Dear colleagues:

HSU is one step closer to its March 21-23, 2018 WSCUC Accreditation Reaffirmation Onsite Review. In mid-October, the WSCUC Review team completed its review of our Self-Study Report and presented HSU with observations about our accomplishments and practices, topics that they would like to pursue while on campus, and additional documents and information for HSU to provide to them by January 23 (see below).

I would like to thank HSU’s Self-Study team members for their on-going efforts in creating the report and preparing for the on-site visit.  All HSU employees and students play an important role in the outcome of the on-site visit in March, and everyone will have an opportunity to participate in open forums and comment through a WSCUC Review Team confidential e-mail address. We should all also be prepared to have a WSCUC Review Team member walk up and ask a question.

More information about the visit, including a schedule of meetings with administrators, faculty, staff, and students, will be available starting early in the spring semester. Please visit our HSU Self-Study for Reaffirmation website, and if you have questions or comments for our WSCUC Self-Study Committee (see below), please fill out their feedback form.

With best wishes,

Lisa A. Rossbacher, Ph.D.
President
 

The WSCUC Review Team commended HSU for the following accomplishments and practices: 

• The Report was well written, highlighted the points of concern from the interim review in 2014, and was open, honest about challenges.
• The Institution is to be commended for their strengths in research, experiential learning, and community partnerships.
• The team commends HSU for achieving the highest financial indicators since 2006. [Note added by HSU: This statement probably references the information in the Self-Study Institutional Report chapter 7. Since 2006, we have retired some debt (like the Common Management System loan), so “better” is in relative terms.]
• Lastly, HSU is to be commended for the Cultural Race Gender and Sexuality study that focused on increasing overall success and decreasing the gap between URG and non-URG students.

The WSCUC Review Team would like to explore these areas (Lines of Inquiry) during their campus visit:

• What effect has turnover of senior level administration, multiple interim positions, and creation of new positions had on institutional effectiveness?
• What are the obstacles at HSU to having developed consistent program reviews and assessment of student learning efforts across all programs that would foster a culture of assessment? What are the institution’s plans to foster a culture of assessment?
• How does the institution plan to advance the use of data and evidence in institutional decision-making? What are the institution’s plans to foster a data driven decision-making culture?
• How are the institution’s numerous initiatives sustainable, scalable and positively impacting student achievement results? How is the institution measuring the effectiveness of its programs?
• Is HSU’s budgeting process sustainable? Does it allow HSU to anticipate and respond to the changing higher education environment?

The HSU WSCUC Logistics Team will coordinate the collection and submission of the following documents to the WSCUC Review Team: 

• Core Competencies: assessment plan in place to evaluate all competencies across all programs
• Strategic enrollment plan
• Assessment plan for advising
• Sample syllabi for online, hybrid, and other courses that do not meet prescribed hours
• Graduate program assessment plans
• Faculty development schedule for the past couple years
• HSU campus only financial statements (not CSU consolidated statements)
• HSU budget for the last couple years, as well as, year-end actual vs budget statements
• A recent undergraduate academic program self-study (Kinesiology, Theatre Arts)
• University operating fund reserve policy

WSCUC Self-Study team members:

• Rock Braithwaite (Chair) – Kinesiology and Recreation Administration (CPS)*
• Glo Brown - Undergraduate Student
• Lisa Castellino – Associate Vice President (Office of Institutional Effectiveness)*
• Adrienne Colegrove-Raymond - Coordinator of ITEPP & Elite Scholars
• Marisa D'Arpino - Change Management (Office of Institutional Effectiveness)*
• Joseph Dieme - Word Languages and Cultures (CAHSS)
• Joshua Frye - Communication (CAHSS)
• Mary Glenn, ALO (Accreditation Liaison Officer) – Interim Vice Provost (Academic Affairs)*
• Alex Gradine - Web Administrator (Academic Affairs)*
• Izabella Gray - Events Coordinator (Administrative Affairs)
• Julie Koeppel - Publications Coordinator (Registrar's Office)
• Monty Mola – Physics/Chemistry (CNRS)
• Cyril Oberlander -  Dean (Library)
• Dale Oliver – Mathematics (CNRS, ICC Chair)
• Sarah Fay Phillips – Librarian (Library)
• David Sleeth-Keppler – Business (CPS)
• Josh Smith – Change Management (Office of Institutional Effectiveness)*
• Andrew Stubblefield - Forestry and Wildland Resources (Senate, Academic Policies)
• Mark Wicklund – Academic Assessment (Office of Institutional Effectiveness) 
• Candace Young - Undergraduate Student
• Rick Zechman - Associate Dean (CNRS)
• Noah Zerbe - Politics (CAHSS)

*WSCUC Logistics Team