New Provost, Dr Stephen Weiner And MSCHE
From: stephen.weiner@gallaudet.edu
To: stephen.weiner@gallaudet.edu
Subject: Strategies for addressing MSCHE directives
Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 16:25:52 -0400
Signature: Gallaudet University
Office of the Provost
HALL MEMORIAL BUILDING
800 FLORIDA AVE. NE
WASHINGTON, DC 20002-3695
May 23, 2007
Dear Campus Community:
Gallaudet has been hard at work since receiving the May 1 exit report by thee Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) team at the conclusion of its return visit to campus. I am happy to report that we have formulated a strategy to comply with the areas specified by the team in order for Gallaudet to continue its accreditation.
However, I wish to emphasize the urgency of the task ahead of us, and the need for every one of us to roll up our sleeves and to become involved. Please believe me, this is not the time to sit by idly, confident that your colleagues will carry the load instead.
I am honored to have been named provost, and I promise that I will commit my time and energy to satisfy MSCHE’s concerns. As President Davila has said time and again, this is an effort that is not only campus wide, it includes our extended community–our alumni, our boards of trustees and associates, our allies in Congress and the Department of Education, our donors, and our many other friends and supporters, as well. I am sure that the considerable talent of our community and its extraordinary sense of pride will turn this great challenge before us into an opportunity to make the University even better for our students.
The timelines that have been placed on us by the MSCHE are necessarily very short. The curriculum and assessment changes that we MUST accomplish this summer are very significant. I cannot overstate the critical nature or the urgency of the job before us. We must complete these tasks within the timelines established by the MSCHE or we will not meet the accreditation standards. The future of Gallaudet is dependent upon this work being successfully completed in the coming months. I addition to reorganizing our people and resources to accomplish these tasks and implement these changes, Dr. Davila and I fully expect that faculty governance will find a way to expedite reviewing curriculum proposals. I look forward to working closely with the faculty officers and the various curriculum committees during this time of urgency in the coming months.
Although the task to meet these directives is daunting, by coordinating our efforts, I have no doubt that they can be done. In consultation with Dr. Davila, I have established an MSCHE Coordinating Council that will work full time this summer with the five working groups for the President’s Agenda for a Better Gallaudet University on developing all institutional reports and responses for the MSCHE. The members of this council and their responsibilities are as follows:
Dr. David Armstrong and Mr. ‘Bunmi Aina will develop all written reports. Dr. Armstrong will also continue to act as the primary liaison with MSCHE;
Dr. Kathryn “Kitty” Baldridge, representing the Council on Undergraduate Education, will coordinate all undergraduate curriculum work;
Dr. H-Dirksen Bauman, representing the Council on Graduate Education, will coordinate all graduate curriculum work;
Dr. Thomas Kluwin will coordinate and lead all issues specific to institutional research;
Ms. Eileen Matthews will lead all issues of assessment;
Dr. Catherine Andersen will lead issues specific to enrollment management; and
Dr. David Pancost will serve as a faculty fellow in the Office of the Provost, supporting the work of the Coordinating Council.
Please be assured that I will frequently communicate with you and all key constituencies of the University to keep you abreast of the progress that is being made. I hope you will communicate with me and the Coordinating Council, as well. It is imperative that we keep an open dialogue during this process. To ensure that all opinions and input are heard, we will establish an email account for MSCHE issues and comments; I’ll announce the address soon. In particular, I hope you will share your thoughts regarding the new Mission Statement through the link of the University web page which will be available soon. We are also working to create a Blackboard site where faculty, staff, and students can follow our progress.
Finally, there has been much speculation about proposed changes within Academic Affairs. I hope to share with you within the next two weeks my plans to reorganize the unit to not only meet the challenges of MSCHE but to better serve our students.
In closing, let me say that I am encouraged by the willingness and enthusiasm shown by so many of you to join this effort. I ask those who have not done so as yet to please join us in this vitally important work. Together, we will succeed.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephen Weiner
Provost Designate
Commentary: Indeed there is a sense of urgency in this mission. It is our hope with great teamwork, the MSCHE team will accomplish meeting the recommendations MSCHE asked for, so Gallaudet will keep its accreditation status intact. MZ
From: stephen.weiner@gallaudet.edu
To: stephen.weiner@gallaudet.edu
Subject: Strategies for addressing MSCHE directives
Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 16:25:52 -0400
Signature: Gallaudet University
Office of the Provost
HALL MEMORIAL BUILDING
800 FLORIDA AVE. NE
WASHINGTON, DC 20002-3695
May 23, 2007
Dear Campus Community:
Gallaudet has been hard at work since receiving the May 1 exit report by thee Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) team at the conclusion of its return visit to campus. I am happy to report that we have formulated a strategy to comply with the areas specified by the team in order for Gallaudet to continue its accreditation.
However, I wish to emphasize the urgency of the task ahead of us, and the need for every one of us to roll up our sleeves and to become involved. Please believe me, this is not the time to sit by idly, confident that your colleagues will carry the load instead.
I am honored to have been named provost, and I promise that I will commit my time and energy to satisfy MSCHE’s concerns. As President Davila has said time and again, this is an effort that is not only campus wide, it includes our extended community–our alumni, our boards of trustees and associates, our allies in Congress and the Department of Education, our donors, and our many other friends and supporters, as well. I am sure that the considerable talent of our community and its extraordinary sense of pride will turn this great challenge before us into an opportunity to make the University even better for our students.
The timelines that have been placed on us by the MSCHE are necessarily very short. The curriculum and assessment changes that we MUST accomplish this summer are very significant. I cannot overstate the critical nature or the urgency of the job before us. We must complete these tasks within the timelines established by the MSCHE or we will not meet the accreditation standards. The future of Gallaudet is dependent upon this work being successfully completed in the coming months. I addition to reorganizing our people and resources to accomplish these tasks and implement these changes, Dr. Davila and I fully expect that faculty governance will find a way to expedite reviewing curriculum proposals. I look forward to working closely with the faculty officers and the various curriculum committees during this time of urgency in the coming months.
Although the task to meet these directives is daunting, by coordinating our efforts, I have no doubt that they can be done. In consultation with Dr. Davila, I have established an MSCHE Coordinating Council that will work full time this summer with the five working groups for the President’s Agenda for a Better Gallaudet University on developing all institutional reports and responses for the MSCHE. The members of this council and their responsibilities are as follows:
Dr. David Armstrong and Mr. ‘Bunmi Aina will develop all written reports. Dr. Armstrong will also continue to act as the primary liaison with MSCHE;
Dr. Kathryn “Kitty” Baldridge, representing the Council on Undergraduate Education, will coordinate all undergraduate curriculum work;
Dr. H-Dirksen Bauman, representing the Council on Graduate Education, will coordinate all graduate curriculum work;
Dr. Thomas Kluwin will coordinate and lead all issues specific to institutional research;
Ms. Eileen Matthews will lead all issues of assessment;
Dr. Catherine Andersen will lead issues specific to enrollment management; and
Dr. David Pancost will serve as a faculty fellow in the Office of the Provost, supporting the work of the Coordinating Council.
Please be assured that I will frequently communicate with you and all key constituencies of the University to keep you abreast of the progress that is being made. I hope you will communicate with me and the Coordinating Council, as well. It is imperative that we keep an open dialogue during this process. To ensure that all opinions and input are heard, we will establish an email account for MSCHE issues and comments; I’ll announce the address soon. In particular, I hope you will share your thoughts regarding the new Mission Statement through the link of the University web page which will be available soon. We are also working to create a Blackboard site where faculty, staff, and students can follow our progress.
Finally, there has been much speculation about proposed changes within Academic Affairs. I hope to share with you within the next two weeks my plans to reorganize the unit to not only meet the challenges of MSCHE but to better serve our students.
In closing, let me say that I am encouraged by the willingness and enthusiasm shown by so many of you to join this effort. I ask those who have not done so as yet to please join us in this vitally important work. Together, we will succeed.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephen Weiner
Provost Designate
Commentary: Indeed there is a sense of urgency in this mission. It is our hope with great teamwork, the MSCHE team will accomplish meeting the recommendations MSCHE asked for, so Gallaudet will keep its accreditation status intact. MZ
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:27 pm
The mission is very urgent because the time has flown by so faster everyday. In 2006, Gallaudet lost 100 students. I wonder how many students
Gallaudet has sio far lost this year (2007). I hope the number is much lower under the Davila
administration, so it would look good to the MSCHE team.
May 24th, 2007 at 1:09 am
To overcome this issue, let about one third of Gally students (who can not read or write at all) go. Also restore the preparatory dept. for new students with lack in anything and this dept. helps prepare them to enter the college level programs.
May 24th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Agree with Howard Smith. Plus communication system needs to be changed. I think all professors need to be able to communication in ASL no matter how long they have taught at Gallaudet. Students with oral, Cued, See, etc, and from other countries need to take ASL courses like hearing students who are required to pass ASL courses at Gallaudet. While I was a student at Gallaudet, I notice many different methods of communication in one class really cause more difficult for all of students and professors at Gallaudet.
May 24th, 2007 at 7:50 am
The problem with retoring the prep program is that, according to various people, the VR’s agencies complained that they were paying for Five years. That is why IJK dropped the prep year. Also the MSCHE people were saying that Gallaudet is a University-not a prep college.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:15 am
It is possible that adding the preparatory program to keep Gallaudet alive. I don’t care about VR etc etc .. they can figure it out.