ASC Timeline of Assessment and General Education
Assessment Timeline History at the College
October 1996
Albany sponsored a 2-day conference on General Education and a few ASC faculty
attended (M Ronan, Carol Lucey, Kathleen Ebert, ???).
Fall 1997/Spring 1998
 SUNY Provost Salins indicates that the assessment of student learning outcomes
is a top priority of his efforts to raise academic aspirations and standards.
 Provost Salins addresses the fall 1997 plenary of the University Faculty Senate,
making the case for University-wide assessment in the face of considerable
opposition.
 In spring of 1998, the Provost revisits the issue and reaches an agreement to
establish a Task Force, with Faculty Senate participation.
June 1997
Selected faculty, along with Vice-President for Academic Affairs Carol Lucey, attend
Asheville (NC) Institute for General Education.
April 1999
Alfred State College General Education Plan with assessment component passes Faculty
Senate. Plan is available at: http://web.alfredstate.edu/facsenate/senateweb.htm
September 1999
 Provost Salins establishes an Advisory Task Force on the Assessment of Student
Learning Outcomes as a broadly representative committee including faculty, the
presidents of the University Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council of
Community Colleges, senior campus academic leadership and administrative
staff, and students from across the University.
 Provost Salins charges the committee with the responsibility to make
recommendations regarding: “A process for assessing student learning outcomes
and intellectual growth in General Education and the Major that will provide the
faculty and academic leadership with an important and effective way of
improving the quality of undergraduate education, and the University with a
coherent and meaningful longitudinal database with which to be accountable to its
stakeholders.”
April 2000
The University Faculty Senate unanimously urges the SUNY Assessment Task Force to
embrace its principles for undergraduate assessment, including a) that it be “primarily
campus-based” and b) that University-wide assessment “be designed to support and
complement written campus assessment plans.”
September 2000
 The SUNY Assessment Task Force completes its Report on the Assessment of
Student Learning Outcomes.
 Provost Salins accepts the Task Force recommendations and issues
Implementation Guidelines for campus-based assessment of General Education
and the Major (with external review), including a description of the process and
the timelines.
2001
 Draft of Alfred State College General Education Assessment Plan is reviewed by
SUNY GEAR group and rejected.
 Substantial modifications are requested in almost all areas, and most point to a
lack of detail in the original draft.
January 2001
Chancellor King, in response to a University Senate motion of October 2000 reaffirming
“its historic support for campus-based assessment and its strenuous opposition to any
form of system-wide assessment,” indicates that it his understanding that the April 2000
Senate resolution seemed to share the Task Force view that the SUNY Assessment
Initiative should consist of both campus-based and University-wide strategies.
January 2001
Campus-wide Alfred State Assessment Committee is formed, convened by VicePresident for Student Affairs Dan Neverett
May 2001
Alfred State Campus-wide Assessment Plan is endorsed by Faculty Senate. Cornerstone
of plan is departmental control of the assessment process. Plan can be viewed at:
http://web.alfredstate.edu/assessment/campusassessplan.htm
August 2001
Interim part-time Assessment Coordinator appointed (Daniel Barwick).
September 2001
University-wide, campus-based assessment of the major begins. At the College, this first
stage primarily involves: (1) faculty orientation regarding assessment, (2) a campus-wide
dialogue regarding assessment, and (3) the creation of individual academic program
assessment plans.
September 2001
Vice-President for Academic Affairs John Anderson incorporates “Improvement of
teaching and learning through outcomes-based assessment” into the College’s Strategic
Plan.
February 2002
 Second draft of General Education Assessment Plan is reviewed by SUNY GEAR
group and rejected.
 The primary reason given for the rejection is that the plan does not include
sufficient information about the standards for each silo (student learning
outcome).
July 2002
 Chancellor King, in response to a University Senate motion of May 2002
indicating its continued opposition “to any system-wide standardized assessment
measures,” indicates that he supports the recommendations of the Task Force.
 King notes that the recommendations were developed with significant faculty
input, including the leadership of both the Senate and the Faculty Council of
Community Colleges.
August 2002
University-wide campus-based assessment of general education begins. Alfred State is
among the approximately 45 campuses without approved assessment plans.
December 2002
All Alfred State academic program plans completed except general education. All plans
available at: http://web.alfredstate.edu/assessment/Pick%20a%20school.?htm
January 2003
Alfred State ABET accredited programs submit assessment report to ABET.
January 2003
Orientation session for new faculty conducted at the College. Session led, by Interim
Coordinator of Assessment, offers overviews of both the history of assessment as well as
Alfred State assessment policy.
February 2003
Alfred State Faculty Senate Executive Committee approves plan to insert assessment
language into promotion criteria.
March 2003
Alfred State Faculty Senate General Education Committee identifies silos to be assessed
in current semester. Silos identified are Written Communication, Critical Thinking,
History and Mathematics.
March 2003
General Educational plan approved by Alfred State Faculty Senate. Plan available at:
http://web.alfredstate.edu/facsenate/senateweb.htm
May 2003
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
Third draft of Alfred State General Education Assessment Plan is reviewed by
SUNY GEAR group and rejected.
Minor modifications requested include explanation of assignments to be sampled
and sampling technique.
April 2003
Alfred State Faculty Senate votes to accept General Education Assessment Plan.
September 2003
General Education Committee revises Alfred State General Education Assessment Plan.
November 2003
Alfred State Faculty Senate approves revised Alfred State General Education Assessment
Plan. The Vice President of Academic Affairs resubmits Plan to SUNY Central for
approval (Jim Grillo)
January 2004
Interim Assessment Coordinator appointed part-time (Regina Pollard)
Deans were contacted to review the assessment link to determine accuracy and
thoroughness of it. As a result, 26 new assessment programs or annual reports were
received. Currently, 84% of academic departments have assessment reports on file and
71% have submitted annual reports from 2003.)
(Reviewed the list of non-academic departments who either did not respond to my initial
request for a meeting regarding assessment procedures or who had asked to meet during
the Spring Semester. Began contacting those departments and setting up the meeting
times.)
Continued working on a handbook that would explain the assessment procedures for
departmental assessment. The handbook is located on the assessment web page.
A preliminary review of the School of Arts and Sciences initial assessment reports was
conducted. Many of the reports state that after two years the department will evaluate the
assessment procedures.
February 2004
Coordinator worked with departments who had questions regarding the review of the
School of Arts and Sciences assessment reports.
March 2004
Put together an outline of immediate needs, short-term needs and long-term needs to
share with Dr. Back.
Developed a proposed set of forms for the purpose of simplifying and standardizing the
reporting procedures (pending approval).
Sent out a Request for Proposals for grants to fund assessment activities.
April 2004
Two grant proposals were awarded funds: Hinkle Library and the Nursing Department.
May 2004
An announcement was sent to all departments (academic and non-academic) on campus
outlining the reporting procedures for assessment activities. The deadline for submitting
the summary form is June 1 for academic departments and July 1 for all non-academic
areas. As of May 31, 26% of departments had submitted their reports.
Departments were also asked to complete a brief form outlining their assessment plans
for the 2004/05 year. Academic departments are to submit their plans by September 15;
non-academic departments are asked to submit their plans by August 15.
The Coordinator met with a number of departments regarding their assessment plans.
With the designation of Monday and Tuesday of Professional Development Week to be
used for assessment work, numerous departments requested meetings with the
coordinator, provide support for the Chairs, or to hear the concerns of the departments
regarding the process
June 2004
Data indicate that at this point 91% of academic department turned in an assessment
report.
Nonacademic departments are currently working on reports.
August 2004
General Education Plan approved by SUNY GEAR.
Fall 2004
Middle States re-accreditation final report written
No assessment coordinator.
December 2004
Dec 7, 2004 Patricia Francis presented to AALT information on SUNY General
Education and the new Strengthening Campus Based Assessment requirements for Math,
Writing, and Critical Thinking.
Assessment coordinator changed to Assessment Director and interim part-time
director appointed (Kathleen Ebert )
Feb 2005
Barbara Walvoord 2-day workshop
Middle States visit Feb 2005
March 2005
Middle States recommends a full time Assessment Director and a full time Director of
Institutional Research
April 2005
FS Assessment standing committee approved (not taken to campus-vote yet)
Sept 2005
Kathleen Ebert and Joanne Cepelak attend UB for general education WNY consortium
(regional) planning session.
October 2005
ASC hosted regional General Education meeting (October 7th)
FS re-establishes an ad hoc committee for General Education to write the Strengthening
Campus Based Assessment report (first meeting Nov 2, 2005), waiting for Deans to be
added by VPAA.
Fall 2005 / Spring 2006
No Assessment Director or Coordinator, and no searches.
Feb 2006
University Senate Visitation Team recommends hiring an assessment and IR person.
FS general education ad hoc committee completes SBCA plan and is approved by Senate
Feb 14, 2006.
May 2007
Jim Bryant named Associate Vice President of Assessment and Retention
Fall 2007
Jim Bryan, aVPAA; Chuck Neal, aVPAA, Kathleen Ebert coordinate assessment
activities.