Committee chair, Dr. Gelmon, presented progress updates and information on a regular basis to the Faculty Senate. For example, prior to the March 1, 2004 Senate meeting Dr. Gelmon provided a set of questions related to Standard Four to the Senate membership. During the meeting the Standard Four sub-committee chair led a discussion about these and other key questions related to faculty. A similar session was part of the April Senate meeting, this time focusing on Standard Six: Governance, again guided by the chair of that sub-committee.
During Spring 2004, the Provost agreed to focus the annual, campus-wide Fall Symposium on the University's re-accreditation process. The Fall Symposium is the "kick-off" event for the academic year. The 2004 Symposium, entitled "Using Accreditation to Address Challenging Campus Issues," was held on September 23, 2004. President Bernstine and Interim Provost Reardon introduced the topic and were followed by an overview of the campus self study process, led by Dr. Gelmon. Participants (including both faculty and staff) received questions for small group discussion and spent the bulk of their time in addressing issues related to each of the Standards. Steering Committee members served as small group facilitators and recorders for the groups. At the conclusion of the Symposium, a summary of issues that had emerged from the discussions was presented to the assembly; Interim Provost then responded to the issues and took questions from the floor.
In addition to Dr. Gelmon's periodic reports to the Faculty Senate during the 2004-05 academic year, a series of Town Hall meetings was organized and held under the auspices of the Portland State Center for Academic Excellence. The October 28 Town Hall, entitled "Growing Pains: Growth and Direction for Portland State," focused on the impact of growth on the campus. The January Town Hall, entitled "Fall Symposium Follow-up," returned to the Fall Symposium issues and provided sub-committee updates.
In January 2005, Dr. Baker again visited the campus and met with the Steering Committee and self-study leadership team to discuss the composition of the campus visiting team and organization of the site visit, which was scheduled for October 24-26, 2005. Dr. Baker and President Bernstine agreed that because Portland State was planning to use its institutional portfolio as self-study, rather than producing a traditional paper self-study report, the chair of the visiting team (once appointed) should be invited to visit the campus for a preview of the portfolio approach to the self-study. On March 28, 2005, Dr. Jane Nichols, visiting team chair, met with the President Bernstine, the Project leadership, and the Steering Committee, toured the proposed visiting team headquarters, and reviewed the self-study design and approach.
In March 2005, Dr. Gelmon presented an update on the accreditation process to the Senate for discussion; in April, she presented a thematic summary of accomplishments and challenges and requested further input. This was followed in May 2005 with the Faculty Senate's discussion of questions related to Standard Seven: Finance.
Major Themes
From the transcripts of the Town Halls and Fall Symposium, and through input solicited from vice provosts, deans, faculty, and staff, the self-study leadership team developed a short list of overarching themes and issues for consideration in the self-study. Growth (in enrollment, facilities, programs, etc.) emerged as the number one challenge and opportunity for the university, along with engagement with the community (local, national and global), internationalization, and diversity as top issues. In addition, the existing institutional portfolio themes "Community and Global Connections," "Research and Scholarship," and "Teaching and Learning" reflected the importance of these issues across the campus. Recognizing the overarching nature of these themes, the sub-committees included discussion of growth, engagement, internationalization, and diversity in their narratives, where appropriate.
Campus Review and Comment
The final Town Hall invited the campus community to comment on the draft self study as presented on the web. The Faculty Senate and all campus faculty and staff also were invited to view the self-study and provide feedback to the self-study leadership team through a web survey. In May 2005, the self-study leadership team identified a number of "critical friends" to provide additional feedback on the website, including individuals who had been involved in the Urban Universities Portfolio Project, "friends" of Portland State at other institutions, higher education leaders, accreditation practitioners, administrators, and other Portland State faculty who had not yet been involved with the self-study process. They were invited to comment on the process with the aid of a User's Guide provided to them through email.
During July and August 2005, the self-study leadership team edited the final copy of the self-study narratives to ensure that all requirements of the NWCCU had been met and that complete documentation was available, either on the web or in paper format.
The process of self-study development, review and revision was highly participative and engaged a number of faculty and administrators who in the past had not been part of the self-study process. Members of the campus community had many opportunities to participate in the process, either directly or through face-to-face meetings or electronic formats that solicited their comments and suggestions. As a result, Portland State's self-study process provided opportunities for learning, exploring cross-cutting themes, and identifying opportunities for further improvement.
List of Documents Related to Self-Study Process
Back To Top
Printer Friendly Format
