University of Arkansas at Little Rock

December 7, 2009

Dear Colleagues:

I write to share with you my report to the Faculty Senate in its meeting on Friday, December 4, 2009.

We knew coming into the 2009-2010 academic year that this was going to be a big year, full of big, challenging projects. We have already hosted six accreditation site visits this fall and look forward to three more in the spring semester. The faculty has grappled with university-wide promotion and tenure guidelines and IRB policies and procedures. The Faculty Roles and Rewards II Task Force is preparing a draft document for faculty consideration in the coming months. And, under the leadership of President Ford, the faculty is beginning to explore the revisiting of the undergraduate curriculum with a particular focus on the core curriculum.

This is weighty, substantive work which faculty is addressing on top of routine responsibilities of teaching, research, and service. Engaging in this work requires enormous amounts of time, thought, and energy. I appreciate the faculty’s commitment to this university demonstrated through its engagement in these discussions and processes.

It is not unusual for us as a faculty not to agree with one another on everything. This is OK. If there is any place where debate should occur, it should be in the academy. And what we find at UALR is that there are good, thoughtful people engaged on all sides of the topics at hand.

From time to time, it is important for us to push ourselves back from the immediacy, the urgency, and the friction surrounding debate on these topics to remember this: that good people are engaged on all sides of the issues. We may disagree with one another, but we are colleagues.

Thank you for being good people who believe in UALR to such an extent that you will engage in these debates.

Happy Holidays!

David Belcher

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues:

I write to share with you my report to the Faculty Senate in its meeting on Friday, November 20, 2009.

I devoted the report to an update on the issue which has arguably demanded more of the institution’s attention than any other this year – accreditation. Indeed, as I have been noting for a year or so, this is the Year of Accreditation. By commencement in May, UALR will have experienced nine site visits this academic year; six have already occurred this fall semester.

The accreditation process is very important for a number of reasons; however, the most important aspect of the process is the external nature of the review which offers both affirmation and objective guidance, both of which are very important to any institution which values quality, excellence, and progress.

UALR has hosted four department-based accreditation site visits this fall: Nursing and Construction Management in September, and Audiology and Speech Pathology and Systems Engineering earlier in November. All four of these site visits have gone well, and the initial feedback from the visiting teams provided both affirmation and guidance for the programs’ future development.

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The Year of Accreditation is not yet behind us. There are three more site visits in the spring semester – in theatre, law, and art. I am confident that their results will be similar to those from the six we have experienced this fall.

Have a good Thanksgiving weekend.

David Belcher
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

The Year of Accreditation is not yet behind us. There are three more site visits in the spring semester – in theatre, law, and art. I am confident that their results will be similar to those from the six we have experienced this fall.

Have a good Thanksgiving weekend.

David Belcher
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

The accreditation process is very important for a number of reasons; however, the most important aspect of the process is the external nature of the review which offers both affirmation and objective guidance, both of which are very important to any institution which values quality, excellence, and progress.

UALR has hosted four department-based accreditation site visits this fall: Nursing and Construction Management in September, and Audiology and Speech Pathology and Systems Engineering earlier in November. All four of these site visits have gone well, and the initial feedback from the visiting teams provided both affirmation and guidance for the programs’ future development.

UALR has hosted two site visits in the last 20 days of a comprehensive nature:

1. The NCATE site visit occurred Sunday – Wednesday, November 15-18. NCATE focuses on the professional education endeavor which encompasses not only the work of the College of Education, but also programs, faculty, and students in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Science and Mathematics. The centerpiece of the exit interview was a superb report detailing that all standards had been met, that UALR had met target goals (the highest possible rating) in a number of areas, and that the professional education program demonstrated seven areas of particular strength. This represents a record of which we can be proud and one which will provide an excellent point of departure for further growth, development, and pursuit of excellence in the professional education arena.
2. A site team representing the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association visited UALR Sunday – Wednesday, November 1-4. This accreditation process encompasses the entire university. As a result of the site visit, the site team is recommending a full ten-year reaffirmation of UALR’s accreditation with no stipulations. The team’s report notes the following areas of strength, areas of concern, and advice:
   1. Identified Strengths.
      • Faculty and staff commitment to educating students.
      • The design and delivery of distance education.
      • The support for teaching as exemplified by the Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence.
      • The strategic plan and the faculty’s endorsement of the direction UALR is going.
      • Processes for curricular planning and review.
      • Thoughtful engagement of the community through initiatives such as the University District and the Shepherd Project.
      • Expanding on-campus housing.
      • The Academic Success Center.
      • University-wide commitment to assessment.
      • The Donaghey Scholars Program and other honors programs.
      • The use of university resources to enhance regional economic development.
      • Focus on meeting the needs of transfer students.
   2. Identified Concerns.
      • The need to move from a multifaceted mission to a more focused one.
      • The fact that a large number of faculty and administrators will be retiring in the next 10 years.
      • The need for more communication among units and fewer silos.
      • The demographic disconnect between students and faculty/staff.
   3. Advice.
      • Pay attention to the interconnectedness of mission, admission, student success, and retention.

These results this fall have been extremely rewarding, and I thank two groups of people:

1. The people who coordinated and participated in the self-study processes: a great deal of work goes into the process of self-examination. The process takes much time, thought, and energy, and it’s important that we acknowledge our colleagues who shepherded these processes along. Job well done.
2. The people who do the work of these programs – the faculty, staff, and administrators who teach, conduct research, participate in creative activities, serve in a variety of capacities, and lead. Successful reaccreditation experiences are validations of their/our work.