Self-Study Organization

The Rediscover Millersville: 2010 Self-Study consists of three major components:

• Coordinating Team
• Steering Committee
• Working Groups

The Coordinating Team

The Coordinating Team (CT), composed of Dr. Thomas D. Burns, Associate Provost for Academic Administration, Dr. Helena Tuleya-Payne, Chair, Department of Psychology, and Dr. Lisa R. Shibley, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Assessment and Planning, facilitates and monitors all aspects of the self-study process including the development of relevant materials, training of participants, setting agendas, and organizing Steering Committee meetings. The CT provides direct guidance to Working Group Chairs, writes the self-study document, and coordinates the site team visit.

The Steering Committee

The Steering Committee provides oversight for the self-study and facilitates discussion of findings to achieve the University’s desired outcomes. Steering Committee members were chosen for their ability to maintain an institutional perspective, to engage in dialogue with their specific units, and to bring their units’ perception to bear on University-wide issues. In addition to representing specific areas within the University, several members of the Steering Committee serve as Steering Committee liaisons to Working Groups. These liaisons report to the Steering Committee on issues and progress of the Working Groups. The Steering Committee is composed of 27 members of the university community who have been active in leadership roles and represent the breadth and scope of institutional activities. Members include representatives from faculty, administration, support services, the student body, and the Council of Trustees.

The Steering Committee is co-chaired by Drs. Burns and Tuleya-Payne. The Steering Committee meets every two weeks during the regular fall and spring semesters until May 2009 with additional meetings scheduled as necessary in 2009-10. The Steering Committee’s participants include members of university councils such as University Planning Council which is charged with updating Millersville’s vision and mission statements and understanding progress of our Strategic Directions as well as the President’s Advisory Leadership Council. Also represented on the Steering Committee are members from governance bodies including a member from the Council of Trustees, and the Presidents of the Faculty Senate, Student Senate, and faculty collective bargaining unit, APSCUF.

Steering Committee Members

The Working Groups

The Working Groups (WG) design and conduct the research necessary to understand the self-study outcomes and reflect on how the University meets the fundamental elements of the fourteen standards. The Working Groups range in size from ten to thirteen members and each is led by a Working Group Chair. WG Chairs were recruited to serve because of demonstrated understanding of institutional effectiveness and ability to make accountability transparent to the university stakeholders.

Each Working Group has a Steering Committee liaison that serves as a member of the group and enhances communication with the Steering Committee. Some but not all of the members of each Working Group have experience relating to the standard(s) assigned to that group. Although the membership of a single working group does not represent the breadth of the many constituencies of the University, by virtue of size alone, selections were made to represent various university perspectives.

The accreditation standards are distributed across ten Working Groups, with some groups addressing more than one standard. An 11th Working Group has as its charge the communication of the process to all stakeholders. The current plan is that the Self-Study will have 14 Chapters, one for each standard.

• Overview of Standards Assigned to Working Groups
• Working Group Members