Dear Campus Community,
Great news! If you weren't able to join
the open "exit interview" where the visiting North Central Association
team shared its assessment of Stephens after a two-day evaluative
visit, here is a summary of the remarks that Dr. Oliver Evans, chair of
the visiting team, shared with our faculty, staff, students and
administrators at 11 a.m. today in Charters Auditorium:
- The team commended Stephens on a "very impressive" self-study report
and process, describing both as "inclusive," "concise," "useful" and
"candid."
- Dr. Evans commended Stephens on the "cohesive sense of community" that
is developing during the College's turnaround. He praised the "high
degree of trust" it is apparent that we have in each other.
- Dr. Evans also indicated that the team is impressed with how the
College is developing procedures and processes regarding the ways in
which it wants to be a community. This is so critical for colleges
today.
- Stephens was described by Dr. Evans as a "college who knows who it is and how it wants to be a community."
There will be two sections of the final
report, which we will see several weeks from now. The report will first
note how Stephens meets the criteria established by the NCA; it will
also offer suggestions for improvement that we may use at our
discretion.
Meeting the criteria well leads to
re-accreditation. Being an accredited institution allows us to function
with a stamp of approval from an association that ensures institutions
of higher education are doing the right things, living their mission
and following appropriate codes of conduct. Without accreditation, an
institution would have difficulty surviving.
Today Dr. Evans shared the following regarding our statement of affiliation:
- The team will recommend no change in our accreditation status.
- In fact, the team will recommend that the College's next comprehensive
visit should be in 2017-18. A recommendation to extend accreditation
for another 10 years, the maximum achievable period of time, is
increasingly rare in higher education today.
- The team recognized that the highest degree awarded at Stephens is the
master's degree, and that it is limited to business and education. If
we desire to offer a master's degree in another area, or offer programs
at off-campus sites, the College must seek approval from the NCA's
Higher Learning Commission before doing so.
- The team saw no need to recommend any progress report, monitoring
report or contingency report as a stipulation of our accreditation.
The team will recommend a Focus Visit in 2012-13, where the focus of that visit will be limited to the following:
Progress on and implementation of the next Strategic Plan, specifically related to the following areas:
§ Mission
§ Assessment
§ Enrollment
§ Governance
§ Faculty roles, responsibilities, development and scholarship
Again, the final report is several
weeks away, and official actions by NCA will occur after the first of
the year, but these are the initial findings. And our self-study report
is still available at http://www.stephens.edu/academics/nca/.
As I said at today's gathering, I want
to thank everyone for the time and energy you put into the report and
visit - you are the reason why the NCA team's report was so favorable,
and the reason why Stephens can celebrate a healthy community. Special
thanks goes out to those who changed their schedules to meet with our
visitors, who gave up the earlier part of their week to focus on this
visit. Each of the four team members expressed to me and many others
how much they enjoyed meeting everyone and learning about Stephens.
Kudos to you all.
One last comment:
Ultimately, this NCA self-study report
and visit are about more than the College's accreditation status. Four
years ago, soon after I arrived at Stephens, I stood before our campus
community delivering news about large deficits, shrinking enrollment
and a host of other serious concerns that left unchecked would
inevitably lead Stephens to close her doors. It was a hard message to
deliver, even harder to hear.
Four years later, this 174-year-old
women's college is NOT closing - instead, we are THRIVING, with
evidence all around. Today was about more than an outsider stamp of
approval - it was a momentous occasion that recognized our triumph
through difficult times, our enthusiasm about Stephens' future and our
incredible spirit of community. I couldn't be more proud.
Way to go!
Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D.
President
Stephens College
1200 E. Broadway
Columbia, MO 65215
Phone 573-876-7210
Fax 573-876-7165
wlibby@stephens.edu
