3.2.8 Administrative and Academic Officers

Commission Standard: The institution has qualified administrative and academic officers and staff with the experience, competence, and capacity to lead the institution.

Status: In Compliance

Rationale: Western's administrative and academic officers and staff hold the appropriate terminal degrees and have the experience necessary to lead the institution.

Dr. Gary Ransdell , president, holds a Doctor of Education degree from Indiana University and joined Western in 1997 after serving four years as Vice President for Administration and Advancement and seven years as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Clemson University. Prior to his service at Clemson he was the Director of Alumni Relations at Southern Methodist University.

Dr. Barbara Burch , provost and vice president for academic affairs, came to Western in 1996 from California State University, Fresno, where she served as dean of the School of Education and Human Services. She also has served as assistant vice president for academic affairs, interim dean, associate dean, and director of graduate studies at University of Memphis. Dr. Burch received a Doctor of Education degree from Indiana University.

The selection and evaluation of administrative and academic officers are governed by policies designed to meet Equal Employment Opportunity/ADA guidelines and other applicable federal and state regulations.  HR policy #20-120   guides recruitment and selection of all faculty and staff and ensures that those hired are highly qualified. As discussed below in 3.2.10 , a comprehensive process of evaluation of administrative officers is carried out annually in order to assess their effectiveness and promote their professional development.

The job descriptions and qualifications of the senior administrative officers are presented in this table .