“Engaging students for success in a global society”

Overview

The WKU Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Steering Committee will provide oversight for the development of the Quality Enhancement Plan that is to be developed as part of the SACS Accreditation Review Project. The theme for WKU’s QEP, “Engaging students for success in a global society,” emerged following a selection process that included review of the university’s mission and strategic planning documents, input and discussion from representative university groups, recommendation by Provost Burch, and final selection by President Ransdell in late spring, 2003.

Purposes

The QEP Steering Committee will be responsible for guiding the development and implementation of the QEP. Once specific QEP activities and initiatives are identified, the QEP Steering Committee will be responsible for researching “best practices” related to the focus of the QEP; creating strategies for assessing the success of the QEP activities and initiatives; devising plans to ensure widespread involvement in and commitment to the QEP by the university community; and ensuring the completion of the QEP to meet the deadline established by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Specifically, the QEP Steering Committee will :

• develop a rationale and institutional context for the QEP (i.e., link the QEP to the university’s mission and strategic plan).
• review current university efforts related to the QEP theme, and identify whether and how those efforts may be linked to the development of the QEP.
• identify ways to involve all appropriate university constituencies in the development and implementation of the QEP.
• develop a process for soliciting and reviewing suggestions or proposals for ways to implement the QEP theme.
• determine goals, key objectives, and benchmarks to be achieved by the QEP.
• set and assess timelines for the implementation of the QEP.
• determine what subcommittees may be needed to carry out the tasks involved in developing and implementing the QEP, recommend appointments to those subcommittees, and provide guidance and oversight of the activities of those subcommittees.
• propose allocation of human and financial resources to develop, implement, and sustain the QEP.
• recommend external QEP consultants, if appropriate, and coordinate campus visits by consultants.
• determine a structure for evaluating the success of the QEP, and identify appropriate assessment activities and instruments to be employed.
• write the text of the QEP for submission to the Commission on Colleges of SACS.
• Inform/educate the campus community on the importance of the plan and its value and appropriateness to the institution.
  

Structure

• The Co-Chairs of the SACS Accreditation Review Project (Drs. George and Poe).
• A representative from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
• A representative from each college and the University Libraries (based on recommendations by the respective deans).
• Director of one of the Extended Campus centers.
• Undergraduate student representative(s) recommended by the Student Government Association.
• Graduate student representative(s) recommended by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
• Faculty representative(s) recommended by the University Senate.
• Professional staff members from the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Services, recommended by the Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Services