Dr. John A. Taylor
The Higher Learning Commission
30 North LaSalle St., Suite 2400
Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504
Dear Dr. Taylor:
This is a report related to the Macalester self-study process in preparation for the HLC team site visit on April 3-5, 2006. In the spring of 2003, Dr. Jack Rossmann, Professor of Psychology, was appointed the chair of our Self-Study Committee. During the summer and fall of 2003, a 14-member Self-Study Committee was appointed by Provost Dan Hornbach. Committee members include five faculty members (from biology, political science, German, art, and English), eight members of the administrative staff, and one student.
The Committee held its initial meeting in October of 2003 and met on a regular basis throughout the spring term of 2004. In March and April, each Committee member accepted the responsibility of serving as a liaison to three or four academic or administrative departments and met with the faculty and/or staff members of each of those departments. Part of the conversation with the departments included a discussion of assessment and other data which the department will provide to the Committee by December 1, 2004.
Throughout the 2004-2005 academic year, the Self-Study Committee will meet on a weekly basis and will begin reviewing self-study reports from departments after December 1. During the spring and summer of 2005, Dr. Michael Dickel (a member of the Self-Study Committee and Director of the Macalester Academic Excellence Center) will begin to develop drafts of various sections of our self-study report which will be reviewed by the Self-Study Committee, our provost, and me. We intend to complete the final draft of our self-study report in January 2006.
We look forward to this self-study process and the team site-visit as ways to increase Macalester's effectiveness in providing excellent learning opportunities for our students. Please contact me if you have follow-up questions.
Sincerely,
Brian C. Rosenberg
- c: Provost Dan Hornbach
Professor Jack Rossmann
