WASC Faculty Associates Selected

Three faculty members have been selected to serve as Faculty Associates to assist in the WASC accreditation process. Associate Professors Diana Grant (Criminology and Criminal Justice), Beez Schell (Kinesiology), and Andrew Wallace (Philosophy) will work closely with the Accreditation Review Steering Committee, Academic Affairs staff, and constituencies across the University to complete the next two phases of accreditation: the Capacity and Preparatory Review and the Educational Effectiveness Review. The faculty associate appointments begin in Fall 2006 and end with the Educational Effectiveness Review visit in the Fall of 2009.

In the first phase of their work in 2006-2007, the associates will identify and gather evidence needed to support compliance with the WASC standards and prepare the narrative that explicates and analyzes the evidence, which will be placed in the on-line SSU Portfolio (www.sonoma.edu/aa/portfolio). Each associate will also write a reflective essay on one or more of the WASC standards, which will form the framework for the Capacity and Preparatory Review Report due to WASC in December 2007. The draft report will be available for campuswide review in the Fall of 2007.

For further information about the WASC accreditation process, please visit the SSU Portfolio or contact the Accreditation Liaison Officer, Elaine Sundberg, Academic Affairs, 4-2215.

WASC Visit Dates Set

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has provided SSU with the dates of the on-campus team visits for the upcoming WASC accreditation review. The accreditation process now consists of two separate team visits, approximately 18 months apart.

The first team visit will be the Capacity and Preparatory Review, scheduled for March 12-14, 2008. During this visit, the WASC team will ascertain SSU's capacity to meet the WASC standards and to engage in the educational effectiveness review. This second team visit, scheduled for October 7-9, 2009, will examine the extent to which SSU fulfills its core commitment to educational effectiveness. SSU's approach to the educational effectiveness review is outlined in its WASC accreditation proposal, "Educating the Whole Student: Sustaining SSU's Mission in a Time of Change," which can be reviewed on the SSU Portfolio.

For further information about WASC accreditation, please visit the SSU Portfolio or contact the Accreditation Liaison Officer, Elaine Sundberg, Academic Affairs, 4-2215.