Year 7 Self-Eval Report for Western Washington University
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Y E A R S E V E N SE L F-E VA LU AT IO N R EP O R T Submitted to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) | Winter, 2017 Active Minds Changing Lives Year Seven Self-Evaluation Report Submitted to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Western Washington University Winter, 2017 ~~ WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY List of Recurring Acronyms AAAC Accreditation and Assessment Advisory Committee AAC&U American Association of Colleges and Universities ACC Academic Coordinating Commission ALO Accreditation Liaison Officer CBA Collective Bargaining Agreement CIIA Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment CLA Collegiate Learning Assessment CTC Community and Technology Colleges CUE Committee on Undergraduate Education EOO Equal Opportunity Office FIG Freshman Interest Group FTE Full-time Equivalent GUR General University Requirements NWCCU Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities NSSE National Survey of Student Engagement OSR Office of Survey Research SLO Student Learning Outcomes STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics UFWW United Faculty of Western Washington UPRC University Planning and Resource Council WELS Western Educational Longitudinal Survey Western Western Washington University VPUE Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Table of Contents Institutional Overview 5 Basic Institutional Data Form 7 Preface 1: Institutional Changes since Last Accreditation Report 14 Preface 2: Response to Topics Previously Requested by the Commission 18 Standard 1: Mission and Core Themes 26 Eligibility Requirements 2 and 3 26 StandardA 1. Mission 27 Standard 1.B Core Themes 29 Standard 2: Resources and Capacity 37 Eligibility Requirements 4 through 21 37 Standard 2.A: Governance 41 Governing Board 45 Leadership and Management 48 Policy and Procedures 52 Students 56 Human Resources 59 InsMtuMonal Integrity 61 InsMtuMonal Integrity: Faculty 62 InsMtuMonal Integrity: Students 63 InsMtuMonal Integrity: Staff & Administrators 64 Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Fair and Equitable Treatment 64 Academic Freedom 69 Finance 72 Standard 2.B: Human Resources 73 Standard 2.C: Education Resources 80 Undergraduate Programs 90 Graduate Programs 93 ConMnuing E ducaMon 103 Standard 2.D: Student Support Services 110 Pre-term Services 111 Enrichment & Early OrientaMon 111 Academic & Extracurricular IntegraMon 112 First-year Academic Programs 112 Academic Support 113 Job Placement & Internships 114 Safety and Security 115 Student Development and Success 125 Auxiliary Services 131 AthleMcs and Co-Curricular Programs 136 Standard 2.E: Library and Information Resources 140 Standard 2.F: Financial Resources 148 Standard 2.G: Physical Infrastructure 157 Standard 2.G: Technological Infrastructure 162 Standard 3: Planning and Implementation 167 Standard 4: Effectiveness and Improvement 167 Standard 3.A: InsMtuMonal Planning 167 Core Theme Planning, Assessment, and Improvement: Eligibility Requirements 174 Core Theme Planning, Assessment, and Improvement 179 ExecuMve IntroducMon and Summary of Evidence Regarding Core Theme Planning, Assessment and Improvement. 179 Core Theme 1: Expand Student Access 181 Core Theme 2: Foster Student Success 182 Core Theme 3: Strengthen CommuniMes Beyond the Campus 183 Core Theme 1: Serve the State of Washington by Expanding Student Access 189 RepresentaMve examples of programs and services addressing Core Theme 1 189 Programs and Services Addressing Specific ObjecMves of Core Theme 1 197 Core Theme 2: Foster Student Success 206 RepresentaMve examples of programs and services addressing Core Theme 2 206 Programs and Services Addressing Specific ObjecMves of Core Theme 2 215 Core Theme 3: Strengthen Communities Beyond the Campus 219 Programs and Services Addressing Specific ObjecMves of Core Theme 3 221 Community Service and Engagement Impact 223 ProgrammaMc Impact 232 Standard 5: Mission Fulfillment, Sustainability, and Adaptation 237 Eligibility Requirement 237 5.A Mission Fulfillment 237 Sustaining Measures of Mission Fulfillment 239 Aspirational Measures of Mission Fulfillment 241 Measures of Core Theme Fulfillment 243 Core Theme 1: Serve the State of Washington by Expanding Student Access 243 Core Theme 2: Foster Student Success 246 Core Theme 3: Strengthen CommuniMes Beyond the Campus 253 5.B AdaptaMon and Sustainability 256 Conclusion 259 Institutional Overview The main campus of Western Washington University is located on 212 picturesque acres in Bellingham, Washington, a city of 83,580 people located between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. Nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and adjacent to the beautiful San Juan Islands, Bellingham is nationally recognized for quality of life, outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship. As the third largest university in the State of Washington, Western enrolls 15,332 undergraduates and 707 graduate students in more than 160 academic programs at the Bellingham campus and seven satellite locations around the Puget Sound area. Western, which first opened its doors in 1899, is perennially ranked as the best public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest and No. 2 in the West, according to U.S. News & World Report college rankings. Kiplinger’s ranks Western among the top 100 public colleges and universities in the nation that offer the best quality and affordability. U.S. News and World Report has also named Western one of the most cost- efficient in the country among highly-ranked universities and for several years in a row the Chronicle of Higher Education recognized Western as a “Great Place to Work.” Western is particularly proud of its position as a leader in multidisciplinary environmental education and sustainable campus operations. Western provides an active student-centered learning environment with a liberal arts and sciences foundation and robust co-curricular, internship, research, creative, and service learning opportunities. There is a widely shared vision that Western will be a higher education leader in a culturally responsive 21st century learning environment, applying its critical strengths to societal issues while creating a welcoming community for a diversity of people, ideas, and programs. To that end, Western has embraced a style that is collegial, transparent, and timely in its engagement and communication with on- and off-campus stakeholders. Western is not only committed to the academic growth of its students, but to empowering them to be engaged and active agents of positive change in the world. Western is ranked first in the nation among medium-sized universities for Peace Corps participation, was first in the nation in 2014 among public, masters-granting institutions for the number of its graduates awarded Fulbright Fellowships, and has been classified for five years as a Carnegie Community Engagement University. Western has been designated a “Military Friendly School,” for six consecutive years by G.I. Jobs Magazine. (See National Recognition: Military.) 5 In 2015, Western was one of five schools to win the inaugural Active Minds, Healthy Campuses award, which recognizes Western as one of the healthiest campuses in the nation. (See Active Minds, Healthy Campuses.) In 2014, Western was selected to join the Ashoka U Changemaker Campus consortium, which now stretches across 29 campuses in five countries and provides students and faculty alike with interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial and solution-oriented skills to succeed and make a positive difference in the world. (See Ashoka U, and Changemaker Announcement.) In its most recent ratings, the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) ranked Western 9th among all masters-granting institutions, public and private, for the number of its undergraduates who went on to earn a research doctorate in the past decade. (See SED Doctorate: WWU.) Information and references on these, and other distinctions of excellence, can be found at Western’s “National Recognition” site. (See National Recognition: WWU.) Western Washington University is composed of seven colleges and the Graduate School: • College of Business and Economics • College of Fine and Performing Arts • College of Humanities and Social Sciences • College of Science and Engineering • Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies • Huxley College of the Environment • Woodring College of Education Western offers degrees in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music, Master of Science, Master in Teaching, and Master of Professional Accounting. 6 Basic Institutional Data Form Information and data provided in the institutional self-evaluation are usually for the academic and fiscal year preceding the year of the evaluation committee visit. The purpose of this form is to provide Commissioners and evaluators with current data for the year of the visit. After the self-evaluation report has been finalized, complete this form to ensure the information is current for the time of the evaluation committee visit. Please provide a completed copy of this form with each copy of the self-evaluation report sent to the Commission office and to each evaluator. To enable consistency of reporting, please refer to the glossary in the 2003 Accreditation Handbook for definitions of terms. Institution: Western Washington University Address: 516 High Street City, State, ZIP: Bellingham,