September 1998

ACCREDITATION  NEWS

Saint Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont 05439

AN INFORMATIONAL NEWSLETTER ABOUT SAINT MICHAEL'S COLLEGE'S SELF-STUDY

Self-Study

Report

A society made up of artriosclerotic orgnizations cannot renew itself

John Gardner, Self-Renewal

Every ten years, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) requires member institutions, like Saint Michael’s College, to undertake a comprehensive self-assessment. It is a major undertaking which engages faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni in an assessment of a college’s mission, integrity, and institutional effectiveness. Saint Michael’s was last reaccredited by NEASC in the Spring of 1990. Planning has now begun for the next reaccreditation in the year 2000.

A group of peers, appointed by NEASC, from other regional educational institutions, will determine if the College is meeting a set of eleven standards established through a participatory process with affiliated institutions and the public. The Saint Michael’s College community will need to work in concert to catalog the strengths of the institution, while identifying strategies to address major weaknesses. A successful self-study process will promote institutional improvement, while at the same time, respond to the specific requirements of an external accrediting body like NEASC.

A self-study occurs at a particular time in the history of an academic institution. Yet, it still must provide evaluators with more than a single point in time snap-shot view of a college. Saint Michael’s will have to demonstrate that it is "self aware"--- we know where we have been, where we are, and where we hope to be. In this process, the College will assess whether its mission is clear and appropriate, whether it has sufficient resources to achieve this mission now and in the future, and whether it can do so effectively.

What are the desirables attributes of an institutional self-study? According to H.R. Kells (Self-Study Processes), the process will be more successful if it:

  • Is internally motivated.

  • Is strongly supported by top administrators.

  • Reflects the institution’s unique character.

  • Promotes campus-wide participation.

  • Is well managed.

  • Stimulates institutional improvement during and after the process.

  • Improves the ongoing institutional research capabilities.

  • Produces a clear report that is useful to a wide range of audiences.

- page 2 -

The Eleven NEASC Standards

1. Mission and Purposes

2. Planning and Evaluation

3. Organization and Governance

4. Programs and Instructions

5. Faculty

6. Student Services

7. Library and Informational Resources

8. Physical Resources

9. Financial Resources

10. Public Disclosure

11. Integrity

We will need your help to answer these types of questions:

* Does SMC meet the 11 NEASC standards?

* Has SMC positioned itself appropriately in relation to its mission and to its environment?

* Is the mission of the College clear and consistent?

* Does the College have the resources to achieve its mission? Will it have the resources in the future?

* Does the College have an effective organization and planning process in place?

* How does SMC assess educational outcomes?

* Does the planning process result in institutional improvements?

* What are SMC’s institutional strengths?

* What are SMC’s institutional weaknesses?

* Are strategic decisions informed by research?

* Is there an on-going, systematic, integrated planning process in place?

* Is SMC truthful and fair in its relations with all its internal and external constituencies?

* In what ways has SMC improved since 1990?

 

Preliminary Timetable
for the Year 2000 Self-Study

  • NEASC Team conducts site visit.  March 12-15, 2000
  • Six weeks prior to NEASC site visit, final Self-Study Report is sent to NEASC for review.  January 31, 2000
  • Twelve weeks prior to NEASC site visit, draft of Self-Study Report sent to NEASC for comment.  December 20, 1999
  • Campus-wide review of the draft of the Self-Study Report.  Distribution of draft, open meetings, and revision.  Fall 1999
  • Preparation of Self-Study Document.  Summer 1999
  • Community retreat.  SMC strengths-weaknesses-priorities-strategies for institutional improvement.  Consensus building.  June 1999
  • Subsidiary documents from SMC planning and administrative units due to Self-Study Committee.  March 22, 1999
  • Self-Study Committee appointed.  September 1998. Design planning, data collection and sub-committee structure put into place.  Requests go out to all planning units and divisions to prepare subsidiary self-studies.   November 12, 1998
  • Initial Self-Study design work and appointment of chair.  Summer 1998

- page 3 -

Members of the SMC Self-Study Committee
Provost
Dr. Janet Sheeran

Chair
Dr. Herbert Kessel

Faculty
Professor Kathleen Mahnke
Professor Bill Andersen
Professor George Dameron
Professor Glenn Bauer

Society of Saint Edmund
Rev. Brian Cummings, S.S.E.

 

 Staff
John Sheehey
Patricia Suozzi
Jennie Cernosia
Mark Nelson

Trustee
Susan Crampton

Students
Nicole Puopolo
Matt Mostoller
Jennifer Craver

Liaison to the President
Marilyn Cormier

A Note of Thanks

The work of the Year 2000 Self-Study Committee will be better informed and more perceptive due to the outstanding work of the 1990 Self-Study Committee chaired by Rev. Dick Myhalyk, S.S.E. Other members of the committee included Sally Cummings, David LaMarche, Ed Murphy, Jennie Cernosia, Art Hessler, John Sheehey, Joe Popecki, Bettyann Cartledge, Julio Castellanos, Mike Gizzi, and Courtney McBride. Their wise counsel will be much appreciated.

A Self-Study is ....

  • An evaluation by one’s peers.

  • A renewal process.

  • An appraisal of institutional strengths and weaknesses.

  • Not a comparative institutional study.

  • A method to certify to the public that a college meets minimum standards.

  • A way to validate the effectiveness of institutional planning.

  • A process of reflection and inquisitiveness.

A Self-Study Can....

  • Help colleges improve programs.

  • Enhance the process of institutional research and self-analysis.

  • Clarify institutional priorities and development needs.

  • Build community.

  • Open-up communication flows.

  • Identify new sources of leadership.

  • Uncover neglected areas of institutional strengths and weaknesses.

  • Protect colleges from institutional atrophy.

 

SMC divisions will be asked to...

*Describe, appraise, and project their own work, achievements, and constraints.  Address strengths, weaknesses, and plans to remedy deficiencies.

* Consider how their program advances the College's mission.

 

- page 4 -

SELECTED FINDINGS ABOUT SMC
FROM EARLIER NEASC STUDIES
 

In 1990, NEASC Commended SMC for:

1. A sense of community that pervades campus decision making.

2. Effective strategic planning flowing from a firm sense of mission.

3. A student centered, learning centered environment.

4. A commitment to the Catholic Mission and the presence of the Society of Saint Edmund.

5. The commitment to physical improvements, especially to the library and its collections.

6. The efforts to foster cultural diversity in the student body and faculty, undertaken with patient realism.

7. The strong cooperation between academics and residential life in building effective programming.

8. Faculty participation in governance, especially curriculum planning.

9. The Honors Program and Freshman Studies.

10. Sound and strong financial planning.

11. A dedicated faculty and staff.

12. A thoughtful and prudent administration.

 

 

In 1990, NEASC Expressed Concern About:

1. The need to follow through with plans to revive the library.

2. The integration of graduate programming into the learning community.

3. Planning for the application of new educational technologies.

4. The homogenenity of the student body and the need for planning to make welcome a more diverse student body.

5. The need to continue efforts to promote diversity in the top level administration.

6. The need for development of clear criteria for promotion and tenure evaluation and better communication in the promotion and tenure process.

7. The need for faculty resource planning in academic affairs to allow student demand to be better met and curriculum enriched.

8. The need to follow data collection with more sophisticated analysis.

9. The ability of the capital campaign to meet its goals.

10. Tuition dependency which can be linked to heavy teaching loads that may restrict other faculty activities such as co-curricular teaching and learning, and in professional growth.

In 1980, NEASC Commended SMC for:

1. A strong well-organized team of administrators which provides leadership and direction.

2. A dedicated teaching faculty committed to the objectives of the institution.

3. Strong academic offerings.

4. A sound financial basis.

 

 

In 1980, NEASC Expressed Concern About:

1. The Board of Trustees, while loyal and supportive of the College, does not, as presently organized, maximize its potential for strengthening Saint Michael’s College.

2.Overall faculty development.

3. The level of financial support for library holdings and space limitations.

4. A greater need for planning directed to foreseeable contingencies in the face of possible contraction of enrollment and resources.

Date of NEASC's Visit

|| Self-Study Homepage || Saint Michael's Homepage || Accreditation News Index ||

Questions or comments relating to Accreditation should be directed to:
Dr. Herbert Kessel hkessel@smcvt.edu
last revised: May 11, 2000