UConn Advance - January 29, 2007 - Accreditation team to hold public discussions

As an institution accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the University is required to apply for reaccreditation every 10 years.

2007 is the year UConn's re-accreditation is under consideration.

As part of the re-accreditation process, external reviewers will visit the Storrs campus on Jan. 29 and 30, and will meet with various constituencies.

Members of the review team will also visit other University sites around that time, including the Health Center, and the Avery Point, Stamford, and Greater Hartford campuses.

At the Storrs campus, open forums will be held for faculty, staff, and students.

The purpose of these events, which will be in the form of a "town meeting," is to allow members of these three key constituencies to speak openly about their perceptions of the University.

In order to foster candor, no administrators will be at these meetings.

The forums will take place as follows:

Faculty - Monday, Jan. 29, noon-1 p.m., Student Union Ballroom;
Students - Monday, Jan. 29, 4-5 p.m., Student Union Ballroom;
Staff - Tuesday, Jan. 30, noon-1 p.m., Student Union Theatre.

Members of the University community are encouraged to participate.

"Participation by the UConn community in the various forums is very important in the re-accreditation process," says Karla Fox, a professor of business law and chair of the University's NEASC re- accreditation committee.

"The re-accreditation standards emphasize inclusiveness in university planning and organizational decision making, and institutional commitment to communication with the people who make it up.

"Attendance and comment at a forum is an opportunity for members of the community to demonstrate that they recognize their role as part of the shared fabric of the institution."

Information about the University's NEASC re-accreditation, including the visitation schedule and an electronic copy of the self-study document, may be accessed at the reaccreditation website..

Questions about the reviewers' visit or the open fora may be addressed to neasc@uconn.edu.

Accreditation team to hold public discussions

by Richard Veilleux - January 29, 2007