Minutes of the

NIU Board of Trustees

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, STUDENT AFFAIRS

AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

September 4, 2002

The meeting was called to order by Chair Barbara Giorgi Vella at 9:10 a.m. in the Clara Sperling Sky Room of Holmes Student Center.  Recording Secretary Sharon Mimms conducted a roll call of Trustees.  Members present were Trustees Catherine Adduci and Robert Boey, Student Trustee Jesse Perez and Chair Vella.  Not present was Trustee Myron Siegel.  Also present were Committee Liaison Ivan Legg, President John Peters and Board Parliamentarian Kenneth Davidson.  With a quorum present, the meeting proceeded.

Confirmation of Open Meetings Act notification compliance was given by Board Parliamentarian Ken Davidson.

Trustee Boey made a motion to approve the agenda.  It was seconded by Trustee Adduci.  The motion was approved.

It was moved by Trustee Adduci and seconded by Trustee Boey to approve the minutes of the June 6, 2002 meeting.  The motion was approved.

Today, Trustee Vella said, three items will be presented for action and five for information.  The action items include three collective bargaining agreements; the appointment of the Acting Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School; and the appointment, with tenure, of the Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering.  The five information items include two program matters:  programmatic budget requests for Fiscal Year 2004 and the 2002 Results Report.  Another information item is professional excellence awards for faculty and staff, which include awards for Presidential Teaching Professor, Presidential Research Professor and Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.  It is a pleasure to recognize those individuals who provide the margin of excellence that makes NIU the outstanding institution it is.  The Operating Staff Service Award and the Presidential Supportive Professional Staff Award for Excellence recipients were recognized at our June 6 meeting luncheon, the Chair said.  Also included in the information items are the results of NIU faculty and staff efforts to acquire external funding for research, public service and instructional projects during this last year, and an update of the status of NIU’s reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Chair Vella announced that the University Advisory Committee representatives assigned to this committee, Dan Griffiths and Dolly Jones, will no longer be serving in this capacity.  I am pleased to recognize and thank them for their valued service and contributions at this meeting, she said.  Now I would like to recognize the two new representatives of UAC to this committee, Professor Paul Loubere from the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, and Professor William Tolhurst from the Department of Philosophy.  We are pleased that you have accepted this assignment, Chair Vella said, and we welcome you to our committee.

The Chair asked Board Parliamentarian Kenneth Davidson if any members of the public had registered a written request to address the Board in accordance with state law and the Board of Trustees Bylaws.  Mr. Davidson noted that no requests for public comment had been received.

Comments by President Peters

President Peters welcomed everyone back to campus.  We have really had an exciting start to the academic year in the opening of the convocation center with Bill Cosby and the Huskie Bash, the opening of Barsema Hall, and the heart‑stopping, last‑second, first overtime ever victory over a college bowl series team, Lake Forest, of our Huskies.  This morning the Tribune led with a story about how new quarterbacks make a difference, and they highlighted NIU’s new quarterback.

This morning, the President said, I want to certify the overall ten‑day count, because many of you may have been reading in the Chicago Tribune and other papers or have seen on television that NIU is one of the state institutions that has a robust enrollment.  Dr. Bob Wheeler informed me that, as of this morning, the overall ten‑day count showed that NIU has enrolled 24,962 students from undergraduate through graduate and professional.  To give you a benchmark, last year the ten‑day count was 23,988.  So, rounding off, we went from 24,000 last year to 25,000 this year.  And this was not unexpected.  All along our projections were showing an increase of 700, but I scoffed at that.  Our high range was always between 700 and 1,000, and it is hard to estimate this, but there are many reasons for it.  One, I am convinced, is the fact that NIU gives a great education for the dollar even though higher education is not inexpensive.  There is a buzz about NIU and what is happening.  But most importantly, it is about the faculty and the academic support people who give our students the personal attention that is lacking in so many other institutions of our size and complexity.  Now, there is a story within a story here, President Peters said.  We are pleased that these students have chosen to study with us – and I congratulate them because that is a smart choice – and I want to publicly thank and pay my respects to the faculty, the staff, the deans and the departments heads whose efforts to accommodate this increase are no less than heroic, really.  It is a miracle.  We have diverted internally from three‑quarters of a million to a million dollars in funding to take care of our core requirements.  Now, it may be that almost all students will get their core requirements, maybe not at the time they want or in the semester they want, but they will get them.

We cannot continue to do this, President Peters said.  The rubber band is pulled back as far as it can be stretched.  We can always improve.  We are going to look at every one of our business operations and our administrative operations to make sure that we are as productive and as lean as we can be, given the complexity of this institution, without increased state resources.  I just do not know how we can continue to accommodate the hundreds and thousands of students in this region who want our education.  And I do not blame them, because it is a darn good education.  But, today, we can just bask in the knowledge that we are a very popular and smart choice to pursue a higher education in Illinois, because that is the result of many years of hard work for many people.  As we go into the post 9/11 environment, the economic downturn and slow recovery, and the change in the nature of the environment in which we are going to operate, we want to determine how we take it to the next level, which is everyone’s dream in this environment.  That takes sacrifice on everyone’s part, commitment and being on the team.  So, as I just said, let us just bask in the fact that we are a very popular institution, and that we have done well.  Thank you faculty and staff.

Thank you, Dr. Peters, Dr. Vella said.  We, the Board, are all happy too.  I know we have problems with a large enrollment, but they are good problems, problems that we can solve.

Agenda Item 7.a. – Collective Bargaining Agreements

Dr. Legg asked Steve Cunningham to make a brief presentation of this item.  The three collective bargaining agreements we have for your consideration this morning, Mr. Cunningham said, conclude all the outstanding reopeners the university has for Fiscal Year 2003.  The first agreement is with the Police Telecommunicators, represented by the Fraternal Order of Police; the second is the Operating Engineers, who operate our heating plant; and the third is with Carpenter’s Local 790.  You will note that these are all long‑term agreements, extending four and five years.  It is our practice now, at NIU, to negotiate long‑term agreements and to seek the most stable and progressive outcomes possible.  The Provost asked that the Committee endorse these three collective bargaining agreements and ask that the President forward them by means of the President's Report to the Board of Trustees for approval at its meeting September 19, 2002.  Chair Vella asked for a motion to endorse the three above‑mentioned collective bargaining agreements.  Trustee Adduci so moved, seconded by Student Trustee Perez.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 7.b. – Appointment of Acting Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School

Dr. T. Daniel Griffiths has been asked to serve as Acting Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, Provost Legg said, and he is certainly well suited for the position.  Briefly, Dr. Griffiths received his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Illinois.  He began his academic career at the University of Rochester.  Dan came here in 1981 to help us develop our Ph.D. program in Biology.  He has been active in departmental leadership having chaired a number of key committees.  He has also been very active in university leadership, most recently as President of the Faculty Senate and Executive Secretary of the University Council.  Dr. Griffiths is an active educator and researcher.  He has received over a million dollars from the National Institutes of Health to support his research.  Dan has, among other things, been on the review panel for the Howard Hughes Postdoctoral Grant Program, which is a very great distinction in itself.  He is currently collaborating in research with a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry.  The Provost asked Dr. Griffiths if he had any comments.  Dr. Griffiths stated that he appreciated the confidence that the Provost and others have shown in him.  I would like to say that this shows how fortunate we are here at NIU, Trustee Boey said.  As I told Dr. Griffiths this morning, I am very comfortable with him taking this position.  We are very fortunate to have someone like him who is able to fill this spot for us.  Chair Vella asked for a motion to endorse the request to appoint Dr. Griffiths as Acting Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School and ask that the President forward it by means of the President's Report to the Board of Trustees for approval at its meeting September 19, 2002.  Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Student Trustee Perez.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 7.c. – Appointment with Rank and Tenure

After a national search, Dr. Nourredine Boubekri has been selected as the new chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering.  Provost Legg reported that Dr. Boubekri had been recommended for tenure with the rank of full professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering by the department, college and university.  I interviewed Dr. Boubekri along with other candidates for that position, he said, and I was very impressed with him, particularly with his achievements.  He is also a pleasant and enjoyable person.  We are very fortunate to have recruited him.  Dr. Boubekri is taking the leadership role in an active department with a good enrollment where the graduates are in high demand.  The University requested that the Committee endorse the decision to grant Dr. Nourredine Boubekri tenure in conjunction with his appointment as professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering effective August 16, 2002 and ask the President to forward the recommendation by means of the President’s Report to the Board of Trustees for approval at its meeting on September 19, 2002.  Chair Vella asked for such a motion.  Trustee Adduci so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 7.d. – Fiscal Year 2004 Programmatic Budget Requests

At the June 6, 2002, Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee meeting, Dr. Legg said, a Board item reported on the university’s FY04 budget guidelines.  Those included a section on Program Priority Requests, a summary of which is included in the meeting report.

Internet Enhanced Off‑Campus Baccalaureate Degree Completion Programs for Community College Students.  This request, totaling $951,375, was omitted from the list.  It focuses on an effort to form a partnership with Rock Valley College to provide a four‑year education for people in Rockford.  We are very pleased to say that this program has taken off and is going well, Provost Legg said, and we need to have that as one of our program priorities.

Mission Critical Faculty.  This is a very important issue because, as President Peters pointed out, our enrollment is going up very rapidly, Dr. Legg said, and we just cannot go any further without additional faculty, particularly in mission critical areas like computer science, engineering, communications and business.

Enhancing Faculty Diversity.  It is a strong commitment of mine to try to work with the faculty and the leadership of the university to continue to diversify the faculty, the Provost said.  We are focusing on issues such as recruitment and retention.  I am working now in a special effort with department chairs to improve our retention of minority faculty.

Pathways To Academic Success.  This focuses on the recruitment, retention and successful degree completion of undergraduate students.  These initiatives include intensive efforts to prepare minority students for college work, the Provost stated, and our programs here are very effective.  CHANCE, for example, has been a particularly strong program in this area.

Enhancing Learning Through Technology.  This request is steered toward the goal of increasing our smart classrooms to 50 percent of our total general classrooms, the Provost said.

Quality Improvement in Academic Student Affairs.  This is basically an assessment issue.  It is an issue that has become progressively more important for universities around the country, Dr. Legg said, and that is, even if you think you are doing a great job, what can you do to assess your success.

In answer to questions from the Trustees, Provost Legg stated that in addition to CHANCE there are approximately five other different initiatives contained in that particular proposal.  Dr. Robert Wheeler was asked to give a brief explanation on those programs.

The demographics of the region strongly suggest that an increasing number of minority students will be completing high school and looking to attend a university over the coming decade, Dr. Wheeler said.  This is particularly true with Latino students where there will be a highly significant increase.  Part of the challenge for the university is to reach out into the developing Latino communities in the area and find ways to work with students and their parents to acquaint them with the academic and financial realities of coming to college.  We cannot just wait for them to come to us; we have to be proactive about it.  There are some ambitious things we would like to do, but we are going to need more funding to undertake them.  This should be a very high priority for the university in the coming years.

Also, Dr. Wheeler said, we have observed, as has the Board of Higher Education, that for a lot of seniors, the last year of high school is not necessarily a year when their full focus is on academic activities.  There are many things competing for their attention.  A great many high school students do not take a math course in their senior year, which really hurts them when they come to the university.  We have seen some data recently from our Office of Institutional Research that demonstrates the enormous importance of doing well in the first college math course.  Basically, if you make an A, B or C in your first college math course, your chance of eventually graduating from the university more than doubles.  The best way to do that is to have adequate preparation in high school, he said.  We can work with the high schools in our service region to promote more efforts in senior preparation before students come here.  But again, that particular outreach effort will require funding.  There is a wonderful childcare center on campus, and lots of students benefit from it.  There are other students who could use a little help in affording that service, which would make it more feasible for them to continue at the university.

A good many students here are undecided about their major, Dr. Wheeler continued.  I read a statistic recently stating that of the incoming new freshmen in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 48 percent are undecided about their future major at the university.  Of course, many students come here with a major in mind and then decide to change it.  There is a need to address many of these students with developmental advising – give them a chance to work through their own unique blends of talents and abilities and move toward the right major.  We could do a lot more in this area, but we are constrained by the lack of professional staff in the advising area.  The advisors we have are doing a great job, but it would be nice if we had more of them.

One of the dreams we have, which this is close to my heart because mathematics is my home department, Dr. Wheeler said, is the creation of a real mathematics learning center.  There are some famous examples around the country, and Virginia Tech is one, where they took a large grocery store and converted it into an enormous area with hundreds of computers where all mathematics learning on that campus takes place.  Now that may be further than we want to go, he said, but I do believe that a more organized effort to provide assistance in mathematics would be useful.  That is where the student demand is for tutoring and special assistance.

Finally, it should not be overlooked that the expertise of our graduate teaching assistants is essential to the success of our undergraduate teaching program, Dr. Wheeler concluded.  We have some ambitious efforts underway to improve the preparation of graduate teaching assistants.  Again, we could do more if we had additional funding.  So, the Pathways to Academic Success is truly a potpourri of individual topics, but all of them are going to contribute to the success of our undergraduate teaching mission if we can find the funding to implement them.

Trustee Boey mentioned that he had attended a luncheon, which is typically given two weeks before commencement, to honor the graduating seniors of the CHANCE program.  If you have never attended one fellow Trustees, he said, I would urge you to attend.  It is a typical example of the programs we have here at NIU.  It is a very touching luncheon where all the graduates, basically, tell what CHANCE meant to them.  And, usually, if it had not been for CHANCE, they would not be there.  I was surprised and flattered that I was asked to attend and invited to speak.

The CHANCE program is unique within the public universities in the state of Illinois, Dr. Wheeler said.  NIU is the only public university that mounts an effort of this type to serve educationally disadvantaged students.  We are taking in about 500 new students every year under this program and giving them intensive support during their freshman year with special developmental course work, special counseling and other services.  And at the end of the line, we see the fruits of those efforts in this very inspiring luncheon.  I will see that all of the Trustees receive invitations, he said, and I do urge you to attend if you possibly can.

I would like to just add one last comment to Bob’s outline of our academic commitments, Provost Legg said.  The whole matrix of interaction that occurs at a university involves not only the academic part but also the environment in which the students function.  When they move into our university area, they move into a different type of culture.  We have support mechanisms and centers for various minority groups that enhance their abilities and enjoyment here.  Finally, he said, we are diversifying our student base much more rapidly than we are diversifying our faculty.  What the students see in the classroom is very important in terms of role models, and we are working in this area, as I outlined in one of our other program priorities.

Student Trustee Jesse Perez commented that he graduated from the CHANCE program last year.  I found it extremely helpful, he said.  Without the CHANCE program, I do not know how much further I could have gone.  But I was really happy and satisfied with the programs and services that they provided.

Agenda Item 7.e. – Fiscal Year 2002 Results Report

Provost Legg asked Dr. Virginia Cassidy to give a brief presentation on the FY02 Results Report.  Each fall, Dr. Cassidy said, we include the Results Report on the Committee agenda because its timing falls between the June and the fall meetings.  Though you all received copies of the report from President Peters, we like to have an opportunity to point out items that we think will be of particular interest to you.

Northern was able to outline a substantial number of items that demonstrate how our priorities contribute to the statewide goals for higher education articulated in the Illinois Commitment.  Last year, the university directed significant efforts to preparing new teachers and to contributing to the professional development of Illinois classroom teachers, to creating initiatives to increase student success in college, to smooth the way for students from the community colleges to complete a baccalaureate degree, to providing support and resources for faculty to be able to use instructional technologies in their courses, to improving the quality of our programs and academic support services, to increasing grant funding and to continue to make progress in completing deferred maintenance projects, just to name a few of the items that were included in the results from Fiscal Year 2002.

The report also outlines the university’s plans for the current fiscal year and includes a report on two of our best practices.  In addition to reporting on Moody’s Investor Services’ upgrade of the university’s bond rating as the best financial practice, Northern selected its multiple partnerships as a best academic practice.  We identified a couple of specific partnerships that we wanted to use to exemplify the extent of our collaborative efforts between and among units within the university and between the university and external entities.  The highlight of our partnership in 2002 was the creation of the Rock Valley College/NIU partnership.  We now are pleased to report that we are offering six baccalaureate degree completion programs in Rockford.  The programs in computer science, child studies, community health, general studies, nursing and industrial technology have all been implemented this fall.  As of yesterday, Dr. Cassidy reported, the unofficial tally of enrollments in those programs this fall was at 265 students.  In the spring, another degree program will be offered there in elementary education.

When we sent out a call for examples of partnerships, we received so many that there was no way we could describe all of them in the one‑page summary included in the Results Report.  However, I would like to mention a couple of others, including the partnerships we have on campus between our academic programs and Student Housing and Dining Services to create living and learning communities where students have an opportunity to engage in discussions with students of similar interests, in the international house, the honors house, the health house, the fine arts house, etc.  The College of Engineering has a longstanding program it calls “Adopt a High School” where members of the faculty of the College of Engineering work with high school faculty to encourage them to interest students in careers in engineering and offer programming for faculty and students to accomplish that purpose.  And then we have our community school, the arts in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.  All of these efforts and many more exemplify the kinds of partnerships in which Northern engages.

The last three items in the report are status reports, Dr. Cassidy said.  One is on the selection of outcome indicators that reflect the university’s mission as it relates to the Illinois Board of Higher Education project to assist higher education in demonstrating its accountability to public constituencies in the state.  The second status report addresses the kinds of programming, efforts and initiatives in which the university is involved to address the issues of access, diversity, persistence and degree completion for students from underrepresented groups.  The last of these reports outlines university plans for the ongoing assessment of our academic programs and the achievement of learning outcomes.  I am sure you will see additional status reports on these three particular initiatives in the Results Report in coming years since they are ongoing endeavors of the IBHE.

In individual conversations the Trustees had with both President Peters and Provost Legg this morning, Trustee Boey commented, it was mentioned that Northern Illinois University now seems to be a university with the kind of enrollment that President Peters talked about early in his tenure.  With the kinds of improvements that are occurring on campus and the excellence of our faculty, we should begin to focus on the fact that for those students in Chicago and Illinois who do not go to the University of Illinois, NIU should become the automatic alternate instead of another university in Indiana or Iowa or whatever the case may be.  Provost Legg stated that a task force has been formed, headed by Bob Wheeler, working specifically on that issue.  We have spent a lot of money on the physical side of the university, Trustee Boey said, and with all the physical attributes on campus and the talents that we have on campus, I think it is time now for the Board of Trustees to support your effort to focus on spending the money in academic directions.

Chair Vella thanked Dr. Anne Kaplan for all her help in forming the partnership with Rock Valley College.  It is what is behind the scenes, sometimes, that makes for excellence in higher education, President Peters said, and I have observed this for the past year.  A group of faculty and staff from NIU and a group of faculty and staff from Rock Valley have worked many hours this past year to create this partnership.  To actually be offering courses less than one year later is another NIU miracle.

Agenda Item 7.f. – Professional Excellence Awards for Faculty and Staff

As Barbara noted earlier in her remarks, Provost Legg said, we recognized the Operating Staff and the Supportive Professional Staff at a luncheon after our last meeting.  They were not listed in the Committee report, but we are listing them in this report.  At our luncheon today, we will recognize Presidential Teaching Professors, Presidential Research Professors, and those recipients of the 2002 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award.  Again, I want to stress that all of us are here for a very important reason, Dr. Legg said, and that is faculty are the heart and soul of the university.  Without the faculty, we do not have a university.  We will be recognizing the best of the best at lunch and other events.

Agenda Item 7.g. – Fiscal Year 2002 External Funding for Research, Public Service and Instructional Projects

I just want to make a brief observation about the Fiscal Year 2002 External Funding for Research, Public Service and Instructional Projects before I ask Dan Griffiths to make his presentation, Dr. Legg said.  We are up to almost $46 million from $39 million last year, he reported.  This is critically important as we are looking for resources to fund our research and associated types of activities, especially where we may not be receiving as much from the state and other sources.  Also, I wanted to note the very interesting fact that our federal support now is up to $25.5 million, which is a significant increase over last year.  In the old Carnegie rankings of the universities, it was necessary to have $18 million to be a Carnegie II Research University.  NIU is now in the top listings of the new rankings.  It is noteworthy that we have reached that status in both the old and the new rankings, he said.

It is a pleasure to address the Board and talk about the increase in the amount of externally funded grants and contracts, Dr. Griffiths said.  Comprehensive universities, such as NIU, are ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as doctoral/research‑extensive.  These universities have a significant level of funding, and NIU is no exception.  As this level grows, the university’s reputation increases; and with this, our ability to track highly trained and motivated faculty, staff and students is enhanced.  The amount of NIU’s external funding has increased during the past five years, especially between Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002.  Not many other types of industries or businesses would be showing an increase, Dr. Griffiths stated.  This also is occurring at a time when we have had a decrease in the number of faculty and staff due to the fact that certain vacant positions cannot be filled because of the current budget problems.  The total amount there is $45.9 million.  It is important to note that undergraduates as well as graduate students were recipients.  Specifically, some students received external stipends, grants and scholarships while others were hired to participate in research projects, public service and instructional projects funded by the external money.

A look at funds received by each college shows that the trend is mostly up, Dr. Griffiths said.  It is important to note that the colleges have varying numbers of faculty and that each depends on external support to different degrees.  The majority of support comes from federal funds, which, again, would be expected of universities that are ranked doctoral/research‑extensive, Dr. Griffths said.  However, there was also state and corporate support; thus our faculty and staff help address important goals of business firms and professional organizations as well as those of governmental agencies.  A breakdown of the total funds received showed that state awards were down slightly, but all others were up.  The general trend here, again, is up in hard economic times, he said, which says a lot for our faculty, staff and students.  I want to mention that one of the important aspects of higher education is to increase interdisciplinary areas of work, and this last figure shows that the nonacademic interdisciplinary units have also helped bring in money.

I am going to give an example of how an individual applies for a federal research grant to show how these awards come about, Dr. Griffiths said.  First, the individual researches a topic, obtains information, obtains preliminary data and comes up with an idea.  This may take time, because external grants, especially federal grants, are extremely competitive, and the reviewers expect complete, well thought out grants with preliminary data.  Once the investigator is ready, s/he contacts the Office of Sponsored Projects.  The individual may already have an idea of where s/he intends to apply.  Often, even if an individual comes with an idea for a source, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) may come up with other sources or possibilities.  OSP also helps in such things as proofreading and editing, and they are responsible for and very good at getting the grants or applications to the agencies.  From my own experience, and that of others I have spoken with, he said, OSP does an outstanding job of aiding faculty, staff and students in their attempts to obtain external support.  Dr. Griffiths recognized Linda Schwarz, Director of the Office of Sponsored Projects, and asked her to introduce those present from her staff.  Director Schwarz introduced staff members Gail Mitchell, Research Services Coordinator in Proposal Development, and Patricia Hanzely, Research Services Coordinator in Technical Assistance.

If the individual is successful in obtaining any awards, Grants Fiscal Administration will come to the rescue and help the investigator fill out any budget papers and keep a record of expenditures.  Dr. Griffiths introduced Larry Sallberg, Director of Grants Fiscal, and asked him to introduce those present from his staff.  Director Sallberg introduced staff member Kathy Lockard and named several who could not be at the meeting:  Fran Norris, LaRonda Thuestad, Julie Weber and Cindi Barnes.

In closing, Dr. Griffiths said, let me mention that while I am in this position, I will encourage and help faculty, staff and students, both graduate and undergraduate, to increase external funding.  Research, scholarship or discovery – whatever name you apply to it – is an integral part of higher education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  When individuals attempt to separate research and teaching by saying that college professors spend too much time doing research, they fail to realize that research is an integral part of teaching.  The two simply cannot be separated, and our NIU faculty and staff do a very good job of integrating the two.

I would like to add to Dan’s comments, Provost Legg said.  We always brag a lot about the money we bring in in total dollars.  Please recognize and remember that the amount of money in total that you can bring in per discipline varies enormously.

Agenda Item 7.h. – Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Update

Every ten years we get an accreditation visit from the North Central Association (NCA), Provost Legg said.  The last visit was in 1994, so we are due for one in 2004.  It takes two years plus to prepare for it.  Virginia Cassidy is our leader in this process, and she will make a brief presentation.

In a quick update, Dr. Cassidy said, I want to let you know about the events that are happening this fall semester.  Our liaison from the Higher Learning Commission, Dr. Cecilia Lopez, is coming to campus on September 11 to meet with the steering committee and other campus constituencies to talk about the self‑study process and to talk about preparation for the site visit by the consultant evaluators in February of 2004.  Among the things that she will talk about with us are the broad goals that the Higher Learning Commission has set down for reaccreditation.  The first goal is to determine that the university is continuing to meet the Commission’s five criteria for reaccreditation.  The second goal is to assist the university in improving the quality of its educational services for the future.  This is one of the reasons that the members of the site team are called consultant evaluators.  They function in an evaluative sense in addressing the first goal, which is, “Do we meet the criteria for reaccreditation?”  But they also serve as consultants in offering suggestions for how the university can proceed in the future.  In fact, the Commission considers the second goal of planning for the future to be the goal of greater importance.  That is something that will be emphasized both in the self‑study and in the discussions we have with the members of the site team who come to visit NIU in 2004.  Of course, she said, the self‑study will give us an opportunity to explain what we are doing to move Northern toward becoming the premier regional institution in the United States in the 21^st Century.  It will give us a chance to decide what our strengths are, what our opportunities are in the region, areas in which we need to improve, and any challenges that we see over the next decade.

Another activity I want to mention is related to the work of the steering committee.  The 16‑member steering committee appointed by the President has been convened, and we have outlined the work that needs to be completed this year.  Each steering committee member serves as the chair of a subcommittee of faculty and staff who will be involved in gathering data from across the university to begin preparing the self‑study.  The first part of the semester will be the data‑gathering phase.  By the end of the fall semester, we expect to have a first draft of each of the chapters ready for review.  In the spring semester, the drafts will be revised and circulated to campus constituencies for review and comment.  The drafts will again be revised, and next summer, Jan Rentala, the chair of the steering committee, will prepare the final draft.  In the fall semester, the final version of the report will be completed, printed and sent to the Higher Learning Commission in preparation for the February visit.  Dr. Cassidy gave all the AASAP Committee members a brochure called “Accreditation of Higher Education:  An Overview” to use as a reference.  It is a very succinct outline of the criteria that the North Central Association expects the university to meet.  It also has a section on frequently asked questions that may address questions you might have about the preparation of the self‑study and the upcoming site visit, which we hope the Board will find helpful, she said.  We intend to include an item about the progress we are making toward reaccreditation at each of the quarterly meetings of the committee, to keep the Board apprised of where we are in the process, and to give you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about how we are moving along in that aspect of our work. 

Chair Vella announced that the next meeting would be set at a later date and that Committee members will be notified.

There being no Other Matters, Chair Vella asked for a motion to adjourn.  Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Adduci.  The motion was approved.  The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon M. Mimms

Recording Secretary