UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 20, Page 1
February 20, 1992
Team to meet with campus community

     The Middle States accreditation team will arrive at the
University of Delaware the evening of Feb. 23, and team members
will begin their on-campus visit the following day, meeting with a
broad spectrum of the University community, according to Margaret
Andersen, associate provost for academic affairs.
     Andersen and Russell Dynes, professor of sociology, co-chaired
the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee for the
reaffirmation process, which occurs every 10 years.
     During their visit, the Middle States team members will talk
to trustees, the president, the provost, self-study task force
chairpersons and representative groups of faculty, students,
administrators and staff.
     The team will hold a preliminary briefing Feb. 26. with top
administrators and later will submit a final accreditation report.
     The University has been preparing for this site visit for
several months, Andersen said, with the outcome a Self-Study Report
for Reaccreditation.
     Based on the work of five task forces and on such projects as
Focused Vision and the reviews of individual departments by the
Council on Program Evaluation (COPE), the self-study serves as a
foundation for examining and appraising the University during the
reaffirmation process.
     The report identifies five strategic goals for the University,
taken from the Focused Vision Implementation Report:

*    Providing high-quality, affordable undergraduate
education that gains greater recognition in the state,
region and nation,
*    Strengthening research and increasing the national and
international distinction of selected graduate programs,
*    Better integrating public service into University life
and  providing greater assistance to the state, nation and
global community,
*    Nurturing a campus environment characterized by
respect  for people of different races, genders, nations,
sexual  orientations and background, and
*    Providing the human, intellectual, cultural, financial
and physical resources required to meet the University's
goals.

     Using these five goals as springboards for the study, the
report is divided into seven sections- Institutional Overview,
Academic Planning, Undergraduate Programs and Instruction, Graduate
Education and Research, Public Service, Diversity and Equity, and
Resources and University Governance.
     "The self-study is a comprehensive statement about the
University's mission and its plans for academic programs, as well
as other areas. The process of accreditation provides an
opportunity to examine the University, to review its goals,
possibilities and limitations and create a blueprint for the
future," Andersen said.
     The Middle States team visiting the University is chaired by
Keith Kennedy, former provost at Cornell University. Members are
Sara Arthur, assistant vice president of student life, New York
University; Richard Challener, professor of history, Princeton
University; Robert Greenkorn, vice president for research and vice
president for programs, Purdue Research Foundation; Kenneth D.
Hall, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty,
State University of New York at Old Westbury; Weldon Ihrig, vice
chancellor for finance and administration, Oregon State System of
Higher Education; Sharon Rogers, university librarian, George
Washington University, Washington, D.C.; and Linda Salamon, dean of
the College of Arts and Science and professor of English,
Washington University, St. Louis.
     Marcia Rees, administrator of Post-Secondary Programs of the
Delaware Department of Public Instruction, also will accompany the
team on its visit.
     Members of the University of Delaware Self-Study Steering
committee were Carol Hoffecker, acting associate provost for
graduate studies; Michael Middaugh, director of institutional
research; Donald Puglisi, professor of finance; Nancy Signorielli,
associate professor of communication; Joyce Hill Stoner,
chairperson of art conservation; and Robert Varrin, associate
provost for research and patents.
     Task forces and chairpersons of the committee were
Undergraduate education, Frank Dilley, philosophy, and Frank
Murray, education; Graduate education, Robert Dalrymple, civil
engineering, and Hoffecker; Diversity/equity, Maxine Colm, employee
relations and James Newton, Black American studies; Public service,
Richard Fischer, continuing education, and Jeffrey Raffel, urban
affairs and public policy; Resources/governance, John Brook,
government and public relations, and Robert Taggart, educational
studies.
     A copy of the Self-Study Report for Reaccreditation is on
reserve at the Morris Library and has been widely distributed on
campus.
                                        - Sue Swyers Moncure