To: ALL FGCU FACULTY/STAFF/STUDENTS

Subject: Accreditation Report #22

Date: May 13, 1999

This week the university sent to SACS the final required report in the accreditation process. The Institutional Response to the Report of the Committee for Initial Accreditation will be considered, along with the Self-Study Report and the Report of the Committee for Initial Accreditation, during a June 21 – 24 meeting of the Commission on Colleges in Atlanta. We should know the results of their deliberations at the conclusion of that meeting, and accreditation would then be retroactive to January 1 of this year.

The Institutional Response addresses the ten recommendations that were included in the visiting committee report. A recommendation is a formal statement by a visiting committee of an action that it believes the institution must take in order to comply with one of the criteria for accreditation. In responding to recommendations, the university needed to demonstrate either that those actions had been taken or that it has a clear action plan for doing so, as well as a commitment of resources for carrying out the plan. The Response also includes a response to suggestions, although that response is optional.

As indicated in an earlier Accreditation Report, the ten recommendations included in the Report of the Committee for Initial Accreditation are far fewer than most SACS committee reports, which typically average 30 or more. Furthermore, the recommendations we did receive had already been identified in the self-study and were already being addressed. Following is a list of the ten recommendations and a summary of the actions or plans reported in the Institutional Response.

Recommendation 1
The committee recommends that the institution demonstrate that it has an effective evaluation process for graduate student orientation programs.

The Institutional Response documents that a Coordinator of Graduate Programs has been designated, and that a Graduate Council has been appointed to serve in an advisory capacity to the Coordinator, as well as to assist in developing policies, procedures, and practices related to graduate programs and faculty. The Response also includes an action plan approved by the Council for developing "an effective evaluation process for graduate student orientation programs."
 

Recommendation 2
The committee recommends that all student academic record files be maintained in a secure and fireproof vault or room.

The Institutional Response documents that Rooms 119 and 120 in Student Services Building 5 have been identified as the location for a secure and fireproof vault to contain all student academic records. An action plan for completing the work is included which projects a completion date of October 1, 1999.
 

Recommendation 3
The committee recommends that FGCU develop and implement policies and procedures for the maintenance of non-credit course records.

The Institutional Response documents that in January 1999 the university began to use the Banner system for maintaining continuing education course records, and that the Office of Community Learning and Special Programs, working with a faculty committee, has coordinated the drafting of the "Guidelines and Procedures Regarding Continuing Education Courses" which describes the process for record keeping. The "Guidelines" indicates that Banner will produce transcripts showing completion of continuing education courses, and affirms that all records regarding students enrolled in continuing education classes will be kept in the same manner as records for degree seeking and non-degree seeking students.
 

Recommendation 4
The committee recommends that the university establish eligibility requirements for the faculty teaching graduate courses.

The Response includes an action plan approved by the Graduate Council to "ensure that all colleges/schools have appropriate eligibility requirements for faculty teaching in graduate programs."
 

Recommendation 5
The committee recommends that formal policies be made final and consistent across all programs of the university regarding the hiring, orientation and supervision of part-time faculty and adjuncts and that these policies should address the evaluation, qualifications, appointment process, orientation, supervision, and evaluation of part-time and adjunct faculty.

The Response describes the process whereby a committee made up of representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Health Professions, College of Professional Studies, and the library developed a university-wide guide for policies and procedures for the hiring, orienting, and supervising/evaluating of part-time faculty. Additionally, the Response describes how academic units have responded to provisions of the document by providing a list of faculty or administrators who were responsible for hiring and supervising part-time faculty in each unit (accountability); to describe the orientations for part-time faculty that would occur within each academic unit; to outline the specific hiring procedures that would be used in each program in the unit; and to define the supervisory and evaluatory procedures for part-time faculty.
 

Recommendation 6
The committee recommends that adequate physical facilities be provided to house, service, and make library collections easily available.

The Response documents that the university’s short-term and long-term capital improvement plans include provisions for additional library space. In the short term, planning is underway to renovate the second floor of the Library Building, which currently houses administrative offices, to create additional space for library collections and staff. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2000 with completion anticipated in August 2000. Funding for renovation in the amount of $1 million has been appropriated for the fiscal year beginning in July 1999. In the long term, the FGCU Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan and Legislative Budget Request for 2000-2001 through 2004-2005 includes provisions for an addition to the library.
 

Recommendation 7
The committee recommends that library resources supporting graduate programs be substantially more extensive than those required for baccalaureate programs.

The Response states that as of January 1999 FGCU library holdings exceed ACRL Standards for College Libraries by about 65,500 volumes. It further documents that differentiation in collection development for journals and for monographs has been made in those disciplines offering graduate degrees at FGCU, and cites the FGCU Library Collection Development Policy Statement and the monographic approval plans, both of which address the acquisition of graduate level materials.

The Response also describes a study to compare graduate collections with those in libraries of selected peer institutions. Each FGCU graduate program leader and collection librarian suggested one to seven peer programs to identify "gaps" in FGCU’s collections for those disciplines, and the resulting gap titles will be ordered as appropriate to advance the graduate collections. The Response documents that the University has identified an additional $100,000 to purchase the materials identified in this project.
 

Recommendation 8
The committee recommends that all cooperative agreements with other libraries and agencies be regularly evaluated.

The Response describes cooperative agreements with the Southwest Florida Library Network (SWFLN); the Florida Library Information Network (FLIN); SOLINET, a resource sharing organization and interlibrary loan network serving libraries in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean utilizing OCLC’s group resource sharing capabilities; as well as agreements with other institutions in the State University System of Florida and the Florida Community College System. The Response also documents that evaluation of all cooperative agreements is done annually as a part of the FGCU Library's Institutional Effectiveness Plan.
 

Recommendation 9
The committee recommends that the University develop, implement, and evaluate a maintenance plan.

The Response documents that the Office of Physical Facilities has completed and implemented a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan which has been approved by the university’s Executive Staff. The plan describes how building structures and equipment, vehicles, maintenance equipment, and other facilities are catalogued; how maintenance requirements for all items are specified; and how maintenance activity is recorded as it is performed. The Response also documents that the Director of University Physical Facilities is responsible for the administration, operation, and periodic evaluation of the maintenance plan.
 

Recommendation 10
The committee recommends the draft safety plan be approved and regularly evaluated and that this function be adequately staffed.

The Response documents that the university’s Executive Staff has approved the health and safety procedures submitted by the university Environmental Health and Safety Committee, and that the FGCU Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) has implemented these procedures, consulting with university departments to ensure compliance with laws and regulations regarding environmental protection and occupational health and safety.

The Response further documents that the university has requested funding from the legislature to establish a position of Director of Environmental Health and Safety. Until funding for the position can be obtained, the Assistant vice-president for Administrative Services will perform the duties of this office, and that position has been changed to reflect these new duties and responsibilities. An operating budget has been established for the Department of Environmental Health and Safety in the 1999-2000 fiscal year and expenditures for health and safety programs will be identified and consolidated in this office.

If you have any questions concerning accreditation, please contact Joseph Ravelli, Sanford Colley, or Cathy Duff in the Office of Planning and Evaluation.