Dates

Major Milestones

Oct.–Nov. 2021

Team attends Self-Study Institute

Options for three to five priorities and approach to self-study discussed with cabinet, deans, strategic plan steering committee, and key stakeholders.

 Dec. 2021 

Meet with key constituencies about goals and priorities of the self-study. Begin establishing the self-study steering committee. 

Core group agrees to the focus of the self-study and key aspects of the design approach. 

Begin internal work to draft of self-study design.

Jan. 2022

Chairs work with core team to establish steering committee. 

Feb.  2022

Steering committee holds first meeting.

Steering committee finalizes priorities and organizes its work.

Self-study design discussed with Faculty Senate, cabinet, Staff Council.

Subcommittee makeup discussed as a steering committee.

Mar. 2022

Subcommittee members established.

Steering committee reviews draft design.

SharePoint site developed as way to organize the self-study work.

Mar.–Apr. 2022

Subcommittees hold first meeting.

Steering committee drafts study questions for review by subcommittees and core team. 

Subcommittees begin to identify definitions of terms, scope of chapter, and existing evidence that supports the standards.

Dates

Major Milestones

May 2022

Self-study design submitted to Middle States.

Middle States vice president visits AU virtually.

Board of Trustees receive first brief on the self-study.

Summer 2022

Supporting documentation working group identifies existing evidence that supports the standards, identifying gaps.

Subcommittees submit draft outline of their chapters and make decisions about how the standards will be covered (whether covered in report or in supporting documentation).

AU's Middle States website updated.

Staff from the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and data coordinators for each subcommittee prepare any new data needed.

Steering committee provides feedback to subcommittees on self-study outline.

Provost announces official kick-off of self-study.

Open forum for community to learn about the self-study process. 

Oct. 2022–Feb. 2023

Subcommittees draft chapters.

Subcommittees meet with partnership committees and groups on campus.

Steering committee meets with subcommittees to ensure continuity across subcommittees and consistent levels of rigor.

Steering committee members meet regularly to address issues or questions from the subcommittees and to approve or review revisions to the chapter outlines.

Board of Trustees is updated on self-study progress.

Supporting documentation working group works with subcommittees to crosswalk standards and criteria into each chapter.

Cabinet, President's Council, Senior Advisory Committee, Staff Council, Faculty Senate, Strategic Plan Steering Committee and Student Government leaders are briefed on the self-study process and feedback given. 

Input is solicited from strategic implementation working groups.

Feb. 2023

Draft chapters due to the steering committee.

Dates

Major Milestones

Feb. –Mar. 2023

Steering committee reviews chapters and provide feedback to subcommittees.

Data working group reviews all chapters for consistency across chapters and to identify any gaps.

Steering committee meets with university governance, leadership, and key stakeholders to get feedback on report.

Team chair identified. Date of team visit set.

Mar.–Apr. 2023

Subcommittees revise chapters as needed.

Revised chapters due to steering committee.

May–Aug. 2023

Report edited for consistency and revisions made, as necessary.

Publication of draft Self-Study on AU portal. Informal comment period. Draft shared with key groups.

Sept. 2023

The steering committee reviews Self-Study to ensure it is current.

Official comment period. Publication of Self-Study communicated to university community.

Nov.–Dec. 2023

Steering Committee revises Self-Study. Copy sent to visiting team. 

Self-Study presented to the Board of Trustees.

Visiting team chair visits AU, provides feedback on Self-Study.

Key documents/data updated to reflect fall data (as possible).

Feb.–Apr. 2024

Visiting team comes to AU. AU responds to visiting team report. Visiting team submits report, with recommendations regarding accreditation, to Middle States.

Core team, Cabinet, and Strategic Implementation Steering Committee determines best way to implement AU recommendations and recommendations from visiting team. Plan for implementation communicated on AU’s Middle States website and shared with the Faculty Senate and other key constituents.

June 2024

Commission votes on action to take for AU.

July 2024

Findings reported.

Steering Committee meets to debrief on self-study process. Committee assesses accomplishments and areas for improvement and develops a report to be used to inform the next self-study in 2032.