It is time, once again, for the University to prepare for its decennial accreditation with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which has been scheduled for October 1-3, 2007. The Northwest Commission provides nine (9) standards by which our self-study must be organized. This website presents information related to the third standard entitled “Students”.
What is expected of us to be reaccredited?
The Commission expects the institution to:
- Demonstrate that it engages in continuing academic planning,
- Demonstrate the carrying out of its plans,
- Demonstrate the assessment of outcomes of the implemented plans,
- Demonstrate that the outcomes and/or results of assessment influence decision making and the planning process, and
- Institutionalize assessment in a systematic integrated and holistic manner.
Standard (3): Students
This standard addresses everything related to students, from admissions to athletics. Included in this standard are topics such as, student health, co-curricular activities, student publications, student housing, dining services, student support services, etc. The full standard can be found under the “Quick Links” section of this webpage.
Goal of the Standard (3) Work Team
Develop a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of student services and support programs at the University of Nevada, Reno. This will include describing the status or condition of each area under review, to assess its strengths and identify opportunities for improvement and then to project how the institution plans to address these concerns in the future.
Timeline for the Standard (3) Work Team
| Time Period | Task |
|---|---|
| Spring 2006 | Identification and collection of necessary evidence by work team/ presentation of project goals at NETMAT and with student government/ open forums with students to identify issues/ initial meetings with relevant units |
| Summer 2006 | Completion of an early draft |
| Fall 2006 | Review and correction of draft with input from all affected units and Advisory Group |
| Dec 2006 | Final draft due for submission to steering committee |
| Oct 1-7, 2007 | Accreditation Site Visit |
Questions we will be answering…
- Are the programs and services consistent with the mission and goals of the university? Are they designed to achieve them? Do they seem to be working well? What are the problems? How can they be solved?
- Are resources (human, fiscal, and physical) available to carry out the programs and services? Will they continue to be available?
- Are the mission and goals of the programs being achieved? How can evidence systematically gathered about the extent of achievement be used to improve the institution?
- Does the institutions or program satisfy the standards of the Commission? If not, what, if anything, can be done about it? How?
Work Team Members
The work team is charged with ensuring involvement of students, faculty, and staff in the development of the Standard 3 assessment. They are to serve as contact points and to help disseminate information to the campus at large.
- Melisa Choroszy, Chair
- Jessica Muehlberg, Enrollment Services and External Units
- Heather Turk, Student Life Services
- Reginald Stewart, Student Access and Opportunity Services
- Araceli Martinez, Student Access and Opportunity Services
- Jean Perry, Athletics
Advisory Group
Once the first draft of the report is complete, sometime near the end of Summer 2006, it will be sent out to members of the advisory group for review. This group will include students, faculty and staff from across campus. Their job will be to ensure that we are telling our story in an accurate and compelling way. If you are interested in serving on this group please contact Melisa Choroszy.
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