Internal Review Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is responsible for overseeing and guiding the Internal Review process?
Associate/Assistant Vice Presidents (AVPs) will be responsible for overseeing and guiding the
department internal review process within their Collaborative Communities. To the extent
possible Directors should also by relied on for guidance and support as the AVP sees fit.
Who should chair the Internal Review Team?
AVPs, in consultation with department directors, as appropriate, select the chair. AVPs may be
considered ex-officio members, providing assistance in keeping the review team focused on
providing a critical and relevant review of the department. The chair may be either a
department person or an outside person. The outside person brings more objectivity to the
team, but less "insider" knowledge. In terms of who to invite onto the team, some of the
considerations for discussion would be how familiar the individual is with the department and the
services that are provided, as well as how motivated the individuals are to help move the review
process along at a (relatively) steady rate. Also, consider choosing individuals who will bring
differing perspectives to the table, and who would work well together. Keep in mind that
different views when managed respectfully are excellent sources of creativity, knowledge, and
potential solution-generation.
Who should make up the Internal Review Team (IRT)?
AVPs and departmental directors should work together on identifying an appropriate review
team. Since the AVP’s role is to ensure the process is productive, they will be responsible for
proposing and finalizing the composition of the team. AVPs submit their proposed IRT
members to Assessment & Enrollment Analysis (AEA) as a double check. AEA will be able to
help ensure that IRT members are not being “tapped” for too many committees. The
department’s director cannot sit on the IRT. Student membership on the review team is strongly
encouraged, although student members should not make up the majority of the team.
Are people formally appointed/invited to serve on the IRT or asked informally?
Individuals are generally informally asked to serve on the IRTs. However, should the AVP and
department director decide that a formal appointment would suit their purposes that would be
fine as well.
How many members should be on the IRT?
Besides the chair, each IRT should have at least 3 other members. Larger departments may
want to have additional team members. Please consult with AEA, as necessary.
Revised 2-10-16
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To whom does the Internal Review Report get submitted?
As ex-officio member of the Internal Review Team, the AVP will be involved on some level in
developing the report that will be provided to the department director. Involvement by AEA will
vary based on the AVP and IRT’s needs (e.g. draft report may be submitted by the committee to
AEA for review before it is completed in order to receive feedback, or AEA may meet with
committee initially to provide direction, or the report may be submitted to the department director
without final review by AEA).
Is the timeline set in stone?
We have received consistent feedback from the previous years that the length and amount of
time involved is surprising. Therefore, the purpose of the timeline is to help keep the IRT’s on
track so that the workload is distributed in a manner that will most likely result in the timely
completion of the Internal/External Review.
Revised 2-10-16
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