Executive Summary

Status on the School of Library and Information Science

To

Achieve a Reaffirmation of Accreditation in March, 2009

For

The SLIS Community

From

Dean Kimberly B. Kelley

January 24, 2008

As part of my promised efforts to keep our community informed on our progress toward affirming our accreditation in 2009, I am continuing to share the status of our efforts for accreditation and welcome your input on the process.  This is an executive summary of our December 1, 2007 report to the American Library Association’s Committee on Accreditation.  This summary provides an overview of our work and progress toward achieving compliance with the six standards as set forth by the Committee (see http://www.ala.org/ala/accreditation/accredstandards/standards.cfm).  We are focusing a great deal of attention on four of the six standards because these are the areas we know that require the greatest improvement as we progress toward the visit by the Evaluation Program Panel (ERP) in March 2009.  Specifically we are focusing extra attention on: (Standard I) Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives, (Standard II) Curriculum, (Standard III) Faculty, and (Standard VI) Physical Resources and Facilities.  To date, we have achieved the following milestones on each of the four standards:

Standard I Mission, Goals, and Objectives:

SLIS continues to develop a comprehensive strategic approach to planning.  To date, SLIS faculty have revised SLIS’ vision, mission, goals and objectives; ensured they are aligned with CUA’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives; tied them to professional competencies for the library field, and are currently sharing planning documents with all stakeholders for input and revision.  A Working Plan is being developed that will serve as the foundation for long-term planning and one mechanism to systematically collect feedback for use to improve the master’s degree program.  Further, SLIS faculty are revising program goals and objectives that provide measurable outcomes.  SLIS has created an Advisory Group covering a spectrum of SLIS stakeholders including employers, alumni, current students, university affiliates at CUA, adjunct and full-time faculty.  In addition, we are reviving the survey of SLIS students, alumni, and employers to ensure we have multiple data points to ensure our program continues to be of high quality and we ensure we are responsive to our constituents and changing needs of our profession.

Standard II Curriculum:

SLIS has revived the Curriculum Committee and it is systematically moving forward in reviewing the curriculum in light of the School’s revised program goals and objectives.  The School’s tracks (our term for areas of specialization such as school library media) are being reviewed and updated to ensure relevancy and viability.  To ensure SLIS is responding to the needs of a rapidly changing technological and global society, a technology survey is under way to assess students’ knowledge of information systems and concepts and will inform future curriculum revisions. The SLIS Technology Committee is creating a SLIS Technology Strategic Plan.  SLIS is also strengthening the technical component of the program with the addition of faculty members with strong technology skills, while also fostering continued innovation within the SLIS curriculum by current faculty.  SLIS has several initiatives underway that are examining more technically-based course delivery methods to build on our efforts to increase the number of courses that are in a blended format and/or taught on weekends and in the evening.  Further, SLIS faculty are developing coherent programs of study by aligning the four core courses with the new program goals and objectives; examining existing tracks; and refining SLIS’ advising process.

Standard III Faculty:

SLIS is bolstering the technology support for the program through the planning efforts of the Technology Committee, hiring new technology oriented faculty with experience in integrating technology into the curriculum, upgrading Marist Hall’s technology infrastructure as part of the Technology Committee’s efforts which includes having Marist entirely wireless accessible, and obtaining stakeholder input via surveys on technology needs within the curriculum. Further, SLIS continues to develop faculty expertise in planning and outcomes assessment through workshops and invited speakers and work within the faculty to make strides toward ensuring that the SLIS curriculum is outcomes based and we can provide measurable outcomes as part of our effort to achieve the American Library Association standards.

Standard VI Facilities:

SLIS has made significant strides in ensuring the physical facilities are functional and provide a technologically advanced learning environment for students and faculty.  Specifically, there have been technological upgrades to classrooms in Marist Hall with wireless access available throughout the building, plans have been discussed with the Director of Facilities and the Provost for making improvements in Marist Hall toward improving ADA compliance, and the Information Commons successfully opened in 2006 and the technology infrastructure continues to be upgraded.  The Information Commons contributes to the technical knowledge of the students through formal and informal meetings and programs, and hands on use of software and equipment.  Further, SLIS is examining course delivery methods and implications for improving access for all SLIS students.  The university is aware of the ADA issues and there are discussions underway that include improvements for Marist hall or, in the longer term, a new location for SLIS, as part of an effort to improve SLIS’s physical space and continue to improve the level of ADA compliance of the School.

Overall, the faculty have worked tirelessly to be responsive to the feedback we received from the Committee on Accreditation, to demonstrate our commitment to meeting the Standards fully and to the satisfaction of the Committee (and then some!) and to continue to improve our program and ensure we are responsive, relevant, and supportive of the SLIS community of students, faculty, employers and alumni.

Thank you for your continued support of our efforts.

With deepest regards,

Kimberly B. Kelley, Ph.D.

Dean