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Review prompts reflection on progress
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“The focus of the periodic review is essentially around two standards: institutional planning and student assessment.”
UB is highlighting academic enterprise, research and student success in an upcoming report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Beth Del Genio, chief of staff in the Office of the Provost, told members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee yesterday.
The report, which is still in draft form, is part of UB’s periodic review process with Middle States, the organization that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the middle states region. Periodic reviews are required by the agency every five years and are not as extensive as its 10-year review process, the last of which UB underwent in 2004.
“The focus of the periodic review is essentially around two standards: institutional planning and student assessment,” said Del Genio. “The overall structure or framework of the report is an articulation of our vision and our plans; how we at UB are aligning our plans with resources and also continually assessing and trying to improve, whether from an institutional context or one of student learning.”
Improvements to the academic enterprise cited in the report include a new seed-fund program for UB faculty in the Office of the Vice President for Research; technology upgrades related to the IT Transformation initiative; changes to the UB Libraries, including the creation of a digitization center and library annex; and other improvements related to UB’s comprehensive physical plan.
“We’re spending some time taking a look at how the capital plan is supporting our core academic mission, whether our new engineering building, Kapoor Hall or the Farber Hall renovations,” said Del Genio. “As to enhancing the undergraduate experience, there’s the “Heart of the Campus” project and the residence halls we’re planning on building.”
The report also focuses on improvements in student performance, including increasing numbers of undergraduates conducting research—related to the creation of UB’s Undergraduate Academies—and an increase in the number of students who’ve received prestigious, nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships.
“I think it’s important to talk about who we are as an institution,” added Del Genio. “What is our mission? What are our aspirations? What are our institutional priorities? And how we’re going to achieve our objectives.”
A sample of institutional priorities outlined in the report include transdisciplinary research, undergraduate experience, graduate and professional education, and international education, including study abroad programs and enhancing scholarly and academic partnerships with premier international institutions, she said.
Not included in the report are UB’s growth agenda and downtown agenda, she added.
“That’s contingent upon having the financial plan—the resources—in order to engage new growth,” said Del Genio. “Growth costs money, and in order to do that we want to make sure that we’ve got the commitment from the state—and obviously that includes [financial] support…and a rational tuition policy.
“We thought it was important to articulate that the success of the plan is [about] having the requisite financial structure in place, continued support from SUNY, the prudent strategic use of our institutional resources and the collaboration [of] our faculty and our deans,” she added.
She said a draft of the report will be available soon on the Provost’s Web site. The final version of the report is not due until June 1.
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