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Volume 4. Chapter 2
Practical Tips for aSuccessful Self-Stud~, Report, and Team Visit Winona M. Tanaka
Hell Lessons
The University ofTulsa (TU) was awarded continued accreditation byThe Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association
in September 2008, following a comprehensive evaluation visit from March 10 through 12, 2008. The Commission's decision also
included approval of a new doctorate in chemistry program, removal of a stipulation that had required prior Commission approval for
new doctoral programs from our Statement ofAffiliation Status, and requirement ofaprogress report on assessment of student learni ng
in June 2011. This outcome reflected the successful efforts of many people-faculty. administrators, students. trustees, staff, alumni.
and other constituents-who had worked diligently under auniversity-wide self·study process that intensified over the two years prior
to the 2008 visit. This paper highlights some of the key lessons learned during our accreditation experience.
Identify and Address All Challenges Raised in Your Previous Evaluation Report
While the five Criteria for Accreditation must be at the core of any self-study, it is important to remember that the evaluation team also
will want to know what your institution has done to address any challenges or deficiencies that had been identifled in your last self­
study and team report. Remember that the evaluation team members will prepare for their visit to your campus by studying not only
your latest report but also the reports from your last comprehensive visit. If any challenges were identified in the earlier reports, the
current team will expect to receive updated reports on those areas.
Ideally, your institution began addreSSing those challenges shortly after the end of the last visit. Following Our1998 review, for example.
the HLC added astipulation to our Statement of Affiliation Status that required prior approval for new doctoral programs. In response.
we began taking steps almost immediately and kept records of changes made over the last decade in anticipation of seeking removal
of that stipulation in 2008. Also, in 1998 we had been criticized about assessment of student learning. We began addressing those
concerns in 1998, and held a half·day off-campus retreat in January 2005 to share information and refocus our energies in that area.
The retreat was attended by all division heads, deans, associate deans, department chairs, and program directors who had been
responsible for developing assessment programs in their respective areas. Our 2008 self·study report therefore included information
not only about what we are doing today, but also how we had used the last decade to address issues raised in the 1998 reports. Ifyour
last report showed a need for improvement in certain areas, be prepared to demonstrate a record of sustained improvement over a
period of more than just the one or two years preceding the visit.
Create an Inclusive Self-Study Process by Staffing Your Committees with Representatives from All Constituent Groups
Our steering committee and five Criterion committees were formed in mid-2006, followed by resource room and events committees
in 2007. All but one were chaired by faculty, and at least one chair came from every college. The largest was our twenty·one-member
steering committee, which included the chairs and representatives from all subcommittees; its membership was balanced to ensure
representation of every constituent group, division, and college. The smallest was our eight-member resource room committee, which
was created by taking representatives from each ofthe five Criterion committees and adding technical support persons. The five Criterion
committees ranged in size from eleven to fourteen members. That was large enough to include representatives of faculty, students,
staff, administrators, and trustees, yet small enough to be manageable for sharing the workload and bringing different perspectives to
the table. An inclusive process becomes an asset by ensuring representation of different perspectives, building credibility among all
constituents, and facilitating access to information from all parts of the university.
Provide Meaningful Orientation and Support for All Self-Study Committees
At the first meeting of each of our eight committees, we distributed three-ring binders that included a selection of materials relevant to
the work of that committee, such as contact information for all members and excerpts from our 1998 self-study and evaluation reports,
The HLC Handbook ofAccreditation, institutional reports. and other resources. Everyone was asked to study materials in their respec­
tive binders before the second meeting, thereby ensuring a common minimum level of understanding about what each committee
was expected to accomplish. As work progressed, new materials were added to the binders under a deSignated indexing system. This
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made it easier for chairs to conduct meetings because everyone had a binder with reference materials that could be easily accessed
for discussion. We also assigned an administrative assistant to each committee to assist with scheduling meetings, reserving meeting
rooms, preparing minutes. distributing materials. and handling other administrative needs. Up-to-date minutes and administrative
support made it easier for each committee to keep track of aSSignments and deadlines, and enabled committee chairs to focus on the
substantive rather than logistical aspects of their work. Well-conceived support systems help everyone work together more efficiently,
effectively, and pleasantly in the context of a complex committee structure.
Encourage AU Self-Study Committee Chairs to Attend the PEAQ Workshop on Self-Study
Our provost and vice provost routinely attend The HLC Annual Meeting in Chicago every spring. Beginning in 2004, they planned their
trips to allow attendance at the pre-conference PEAQ Workshop on Self-Study, aday-long program that offers sessions led by HLC staff
and representatives from institutions that have recently undergone self-studies and team visits. The information and written materials
obtained at PEAQ Workshops proved invaluable to us in late 2004, when campus leaders began planning for our self-study and 2008
visit. As self-study coordinator, our vice provost drew heavily from those materials as she prepared orientation materials, created
committee binders, and served as a resource person for all committees. In 2007. all but one of the self-study committee chairs and all
associate deans joined the provost and vice provost at the PEAQ Workshop. Everyone agreed that, although we were already well into
the self-study and had begun writing sections of our report by then. attendance at the PEAQ Workshop was extremely worthwhile. It
provided us with a unique opportunity to learn new ideas, have our strategies challenged or confirmed, and chat informally among
ourselves about what we were doing. It strengthened our relationships as a team and refreshed our energies. Committee chairs said
that, in addition to finding the Workshop helpful in the midst of our self-study, it also would have been helpful to attend before they
became chairs. The PEAQ Workshop on Self-Study is an invaluable resource for all self-study leaders.
The self-study coordinator is responsible for keeping everyone on track and on schedule, and also for showing appreciation and
providing encouragement throughout the self-study process. Our self-study coordinator filled two separate but related roles that were
critical to the success of our self·study. First, as the title implies. she was responsible for coordinating the work of all committees-not
just the steering committee-and for serving as a resource to everyone involved in the self·study process. She provided not only a big
picture perspective of what needed to be covered in the self-study, but also assistance in ferreting out the details relevant to the Core
Components and subtexts of the final report.
One advantage of having avice provost or university administrator serve as self-stUdy coordinator is that. through his or her regular
duties, that person will have acquired a broad understanding of the university and working relationships with faculty and administra­
tors from all parts of campus. It is not enough, however, to have agood background. To be effective, a self-study coordinator must be
proactive and involved at every stage of the self-study. Our coordinator was an ex-officio member of all committees. In that capacity,
she attended the meetings of all committees and shared information about what other committees were doing, what data had become
available, what strategies had been effective (or not effective), and how deadlines were being met. Such coordination enabled us to
minimize duplication of effort and avoid much of the frustration that can arise when two or more people go to the same person or of­
fice asking for information that had already been provided earlier. Our coordinator also assisted committees in locating and obtaining
information if an individual or office was not providing enough information or cooperation during the self-study.
The second role of our coordinator was to show appreciation and provide encouragement to all committee members, particularly as we
entered the second year of the self-study. We always were mindful of the fact that all committee members had volunteered to serve in
this process. They were doing a lot of work that many of their colleagues would have refused to do, or for which their colleagues had
little or no understanding and appreciation. No one received release time or other consideration for serving on self-study committees,
Everyone was volunteering in the self-study while also performing his or her regular duties. Because our resource room and events
committees were created bydrawing representatives from each ofthe five Criterion committees, some people served on two committees.
We therefore recognized that we needed to find ways to express appreciation to all committee members. Our self-study coordinator
accomplished this by attending all meetings, providing consistent support, and bringing special treatS-donuts, cakes, sandwiches,
cookies, candies, or other goodies. The treats might not sound like much. but the message was not lost on our volunteers. Food is an
effective method for boosting morale and reminding volunteers that their work is being recognized and appreciated. When the going
gets tough. let them eat cake!
Use The Creative Talents of Your Faculty, Students, and Staff to Publicize and Engage Constituents through campus Meetings,
E-Mails, Campus Newspaper Articles, T·Shirts, Posters, Table Tents, and Special Events
Our events committee was chaired by a Criterion Three faculty member who teaches in TU's art and graphic design program. She im·
mediately saw the potential for creating a multi·media blitz to increase campus·wide awareness of the self·study and accreditation
processes. Drawing upon the chair's profeSSional expertise and relationships with art students, the events committee sponsored a
campus·wide competition for designing T-shirts, posters, table tents, and backpacks. We builtthemes around TU's mission statement,
which establishes the core values and learning goa is of our institution and lies at the heart of any self-study. The table tents were ahuge
hit; theywere distributed during the self-study and are stHI being dIsplayed prominentlyin offices across cam pus.TheT·shirts, backpacks,
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and other items were distributed at special events to students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni. The events committee also created
programs for our campus television station, student newspaper, and campus-wide meetings for faculty, staff, and students_ Toward
the end of our self-study process, our events committee chair assisted in the preparation of our final report by providing design ideas
and critiquing the final layout. Ifyou need something creative and upscale, seek help from the artists and art students on your campus!
Devote the TIme and Resources Needed to Create aWell-Organized Resource Room
After ourself-study was underway, we created aresource room committee by getting at least one volunteer from each of the five Criterion
committees. This was the only committee that was not chaired by faculty. Its chair was an administrator (assistant dean of the gradu­
ate school) who served on the Criterion One committee and was chosen because of his strong technical skills and understanding of
technologies and practices across campus. The committee selected WebCT as the vehicle for collecting and sharing data and drafts of
our final report primarily because WebCTwas already widely used and accepted across campus. One of the committee's first tasks was
to establish protocols for gathering, cataloguing, and sharing information by aU Criterion committees. The composition of our resource
room committee meant that there was someone on every Criterion committee who felt responsible for ensuring that evidence would be
collected and stored consistently under the agreed-upon protocols. During the summer of 2007, we paid a modest stipend to afaculty
member(from the Criterion Three committee) to review all documents collected by the five Criterion committees and finalize ourindexing
and cross-referencing system. By taking the time to create an electronic bibliography of all documents collected during the self-study,
we ended up with amanageable database that made it easier to locate evidence for our2008 self-study report, to organize the resource
room for the team visit, and to lay the foundation for the next visit in 2017-2018.
Nothing is perfect, so be flexible and willing to change your plans and strategies as circumstances dictate. No matter how much or how
well you plan your self-study, something is bound to go wrong. By acting promptly and tactfully, we were able to adapt and strengthen
our efforts in several areas, including the size and composition of committees, strategies for collecting data, protocols for collecting
and sharing data, and writing of the final report. Instead of dwelling on what goes wrong, make the necessary adjustments and turn
each wrong into an opportunity to achieve abetter outcome.
Winona M. Tanaka is Vice Provost of the University ofTulsa in Oklahoma.
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