Cornell's reaccreditation self-study is completed

By Jacquie Powers

After careful review and input from members of the campus community, Cornell officials have completed a reaccreditation self-study, in preparation for an on-site visit from an outside evaluation team scheduled for the end of the month.

The decennial self-study is required of all higher educa
tion institutions under the jurisdiction of the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education (MSA/CHE). The Cornell on-site visit by the evaluation team, led by Nannerl O. Keohane, team chair and president of Duke University, will take place April 29 through May 2.

"Cornell welcomes the opportunity to interact with such a distinguished group of educators," said President Hunter Rawlings. "While the team is on campus evaluating Cornell, we look forward to the opportunity to benefit from their expertise to enhance our ability to become an even stronger university."

The evaluation team members will meet with a wide variety of people on campus, including deans, executive staff, trustees, faculty, students and staff. The team expects to forward a draft report on its recommendations to Rawlings by mid-May, for comment from the administration. The report should be finalized by mid-June, and in February 2002 the MSA/CHE board will take final action on the evaluating team's recommendation regarding Cornell's ongoing reaccreditation.

Cornell began drafting the design for its self-study in September 1999 and the draft self-study was released to the community for comment in December 2000. The final document is available at www.ipr.cornell.edu/reaccredfinal.htm. Cornell chose to go beyond the comprehensive review document required by Middle States, with an expanded, special emphasis section as part of the 127-plus-page self-study. The two special emphasis sections of the document focus on two of Cornell's strategic priorities: undergraduate education and distributed and distance learning, Provost Biddy Martin said.

The section on undergraduate education focuses on curriculum, advising and the living-learning environment. The section on distributed and distance learning is broadly constituted, focusing on the full spectrum of technologically mediated instruction, not just on eCornell.

"Again, I would like to thank the members of the Reaccreditation Steering Committee for their efforts on behalf of Cornell in this very important project," Martin said. "With the input of community members, I believe we now have a document that accurately describes this complex institution -- how it functions, what changes we have made since the last reaccreditation site visit in 1991 and our vision for the future. I ask all of you to welcome the members of the visiting evaluation team and help make them feel at home."

In addition to Keohane, members of the evaluation team include John Bravman, vice provost for undergraduate education and professor of materials science, Stanford University; Ira Fuchs, vice president for research in information technology, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; James J. McCarthy, Master of Pforzheimer House, professor of biology, Harvard University; Suzanne Welsh, treasurer, Swarthmore College; Susan Wolf, Duane Peterson Chair in Ethics, professor of philosophy and ethics, Johns Hopkins University; Susan Boswell, dean of students, Johns Hopkins University; William Coleman, professor of chemistry, Wellesley College; Theodore Marchese, managing director, academic search, formerly editor of Change Magazine and vice president, American Association for Higher Education; Paul H. Mosher, vice provost and director of libraries, University of Pennsylvania; and David Wilson, vice president for university outreach and associate provost, Auburn University. Michael J. Worth, vice president for development, George Washington University, is the evaluation team associate.