SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY Comprehensive Review for Reaffirmation of Accreditation Presentation to Campus Forum October 21, 2015 Christopher Oberg, Vice President/COO WASC Senior College and University Commission

Higher Education Today 2 Three Key Statistics 5.2 – 7.0 thousand institutions 20.4 million students $600 billion revenues = 3.3% GDP ($150 billion in financial aid)

Higher Education Today 3 Why is accreditation in the news so much there days?

Higher Education Today 4 Five major perceptions about and conditions of U.S. higher education

Higher Education Today 5 1.Perceived low graduation rates (Not enough product)

Higher Education Today 6 1.Perceived low graduation rates (Not enough product) 2.High tuition and student debt (Product costs too much)

Higher Education Today 7 1.Perceived low graduation rates (Not enough product) 2.High tuition and student debt (Product costs too much) 3.Employer dissatisfaction with quality of graduates (Product is of poor quality )

Higher Education Today 8 1.Perceived low graduation rates (Not enough product) 2.High tuition and student debt (Product costs too much) 3.Employer dissatisfaction with quality of graduates (Product is of poor quality) 4.Accelerated expansion of online learning (Means of production vary)

Higher Education Today 9 1.Perceived low graduation rates (Not enough product) 2.High tuition and student debt (Product costs too much) 3.Employer dissatisfaction with quality of graduates (Product is of poor quality) 4.Accelerated expansion of online learning (Means of production vary) 5.Growth of the for- profit sector (Models of production vary)

“WSCUC” 10 “WASC Senior College and University Commission” “WASC” is now a brand, not an acronym

Your WSCUC Staff Liaison 11 Counselor Collaborator Interpreter Non-contributing Editor Trainer AND lastly Compliance Guide

Reaffirmation Overview 12 My experience as a WSCUC liaison: If you are doing what you say you want to be doing, and you can provide evidence – you will be in compliance

Reaffirmation Overview 13 Process occurs once every 8 – 10 years and is the cornerstone of quality assurance in American higher education Only nation that uses voluntary, non-governmental peer review as its primary quality assurance vehicle

Reaffirmation Overview 14 Process: One report One visit Institutional Report Nine Components

Reaffirmation Process 15 Offsite Review (OSR) Team only in WSCUC Office One day with video conference Accreditation Visit (6 months later) 2.5 day visit on campus Focused, not comprehensive

Institutional Report – The Core Commitments 16 1.Student Learning and Success 2.Quality and Improvement 3.Integrity, Sustainability, and Accountability

Institutional Report 17 IT’S YOUR STORY And you should all contribute

Institutional Report 18 IT’S YOUR STORY Write it in a way you would want to read it

Institutional Report 19 IT’S YOUR STORY Be evidential (but more is not better)

Institutional Report 20 IT’S YOUR STORY Think documentary - not “report”

Institutional Report 21 Estimable Qualities: Candid and frank Brief and succinct Clear and precise Simple and direct

Institutional Report – The WSCUC Way 22 The Commission says “What” needs to be done – it doesn’t say “How”

Institutional Report – The WSCUC Way: DMAA 23 Define Measure (Assess) Analyze (Plan) Act (And repeat…….)

Institutional Report – Component 1 24 Introduction Institutional context: history, values, uniqueness, changes, public good contribution; process of preparing Institutional Report Response to previous Commission actions

Institutional Report – Component 2 25 Compliance Review under the WSCUC Standards (4 compliance forms) Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators (IEEI) Both included in Exhibits

Institutional Report – Component 3 26 Meaning, Quality, Integrity of Degree What is the end or purpose or significance of the degree experience? What is your distinguishing way of accomplishing student learning?

Institutional Report – Component 4 27 Student Learning (Outcomes): What do your students learn in GE? The major? Elsewhere? Where are student outcomes specified? How are they documented? (Hint: CFR 2.4) How well have your students learned (assessment)?

Institutional Report – Component 4 28 Core Competencies: 1. Writing; 2. Oral communication; 3. Quantitative reasoning; 4. Critical thinking; 5. Information literacy How well do students perform at or near graduation? (Not necessarily to be measured in the major)

Institutional Report – Component 5 29 Student Success How does the institution define student success given its mission, values, programs and the students it serves? How does the institution promote student success? How well are students doing in meeting the institution’s definition of student success?

Institutional Report – Component 6 30 Quality Assurance and Improvement Program review is the cornerstone: Be simple, direct, periodic, inclusive (“finished” but not “complete”) Assessment is the means – it’s an annual engagement Data and evidence are the assessment mill’s grist

Institutional Report – Component 7 31 Finance and Future Financial: viability and alignment (no additional data required) Changing ecology of higher education: Process, not prognostication

Institutional Report – Component 8 32 Optional essay What, you really want to write even more?!? [Alert WASC liaison if chosen, so an appropriate team can be selected]

Institutional Report – Component 9 33 Conclusion and Reflection - A Meta Perspective What did you learn in the process? What will you do with what you learned? How does your “story” end?

WSCUC Commission: Key Emphases 34 Preserving voluntary peer review as the mode of quality assurance Assuring that the accreditation process adds value Outcomes, outcomes, outcomes

WSCUC Commission: Key Emphases 35 Creating comprehensive understandings of the Meaning, Quality, Integrity of Degree Assuring promotion of student, faculty, and staff diversity Preserving diversity among institutional types

WSCUC Commission: Key Emphases 36 Maintaining institutional autonomy (no bright lines) Enhancing methods of retention Creating alternative and complementary measures of graduation rates (Graduation Rate Dashboard)

Contact Information 37 Christopher Oberg (cell) (office direct)