After years of preparation, self-study and review by Northeastern officials, a team of 12 professors and administrators from universities around the country arrived at Northeastern yesterday to begin to review its practices and procedures on behalf of The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Through Tuesday, this accreditation team will look at all aspects of Northeastern life to evaluate the university.
During accreditation, an external body evaluates the services and operations of an educational institution to determine if applicable standards are met.
“Accreditation doesn’t involve any rankings, but does identify Northeastern as a university that is dedicated to increasing its own quality and the overall quality of higher education,” said Susan Powers-Lee, executive vice provost for academic administration, in an e-mail to The News.
Preparations for reaccreditation, which happens once every 10 years, began when President Joseph Aoun arrived at Northeastern, said Professor Kay Onan, special assistant to the president. Onan, a former chemistry professor, has overseen much of the preparations for reaccreditation.
President Aoun sought to establish a new academic plan ahead of the NEASC team’s visit, Onan said. Northeastern, and other universities, usually develop plans after accreditors visit, she said.
Yesterday, Northeastern welcomed the NEASC team, led by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus and professor of public service at George Washington University in Washington D.C., at a dinner at Raytheon Amphitheater for faculty, administrators and student leaders.
“It was good,” said Student Government Association President Rob Ranley, who was at the event. “It was really just an informal chance to get to know the members of the reaccreditation team.”
On Monday and Tuesday, the evaluators will spend their time on campus looking at all aspects of the university, Onan said. Each has his or her own focus area and the university has set up a number of panels for them to attend.
“We’ve organized these in ways that we think about ourselves,” Onan said.
However, members of the NEASC team are free to use any methods they want to learn about Northeastern and are not required to attend the information sessions, Onan said.
“We are going to have to be willing and able to accommodate them,” Onan said.
Prior to the NEASC site visit, administrators, faculty, staff and students worked together to write a self-study, which focused on experiential learning and interdisciplinary research, Powers-Lee said in the e-mail.
Three forums, for faculty, staff and students, will be held during the two-day evaluation period. This is an opportunity for members of the university community to offer insight to the NEASC evaluators, Onan said.
The forum for students will be held today from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in 333 Curry Student Center, Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier wrote in his blog on the Student Affairs website.
Those involved in preparing for the NEASC site visit said it is an opportunity for the university to show how much it has changed since the last visit in 1998.
“During the 10 years since our last re-accreditation visit, the university has made a great deal of progress in the broad areas that are reviewed: students, faculty, academic program and physical resources,” Powers-Lee said in the e-mail.
On Wednesday, the site team will present its initial findings to senior administrators in what is called an exit interview.
“They’re just going to give their findings – good and bad – then they’re going to walk out,” Onan said.
The team will then draft a formal report, which will be sent to university officials in March or April 2009, Onan said.
“Well, we’ve studied,” she said, comparing the NEASC visit to an important exam, “and we’re feeling pretty good, but not overly confident.”
