Steering Committee
Chairs: Randy Westhoff, Marty J. Wolf
The Steering Committee consists of all the Criterion Committee Co-Chairs plus the Self-Study Co-Directors and the head of the Data Team. This group coordinates the entire Self-Study effort.
The Steering Committee will be the first reviewer of the draft Assurance Argument and is responsible for focusing campus attention on the process. They will also coordinate and host the campus visit from HLC’s evaluators.
Criterion One Committee. Mission
Chairs: Rick Koch, Bill Blackwell (no longer at BSU)
Because it focuses on the mission of BSU, this committee will collect, organize, and analyze evidence that relates to the overall purposes of the university and how well all constituencies understand those purposes. They are also looking for how well faculty, students, staff, and the administration relate to and support the mission and vision statements as well as our shared fundamental values.
Members of Criterion One have the related task of describing how our mission contributes to the public good.
Criterion Two Committee. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
Chairs: Virgil Bakken, Jesse Grant (no longer at BSU)
The HLC has charged institutions with demonstrating that they act with integrity and that their conduct is ethical and responsible. The work of the Criterion Two Committee will demonstrate that all of its business, academic, and auxiliary processes are carried out in ways that are fair and ethical. This is a responsibility of faculty, staff, administration, and the Minnesota State Board of Trustees. We must demonstrate our commitment to freedom of expression and the responsible acquisition, discovery, and application of knowledge by faculty, students, and staff.
Ethical and responsible conduct on campus helps ensure that all of partners in the community and throughout the world know we conduct our relationships with integrity.
Criterion Three Committee. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support
Teaching and learning are the cornerstones of Bemidji State University. The Criterion Three Committee will be responsible for demonstrating the quality of our academic programs and student services. All academic and co-curricular programs are to relate this central enterprise to our mission. Additionally, this committee will document how the types of support BSU provides for effective teaching and student learning.
All aspects of the university are involved in teaching and student learning. This means that nearly every facet of our day-to-day work relates to Criterion Three
Criterion Four Committee. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement
Chairs: Nancy Hall, Colleen Greer
Closely related to Criterion Three, this criterion addresses an essential element of quality teaching and learning. The Criterion Four Committee is responsible for documenting the ways that we evaluate and improve our programs, learning environments. and support services. The goal is continuous improvement. Part of the continual process involves regular observation of and reflection on what students are learning. The process continues with by responding to those observations through changes to address shortcomings. Further, we examine our efforts to retain students as part of this criterion.
Assessment processes that improve our understanding of student learning and persistence in order to maintain high quality learning environments.
Criterion Five Committee. Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness
Chairs: Jeff Ueland, Lynn Johnson
Dynamic changes in the role of the University in the region, state, and world, require it to be prepared for the future. The Criterion Five Committee is responsible for documenting that our resources, structures, and processes will allow us to fulfill our mission. We must demonstrate the relationships among our planning processes, sources of support, and external factors such as technology and globalization.
We must work to improve our overall performance so as to ensure that we can sustainably fulfill our mission.
Data Team
Chair: Doug Olney (no longer at BSU)
In order to avoid duplication of effort and to establish an efficient means of collecting data, we have a separate Data Team which will advise the Criterion Committees, search for requested evidence, and serve as a clearing house for data requests. The Data Team consists of a variety of staff with have access to key data.
Publicity Team
Chair: Andy Bartlett
Because it is crucial to involve the entire campus in the re-accreditation process and also be ensure that everyone is aware of the important role our mission plays, the Publicity Team oversees HLC activities for a variety of constituents, general awareness of the self-study, and to sharpen our perception of the mission of the university.
Federal Compliance
The federal government has a number of technical requirements surrounding many seemingly more mundane aspects of the university. The Federal Compliance part of the self-study documents that we have an acceptable definition of a credit hour, our transfer policies are made clear, we keep a record of student complaints, and we use best practices in identifying our students. Further, we must provide information financial aid, athletic participation, and demonstrate how we publicize our student achievement.