Self-Study News and Events

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Self-Study News and Events
Last updated March 1, 2002

The SACS site visit has been successfully completed. The follow-up plan outlines the steps necessary for the university’s reaffirmation of accreditation.

Previous “old news”

The university is ready for the SACS Reaffirmation Committee visit, scheduled for February 25-28, 2002. The Committee Itinerary and Interview Schedule is online.

The cumulative “SACS Tips of the Day” are here.

UNCW’s Self-Study Report is completed and available on the Web.

The Follow-Up Plan and Report and the Self-Study Addendum have also been completed.

Dr. Gloria Raines, Chair of the SACS Reaffirmation Committee, will make her preliminary visit to our campus on January 16, 2002. Here is her itinerary.

FALL SEMESTER 2001 ACTIVITIES

· Institutional response to the Self-Study recommendations and suggestions. For each of the 30 recommendations and 48 suggestions approved by the Steering Committee, a memorandum has been sent to the appropriate University official(s) requesting action. Deadline for all responses to these memoranda: October 15, 2001.

· Divisional/unit follow-up reports. Deadline: October 15, 2001. Each unit that submitted a unit self-study report has been requested (via this memo sent March 1) to submit a follow-up report that addresses the internal recommendations and suggestions identified by the unit itself. These reports will document that UNCW has “closed the loop” by using the Self-Study not only to identify, but also to correct, weaknesses. For more details, see the Follow-Up Page.

· Self-Study Follow-Up Plan and Report. This document, developed by the Steering Committee, will consist of 1) written responses by University officials to the recommendations and suggestions in the Self-Study Report, 2) a plan to act on recommendations and suggestions formulated by the Reaffirmation Committee, and 3) a summary of information collected from the divisional/unit follow-up reports.

· Self-Study Addendum. This document, developed by the Steering Committee, is intended to provide the Reaffirmation Committee with up-to-date information regarding the status of UNCW at the time of their visit.

· Divisional Addendum reports. Deadline: November 1, 2001. The Chancellor and vice chancellors have been requested to provide divisional Addendum reports that describe specific categories of changes that have occurred since the “snapshot date” of June 30, 2000. This will be the primary source of information for the Self-Study Addendum. For more details, see the Addendum Page.

The campus-wide review of the draft Self-Study Report resulted in 182 Web responses and dozens of additional suggestions for improvements by e-mail and other means. Final preparations are now underway for publication of the Self-Study Report.

Campus-wide review of the draft Self-Study Report is slated for October 1-19, 2001. The primary means of collecting responses from faculty, students, staff, administrators, alumni, and the public is via the Web. Go to the campus review page to register your views. There is also a hard copy of the Self-Study Report on reserve in Randall Library, with provision for submitting your response in writing. A university-wide hearing is scheduled for Thursday, October 18, 3:30-5:00 pm in Dobo Hall 134.

WE’VE MOVED! Effective August 6, 2001, the SACS Self-Study Office is SB 214 (the vacated Political Science Department Office). Our telephone extension is still 3556. Preparations are underway to convert the old Political Science suite into the Reaffirmation Committee’s headquarters during their site visit in February 2002.

The Steering Committee has approved a total of 30 recommendations and 48 suggestions, all posted on the Recommendation Index Page. (This page is in the password-protected area.) Drafts of all 25 sections of the Self-Study Report have also been approved, and the Self-Study Editor is busy this summer refining them. Edited sections can be viewed on the Report Index Page.

Academic unit reports, due December 15, should be submitted as follows: six hard copies delivered to Marla Trobaugh (ext. 3556) in Friday 250, and an electronic version submitted in one of three ways:
          1. on a diskette with the hard copy, or
          2. by e-mail attachment to trobaughm@uncwil.edu, or
          3. (preferred) by MS Word e-mail attachment to spackmank@uncwil.edu
Also submit your file box with supporting documentation to Marla in FR 250. For a final checklist, see the Self-Study Manual and the Director’s e-mail message of November 17. With the username and password to the Committee Level Access area, you can view other units’ self-study reports.

First drafts of the institutional effectiveness section of academic unit reports, due November 1, should be submitted as follows: one hard copy delivered to Marla Trobaugh (ext. 3556) in Friday 250, and an electronic version submitted in one of three ways:
          1. on a diskette with the hard copy, or
          2. by e-mail attachment to trobaughm@uncwil.edu, or
          3. by e-mail attachment to spackmank@uncwil.edu
Do not submit referenced documentation or the file box at this time. The final version of the institutional effectiveness section will be submitted as part of the final unit report by December 15, along with the documentation in the file box. If you have the username and password to the Committee Level Access area, you can view other units’ institutional effectiveness reports.

Administrative unit reports, due October 2, should be submitted as follows: six hard copies of the report and the document file box should be delivered to Marla Trobaugh (ext. 3556) in Friday 250. The electronic version of the report may be submitted in one of three ways:
          1. on a diskette with the hard copies, or
          2. by e-mail attachment to trobaughm@uncwil.edu, or
          3. by e-mail attachment to spackmank@uncwil.edu
The must statement tracking database is not part of the unit report. That information should be sent to Bob Fry, fryb@uncwil.edu .

A Self-Study Kickoff Meeting was held on Thursday, Sep. 14, at 4:00 pm in Cameron Auditorium, for the purpose of bringing together the entire Self-Study committee membership--a kind of Self-Study Convocation--to discuss the tasks of the subcommittees, the information sources they will rely on, the reports they will produce, and what happens to those reports after they are submitted. Faculty who are not members of the Self-Study committees were invited, too.

An Academic Planning Workshop for academic deans and department chairs was held on Tuesday, Sep. 19, at 3:00 pm in Center Stage Café. Bob Fry, Assistant to the Chancellor for Planning and workshop leader, presented an overview of planning principles and led a discussion of expectations for the institutional effectiveness portion of unit reports.

The Self-Study Manual has been published. It is the comprehensive guide to UNCW’s SACS Self-Study, and it contains all the policies and instructions for the completion of unit self-studies. It is available (in pdf format) on the Self-Study Homepage—just click on “Self-Study Manual”.

On June 29, 2000, Self-Study Manuals, Criteria booklets, and portable document boxes were distributed to representatives of 45 administrative organizational units at an orientation/kickoff meeting. These 45 units are to conduct their unit self-studies during the period July 1 to October 2, 2000.

An orientation/kickoff meeting was conducted Monday, July 31, for representatives of the 36 academic units that will conduct their unit self-studies from August 15 to December 15. Self-Study Manuals, Criteria booklets, and portable document boxes were distributed to attendees.

The Self-Study office has opened in Friday Hall 250. This space also serves as the Faculty Senate office. Marla Trobaugh began her duties as full time office assistant on July 31. She will serve the dual role of Self-Study secretary and Faculty Senate secretary until the Self-Study is completed. Please make her welcome.