Students can have a say in Ball State's future through aself-study that will help the university reach reaccreditation.
The study, comprised of 14 chapters, includes a plethora ofaspects of the university, from undergraduate learning to studentsupport.
The study can be found at www.bsu.edu/profile/draft., wherestudents can provide online feedback.
"(It's) a self-assessment of the university's programs, goalsand achievements," said professor Anthony Edmonds, who helped draftthe self-study.
Through this analysis, the university can discover what needs tobe improved and what does not, which will be necessary for theFebruary 2004 accreditation review.
"Every 10 years Ball State, like most institutions, is assessedby an accrediting agency. In our case, (it's) the North CentralAssociation," Edmonds said.
During the review process, an 11-member committee will arrive oncampus and perform an evaluation, which includes the assessment ofthe self-study. This evaluation will determine whether or not theuniversity meets the standards set by the Higher LearningCommission of the North Central Association.
"We must present evidence that we meet 24 different generalinstitutional requirements outlined by the Higher LearningCommission," said Deb Balogh, the self-study director and dean ofthe graduate school. "These cover areas such as mission statement,governance structure, qualifications of faculty, degree-programrequirements, financial practices and public-informationpractices."
Work on the self-study began two years ago. A group of 150people, which included students and faculty members, helped tocreate it.
"The university's institutional self-study began in Fall 1999when the President appointed a self-study director and an initialadvisory group," Balogh said. "For the next several months thisadvisory group reviewed structure and preliminary strategy for theself-study."
The advisory committee created nine task forces to divide thework and provide additional information, said Randy Hyman, dean ofstudents and associate vice president for Student Services.
This group later created the first draft of the self-study nowavailable.
Balogh said she urges students to log on to the site to view thework and provide commentary.
This feedback will be taken into consideration when the advisorycommittee and task forces create the final draft of the self-studyin December.
In order to receive more information about the accreditationprocess, view the Web site for the Higher Learning Commission ofthe North Central Association atwww.ncahigherlearningcommission.org.
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