University of North Carolina at Wilmington

1990 SACS Self-Study Report

Chapter I: Principles and Philosophy of Accreditation

INTRODUCTION

This report of the UNCW Self-Study for reaffirmation of accreditation is the culmination of more than two years of work by a large cross-section of University faculty, students, and staff. It is a serious and comprehensive examination of the strengths and weaknesses of all areas of the University. Where weaknesses are identified, suggestions or recommendations have been made for addressing them. The Self-Study was conducted during a period of significant change in University organization and personnel. Many of these changes were ongoing as this report went to press. An addendum to this report will be published in February 1992 to document these changes and to report on the University's progress in implementing the suggestions and recommendations made in this report.

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Education on the college level first came to Wilmington in 1946 when a college center was established under the direction of the North Carolina College Conference and under the administration of the Directorate of Extension of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The center offered courses on the freshman level to some 250 students during the academic year 1946-47. In 1947, a tax levy 'was approved by the citizens of New Hanover County, and Wilmington College was brought into existence as a county institution under the control of the New Hanover County _ Board of Education. In 1948, Wilmington College was officially accredited by the North Carolina College Conference and became a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges. In 1952, the institution was accredited as a junior college by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

In 1958, New Hanover County voted to place the College under the Community College Act of the State of North Carolina. By virtue of this vote, the College became a part of the state system of higher education, and control passed from the New Hanover County Board of Education to a board of twelve trustees, eight of whom were appointed locally and four of whom were appointed by the governor of the state. At the same time, the requirements for admission and graduation and the general academic standards of the college came under the supervision of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education, and the College began to receive an appropriation from the state for operating expenses in addition to the local tax.

On July 1, 1963, by an act of the General Assembly of North Carolina, Wilmington College became a senior college with a four-year curriculum, authorized to offer the bachelor's degree. By vote of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina in late 1968, with subsequent approval by the North Carolina

Board of Higher Education, and by an act of the General Assembly of North Carolina in 1969, Wilmington College became, on July 1, 1969, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW). It became the fifth campus of the University of North Carolina.

On October 30, 1971, the General Assembly in special session merged, without changing their names, the remaining ten state-supported senior institutions into the University. Thus the University of North Carolina now comprises 16 institutions. On August 22, 1977, the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina authorized the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to offer its first graduate programs at the master's level.

In the spring of 1985, the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina elevated the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to a Comprehensive Level I University (Carnegie Council classification).

The programs offered by the University include four-year programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees within the College of Arts and Sciences, the Cameron School of Business Administration, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing; graduate programs leading to the Master of Education, the Master of Science, the Master of Arts, the Master of Arts in Teaching, and the Master of Business Administration degrees; a variety of preprofessional programs; and special programs in a variety of areas, including marinescience research, and continuing education.

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UNCW received its initial accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 1952, when it was a junior college operating under the name Wilmington College. The College received authorization in 1963 to begin programs leading to the bachelor's degree and, in 1965, graduated its first four-year class. The transition to -a four-year institution required a new self-study to be performed in order to obtain SACS accreditation as a senior institution. Accreditation as a senior institution was granted in 1967. In 1969, Wilmington College became the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Since then, two additional self-studies have been performed resulting in SACS reaffirming the University's accreditation in 1971 and 1982.

The current Self-Study began in May 1989, when Chancellor William H. Wagoner, acting upon a recommendation from the Deans and Provost, appointed Associate Vice Chancellor James K. McGowan as the Self-Study Director and SACS Liaison, and Professor Charles R. Ward as the Chairman of the Self-Study Steering Committee. The office of the Science and Mathematics Education Center was designated as the Institutional Self-Study Office.

During September and October 1989, McGowan and Ward met with the Provost, Charles L. Cahill, to discuss the organization of the Self-Study, the composition of the Steering Committee, and the preparation of an organizational chart. In December, the University sent Robert E. Fry, David K. Miller, McGowan, Cahill, and Ward to the SACS meeting in Atlanta to attend workshops on the self-study process and institutional effectiveness.

The organizational chart for the Self-Study was presented to the Faculty Senate in January 1990. The organizational structure of the Self-Study called for a Director, a Steering Committee, and five section committees along with their corresponding subcommittees. Each major section of the SACS Criteria for Accreditation was represented by a committee, and each subcriterion was represented by a subcommittee. The chairs of the section committees are members of the Steering Committee. Each section committee was assigned an editor who is a full voting member of the committee and who reported to the committee chair and the Self-Study Editor. . The Editor is a full voting member of the Steering Committee.

During February 1990, the Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate recommended to the Chancellor a list of persons to serve as chairs of the section committees for the Self-Study. Acting on these recommendations, the Chancellor appointed the following persons to chair the section committees: Stephen C. Harper, Section II; Kenneth W. Spackman, Section III; Kathleen H. Kowal, Section IV; Richard D. Dixon, Section V; and Steven M. Weiss, Section VI. Richard C. Veit was appointed as Editor. The organization of the Self-Study, along with the names of the Steering Committee members, section chairs, and section editors, is presented in Appendix 1-A. The University Planning Committee was asked to serve as the Section II Committee on Institutional Purpose.

Now fully constituted, the Steering Committee began to meet regularly to develop a calendar for the Self-Study and to formulate procedures for selecting the members of the section committees and subcommittees. A Self-Study calendar (Appendix 1-B) and copies of the SACS manuals Criteria for Accreditation and Resource Manual on Institutional Effectiveness were distributed to Steering Committee members, deans, and all department chairs. A committee-preference survey was distributed to all faculty members. On February 21, 1990, Bennett J. Hudson, Associate Executive Director for the SACS Commission on Colleges, visited the University to participate in the official inauguration of the Self-Study.

During April 1990, the Section II Committee on Institutional Purpose began work on revising the University's mission statement. During this same period, the Steering Committee used the results of the committee-preference survey to complete committee and subcommittee assignments, which are shown below. In June 1990, James R. Leutze was named as the new Chancellor of the University.

During the fall semester, 1990, the Steering Committee produced the Institutional Self-Study Manual This document contained specific information about the Self-Study process, including detailed information about reporting, writing, and formatting; a calendar of events; and an estimated budget. In October, the Manual was distributed to all committee and subcommittee members, the heads of all units charged with conducting self-studies, and the SACS office.

University operational units that conducted self-studies and submitted reports were: (1) academic departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the Cameron School of Business Administration; (2) the College of Arts and Sciences (which includes the General College Advising Program, the Office of International Programs, the Science and Mathematics Education Center, and the Marine Science Program); (3) the Cameron School of Business Administration (which includes the Center for Economic Education, the Center for Business and Economic Services, and the Center for Small Business and Technology); (4) the School of Education (which includes the Consortium for the Advancement of Public Education); (5) the School of Nursing (which includes the RN Access Program); (6) the Graduate School; (7) the Center for Marine Science Research; (8) the Office of Computer and Information Systems; (9) the Office of Library Services; (10) the Office of Records; (11) the Office of Research Administration; (12) the Office of Special Programs; (13) the Office of Undergraduate Admissions; (14) the Office of Athletics; (15) the Office of Institutional Research; (16) the Office of Minority Affairs; (17) Student Affairs; (18) Academic Affairs; (19) Business Affairs; and (20) University Advancement.

Throughout November and December 1990, the Steering Committee worked to prepare a set of institution-wide surveys to be administered to students, faculty, and staff (see Appendix 1-C). Rather than prepare a new instrument for surveying the alumni, the Steering Committee decided to use the data already available from the 1989 alumni survey. The student, faculty, and staff surveys were administered during January and February 1991. During this same period, the Office of Institutional Research conducted a series of workshops on strategic planning for department chairs and administrators. These workshops emphasized the importance of strategic planning to the overall operation of a department and introduced those responsible for planning to the resources available to them through the Office of Institutional Research.

The section subcommittees submitted their reports to the chairs of the section committees in May. These reports were prepared using information from the unit self-study reports, institution-wide surveys, personal interviews, and other data requested and collected by the committees. The chairs of the section committees, working during May and June, used these reports to prepare the first drafts of the chapters of the Self-Study report. The drafts of the chapters were reviewed by the Steering Committee during a series of regular meetings beginning in August and ending in late November. The revised chapters were then sent to all organizational units for review. Information collected from this review was incorporated into the chapters and the final report was submitted for printing in December.

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INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS (1.1)

UNCW shares with SACS the commitment to improving educational programs and services through the process of self-study, peer-evaluation, and ongoing assessment of its operations. The University recognizes its responsibility to honestly and frankly assess and report its strengths and weaknesses. It further understands that assessment is a continuous process and focuses such efforts through its University Planning Committee and Office of Institutional Research to ensure that weaknesses found in its operations are addressed in a timely manner. In the future, the Office of Institutional Research will serve as the focal point of ongoing self-study activities.

The University values its membership in the SACS Commission on Colleges and takes seriously its responsibility to participate in the activities and decisions of the Commission. It is committed to contributing to the decision-making processes of the Commission and to adhering to all Commission requirements for reporting planned changes in institutional operations. As a member of the world academic community, the University understands the importance of, and is committed to, insuring integrity in all of its operations as it pursues its mission.

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During the period following the completion of its last Self-Study, the University has experienced tremendous growth in the number and quality of its programs and services. This growth has not, however, resulted in changes in the nature or scope of the institution and therefore does not represent substantive change as defined by the Commission on Colleges.

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The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, as a member of the SACS Commission on Colleges, is committed to complying with all current and future criteria of the College Delegate Assembly. Furthermore, the University understands that the Commission on Colleges reserves the right to make known to any public or private agency that requests such information the nature of any action taken by the Commission. The University understands the role served by the Commission in the evaluation and accreditation process and will provide any information requested by the Commission as it performs this function.

UNCW is a constituent institution, since 1969, of the University of North Carolina system. The University of North Carolina comprises all of the public institutions of higher education in North Carolina that confer degrees at the baccalaureate level or higher. It was authorized by the State Constitution in 1776, and it was chartered in 1789 by the General Assembly.

The governing board of UNCW is the Board of Trustees. The Board is composed of thirteen members: eight elected by the UNC system's Board of Governors, four appointed by the governor, and the elected president of the Student Government Association ex officio. The chief executive officer of the University is Chancellor James R. Leutze.

The University has been in continuous operation as an institution of higher education since its founding as Wilmington College in 1947. Enrollment for the fall semester 1991, is 8,098. UNCW offers 35 degree programs at the bachelor's level and 14 degree programs at the master's level.

The Undergraduate Catalogue and the Graduate Catalogue of the University prominently display both the institution's mission statement and the policies for admission to all degree programs offered by the University. Chapter 2 of this report deals in depth with the mission statement, while Chapter 4 presents details of both undergraduate and graduate admissions policies.

All undergraduate degree programs offered by UNCW require a minimum of 45 semester hours of course work in Basic Studies. Basic Studies is defined as a curriculum providing the acquisition of essential skills and an introduction to the broad spectrum of studies which are basic to our intellectual and cultural heritage. The Basic Studies program requires a minimum of six hours in English composition, two hours in physical education, twelve hours in humanities, three hours in fine arts, seven hours in natural sciences and mathematics, and three hours in social and behavioral sciences. The Basic Studies program is described in Chapter 4 of this report and in the Undergraduate Catalogue.

Each curricular area in which a degree is offered by the University is headed by a full-time faculty member. It is the responsibility of this person to oversee the degree program and to assess its operation.

Responsibility for institution-wide planning and evaluation at UNCW resides with the University Planning Committee and the Office of Institutional Research (OIR). The University Planning Committee is headed by the Chancellor. The Director of OIR is also the Assistant to the Chancellor for Planning. The University Planning Committee is responsible for the educational, physical, and financial growth of the University. The University Planning Committee and planning process are more fully described in Chapter 3 of this report.

UNCW has a large and modern physical plant and sufficient learning resources to serve well the teaching, research, and service functions of the University. The layout of the campus provides ready access to all of its educational resources. Chapters 5 and 6 of this report cover educational and physical resources. Specific resources are documented in the Undergraduate Catalogue.

The University has an adequate financial base for pursuing its mission. UNCW is respected throughout the UNC system for its fiscal responsibility. An audited financial statement for the 1990-91 fiscal year is available for review.

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PUBLICATION STATEMENT (1.6)

The University publishes its recognition by the SACS Commission on Colleges in both the undergraduate and graduate catalogues. The statement, part of a longer statement on accreditation and memberships, is as follows:

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the bachelor's and master's level ....

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Appendix 1-A - Organization of the Self-Study

Appendix I-B - Self-Study Calendar

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Last Updated: February 2, 2000