Higher Learning Commission gives OSU continued accreditation

Stillwater, Ok. --Thanks to improvements in a variety of areas and a thorough self study, Oklahoma State University has received notification from The Higher Learning Commission that its accreditation has been continued for an additional 10 years following the vote of the commission.

The next comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for 2015-16.

The Higher Learning Commission, formerly referred to as the North Central Association, is one of six U.S. regional institutional accrediting associations. It offers the highest form of accreditation that is available to universities.

“We are pleased that the efforts of so many faculty, staff and students have resulted in a positive visit and the university has received continued full accreditation,” said OSU System CEO and President David J. Schmidly. “Going forward, we will work hard to improve every aspect of an OSU education.”

Marlene Strathe, OSU Provost and Senior Vice President, said, “A 10-year re-accreditation approval is the most positive outcome from this process.  The campus visit by the evaluator team is the culmination of a several-year process of institutional self analysis resulting in the self-study report.  It is important to note that the OSU self study and web components have been cited by the Higher Learning Commission as a model for other institutions.”

The Higher Learning Commission’s response to the university’s self-study report should be received soon, according to Dr. Brenda Masters, associate professor of statistics and director of the self-study. At that time, it will be posted on the OSU accreditation website.

Significant achievements cited at OSU between 1995 and 2005 included increased graduation and retention rates; national recognition as a high-quality, but affordable, university; national rankings for numerous academic and research programs; development of a nationally recognized scholars’ program; improved evaluation and assessment processes; and development of the university’s system-wide strategic plans.

To prepare for the 10-year accreditation review, the university, led by committees, conducted a thorough institutional analysis, called a self-study, and prepared a self-study report that demonstrated how OSU satisfied the accreditation criteria and formally requested continued accreditation from the commission. A team representing the Higher Learning Commission visited the campus last September. The team reviewed the university’s ability to meet the institutional requirements and all criteria for continued accreditation.

During the visit, the evaluation team met with constituent groups to discuss the criterion on which the self-study was written, which included mission and integrity; preparing for the future; student learning and effective teaching; acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge; and engagement and service.

“Institutional improvement is a major goal of our accreditation self-study, which we were involved in for three years,” said Masters. “This self-study involved not only faculty and administrators, but students and staff members.

Accreditation is important for OSU in maintaining the eligibility of its students for federal grants and loans and for the university’s continued recognition by employers, governmental agencies, professional licensing boards, and other institutions of higher learning as an outstanding university that provides excellent educational opportunities.

The commission has requested that OSU submit two progress reports, one in January 2007 addressing the responsibility and authority of the Office of Affirmative Action, and the other in January 2011, addressing institutional diversity.

OSU Board Approves Personnel Actions

Stillwater, Ok. --The Oklahoma State University/A&M Board of Regents approved several personnel actions during its April 21 meeting at Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

Dr. Christine A. Johnson, interim associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Human Environmental Sciences since 2005, adjunct associate professor of human development and family science and director of the Bureau for Social Research, was named associate dean for research and graduate studies and associate professor.

She received her B.A. with honors in sociology and in psychology from Alma College, and her master’s and Ph.D. in sociology from Iowa State University. She joined the OSU faculty in 1997 as interim director for the Bureau for Social Research and visiting assistant professor in the Department of Family Relations and Child Development, and was named director of the bureau in 2000.

She received the Meritorious Service Award in 2004 from the National Council on Family Relations, and in 2003 received the Oklahoma Council on Family Relations Outstanding New Professional Award.

Dr. James M. Scott, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Indiana State University, was named professor and head of the Department of Political Science. 

Before joining the faculty at Indiana State in 2003, he was a professor of political science at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he also was department chair for four years.

He received his B.A. from Wheaton College, and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Northern Illinois University, all in political science. Among honors he has received are the University of Nebraska Department Teaching Award; the University of Nebraska at Kearney Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award, and the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award; the Outstanding Teaching in Political Science Award from the American Political Science Association and Pi Sigma Alpha; and certificates of appreciation from Mortar Board.

Dr. T. Mark Neer of Louisiana State University was named professor of veterinary clinical sciences and director of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

He received his doctor of veterinary medicine from OSU in 1976, followed by an internship in Boston and then a two-year medicine residency at Kansas State University. From 1979-82 he was an assistant professor of medicine at OSU before going into private practice in Florida. He joined the faculty of Louisiana State University in 1984. He is a Diplomate of the College of Veterinary Internal Medicine with a specialty of internal medicine.

Neer received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, presented by the OSU students, in 2000, 2003 and 2005.

APPOINTMENTS: Brian E. Whitacre, assistant professor, agricultural economics; Gretchen G. Hilton and Raluca G. Mateescu, assistant professors, animal science; Eliot A. Atekwana, associate professor, appointment grants tenure, geology; Estella A. Atekwana, professor, Clyde Wheeler Sun Chair of Hydrogeology, appointment grants tenure, geology; Robert M. Cornell and Angela W. Spencer, assistant professors, accounting; Marjorie Gross, clinical associate professor, veterinary clinical sciences.

CHANGES IN TITLE: James N. Trapp, from professor and department head to professor and associate director, agricultural sciences and natural resources; Donna M. Branson, from Regents Professor and head, to Regents Professor, design, housing and merchandising; Brecca R. Farr, from lecturer to clinical assistant professor, HES academic services; Linda R. Sheeran, from visiting assistant professor to clinical assistant professor, human development and family science; Charles L. McCann and Tina D. Meier, from interim directors to directors, information technology.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE: Eduardo A. Misawa, mechanical and aerospace engineering, from May 16, 2006, to May 15, 2007, to continue temporary assignment as program director in the Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation.

RETIREMENTS: Kevin G. Hayes, agricultural communications services, April 30; Bruce A. Petty, educational studies, June 2; John E. Steinbrink, teaching and curriculum leadership, Aug. 1; Radha K. Yarlagadda, electrical and computer engineering, June 1; Howard M. Johnson, engineering technology, April 10.

SABBATICAL: Ricki G. Ingalls, industrial engineering, 50 percent sabbatical from Sept. 1, 2006, to May 31, 2007, to continue research initiatives on Quantitative Discrete-Event Simulation (QDES), write at least five articles for refereed journals, and make substantial progress on moving QDES to a workable solution for industry.   

At the Center for Health Sciences, appointments were approved for Ellen Averill, director of communications, and Caryn J. Roelofs, clinical assistant professor in osteo-manipulative medicine.

Regents Approve Posthumous Degree

Stillwater, Ok. --A Calumet family will receive a bachelor of science degree from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater on May 6 on behalf of their son who died in a car accident on March 18. The OSU/A&M Regents approved the action at its meeting in Goodwell on Friday.

Paul Bradley Wilds was in his final semester of completing his degree in biological science, according to the OSU Office of the Registrar. He is the son of Mark and Diane Wilds of Calumet, and is a 2001 graduate of El Reno High School and a 2003 graduate of Redlands Community College.

The posthumous degree request has the support of Dr. Peter Sherwood, dean of the OSU College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the department head and faculty of the Department of Botany. The Registrar’s Office has affirmed that this request met the criteria outlined in the State Regents policy.

According to Dr. William Henley, professor and head of the Department of Botany, who initiated the request for the posthumous degree, Wilds was in the process of planning his graduate studies and had enrolled in courses for graduate credit.

“Paul was very responsible and engaged in everything he was doing. After working as an undergraduate research assistant for just a few months, he realized how much he enjoyed science and working in the laboratory. It looked as if Paul had found the direction he wanted to take in his life,” Henley wrote in his request. 

The action now goes to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for consideration.    

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