Self鈥怱tudy and External Review Timeline and Checklist
Department/Program ____________________________________
Proposed semester of visit from outside reviewers ____________________________________
One Year before Spring External Review 鈥 Spring Semester to Summer
____ Initial meeting between the Department Chair or Program Coordinator and the Associate Dean of the College charged with Curriculum to begin the self-study process. This meeting takes place approximately one year before reviewers visit campus, during the Spring semester.
____ By the end of May, the Department Chair or Program Coordinator sends the Associate Dean a list of 6-8 potential reviewers (discussed and approved by Department or Program members). The reviewers should be ranked in order of preference and grouped according to their specific fields.
____ At the same time, the Department Chair or Program Coordinator proposes preferred dates for reviewers to visit in the Spring semester of the following Academic Year.
____ At least one reviewer must be from a liberal arts college. At least one reviewer must be from a research university. At least one reviewer must have had experience chairing a department.
____ The Associate Dean of the College confirms the reviewers and the visit date with the Department Chair or Program Coordinator as soon as possible.
____ The Department or Program obtains CVs for each reviewer and arranges transportation and lodging for the external reviewers鈥 visit. The Department or Program is also responsible for collecting a Vendor Data Record form from the reviewers, attaching it to a completed Request For Check form, and sending it to the Associate Dean of the College鈥檚 office.
____ By the beginning of the Fall semester, the Department Chair or Program Coordinator meets with the Director of Institutional Research to obtain a Department or Program self-study data package.
Fall and Spring Semesters 鈥 Same Academic Year as External Review
____ The Department or Program meets in the Fall to frame the main issues and questions for the self-study and gather the materials necessary for the self鈥恠tudy document. The Department Chair or Program Coordinator handles its overall organization but is not the sole author of the self鈥恠tudy document.
____ The Department or Program sends the complete electronic version of the self-study document to the reviewers no later than two weeks before their visit. It also delivers one hard copy of the self-study document to the Associate Dean of the College (to be shared with the Dean of the College) and one to the President, along with electronic copies. Reviewers requesting hard copies of the self-study document should receive them no later than two weeks before the Spring external review visit.
____ The Department or Program puts together the two-day schedule of the reviewers鈥 visit in consultation with the Associate Dean.
____ The external reviewers submit their report to the Dean of the College approximately one month following the Spring visit, after which the Dean鈥檚 Office issues the stipends.
____ The Dean鈥檚 Office forwards the external reviewers鈥 report to the President and the Department or Program for review.
____ The Department or Program arranges a meeting with the Dean of the College and the Associate Dean of the College to discuss the report鈥檚 recommendations one month after receiving it.
Within One Year from External Review
____ The Educational Quality Committee of the Board of Trustees hears a summary of the self鈥恠tudy and external review within a year of the visit.
____ The Department or Program submits a follow-up report to the Dean of the College, with a copy to the Associate Dean of the College, one year following the reviewers鈥 visit. The Department Chair or Program Coordinator meets with the Dean of the College to discuss the progress report. After the President and the Associate Deans of the College and for Academic Affairs have reviewed the report, the Dean of the College makes recommendations for further action.