WASC Committee
November 21, 2013
Meeting Notes
11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Haak Ctr Boardroom 4115
Members Present: Michael Caldwell, Carolyn Coon, Michelle Den Beste, Jose Diaz, Xuanning Fu, Darlene Haines,
Gillisann Harootunian, Asao Inoue, Andrew Lawson, Jane Magee, James Marshall, Maxine McDonald, Scott Moore, Arun
Nambiar, Dennis Nef, Phillip Neufeld, Paul Oliaro, Tamyra Pierce, Chuck Radke, Rudy Sanchez, David Schecter, Dave
Tyckoson, Terence Wan, Sandra Witte
Members Absent: Shirley Armbruster, Bryan Berrett, Thomas Boeh, Daniel Griffin, Robert Harper, Pranav Menon,
Melanie Ram, Rebecca Raya-Fernandez, Angel Sanchez, Fariborz Tehrani, Lynnette Zelezny, Laura Alcantar
Called to Order: 11:08 a.m.
I.
II.
Announcements
a. Welcome Students - Darlene Haines
b. WASC Proposal Review – John Shields
c. WASC Accreditation Reviews Proposed Dates
i. Offsite Review: November 20, 2014
ii. Accreditation Visit: October 20-23, 2015
Review October 24, 2013 meeting notes
III.
WASC Visit, Dr. Barbara Davis, WASC Liaison – 12/17/13
The WASC representatives will be visiting on Tuesday, December 17th all day. The committee took time to
review the agenda and what topics should be discussed during their visit. If you have any other ideas, please
forward them to us for consideration.
IV.
Update on Core Competencies Perspectives – A. Lawson and L. Zelezny
a. Centralized vs. Decentralized Approach – A. Lawson and X. Fu
There was a lengthy discussion on how core competencies were going to be assessed. The debate is
whether this should be assessed at the department level or whether it should be centralized. We wanted to
bring this feedback back to the group to see what the perspective is. There are a few models that we could
follow: department level assessment, university wide approach or e-portfolio approach. Another option
would be for a group of people from this committee to meet and draft a universal rubric to share with the
university and receive feedback. The e-portfolio puts the responsibility on the student.
b. Culminating experiences and portfolios update – D. Nef
The procurement office is about to send the letter out. We should be able to announce to the campus
community next week.
V.
Compliance with WASC Standards and Federal Regulations – D. Nef
This document has been posted to box.com for their review. D. Nef brought up some questions of which he
needed some feedback from this group.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
Core Competencies Evaluation Proposal – X. Fu
This group met early this week and has a draft final report that he will be able to share with us later today. The
group proposes that they have a number of different proposals. Once the decision on how to evaluate the
competencies is reached then the standards need to be clarified.
Newsletter Topics due by Monday, December 2nd – T. Pierce
Please email T. Pierce with any additional topics to be included in the newsletter. Also, we reviewed the
bookmark that will be printed and distributed to the campus community.
Progress Update on Self Study Essays – Due Monday, December 2nd (Outlines will be uploaded to website)
1. Introduction: Institutional Context; Response to Previous Commission Actions – L. Zelezny and A.
Lawson
2. Compliance with WASC Standards and Federal Regulations: Self-Review under the Standards;
Compliance Checklist – D. Nef, S. Moore and M. Caldwell (G. Harootunian)
3. Degree Programs: Meaning, Quality, and Integrity of Degrees – D. Schecter (A. Lawson, Michelle
DenBeste, S. Moore and D. Nef, J. Diaz, J. Marshall and R. Raya-Fernandez and Student)
4. Educational Quality: Student Learning, Core Competencies, and Standards of Performance at Graduation
– X. Fu (R. Hall, R. Harper, A. Inoue, C. Radke, M. Ram, F. Tehrani, D. Tyckoson, P. Neufeld, T. Pierce
and J. Magee)
5. Student Success: Student Learning, Retention, and Graduation – P. Oliaro and M. McDonald (A.
Sanchez, C. Radke and Student)
6. Quality Assurance and Improvement: Program Review; Assessment; Use of Data and Evidence – A.
Sanchez and S. Witte (D. Griffin and Lisa Kao)
7. Sustainability: Financial Viability; Preparing for the Changing Higher Education Environment – D. Nef
and C. Matson (R. Sanchez, B. Berrett and C. Coon)
8. Conclusion: Reflection and Plans for Improvement – A. Lawson, L. Zelezny (M. Caldwell and T. Pierce)
Upcoming workshops:
a. Assessment 101: The Assessment Cycle, Clear and Simple
January 29, 2014, southern California
b. Retreat on Student Success, January 30-31, 2014, southern California
c. 2014 WASC Academic Resource Conference
April 23-25, 2014, Los Angeles, CA
Next Meeting: December 19th 11:00 – 12:00 p.m., Haak Center Boardroom 4115
Reminder: Draft Institutional Reports Due – Monday, December 2nd via email to Tamyra Pierce tpierce@csufresno.edu
and cc: lalcantar@csufresno.edu.
Meeting adjourned: 12:00 p.m.