Ball State students may be asked questions for accreditation

The Daily News





Students walking campus next month might get to talk about their Ball State experience with accreditors, and the university wants them to be honest.

One of the methods the peer review team will use to determine whether Ball State remains accredited is talking to random students about how they perceive the university.

Associate Provost Marilyn Buck, a co-chair on the steering committee for accreditation, said she wants to stress that students should be honest.

“There’s no canned statement they need to make,” she said. “When they’re asked a question, they need to honestly talk about the experience they’ve had here at the university.”

She encouraged students to not think of only academics when discussing the university, but also athletics, student organizations and events or any other experience that has impacted their college experience.

The Higher Learning Commission’s accreditation is divided into five categories, the first being Mission. Here’s a closer look at the criterion and its four core components, from the HLC’s website.


1: “The institution’s mission is broadly understood within the institution and guides its operations.”

The first component looks at two basic areas of the mission: how people understand it and use it.

Student opinions are gathered every three years with the National Survey of Student Engagement taken by freshmen and seniors in the Spring Semester.

“The interesting piece of evidence that we have about that is the seniors in particular have done a lot of experiential educational activities: immersive learning, internships [and] practicums,” Buck said.

Michael Maggiotto, the dean of College of Sciences and Humanities and the other co-chair, tried to meet with every faculty member to discuss the mission statement and how it applies to them and their duties.

The university also keeps track of the mission’s goals, noting which ones are on track and which are having trouble being accomplished, publishing progress yearly.


2: “The mission is articulated publicly.”

Buck said one of the biggest ways the university articulates its mission is one recognizable phrase: Education Redefined.

“That’s not our mission statement, but it is a good representation of what our mission statement says we’re about,” she said. “We indirectly distribute our mission for others to see through our publicity.”

Buck said the mission statement led to the creation of the strategic plan, which follows the mission’s goals.

“We’re a university where the strategic plan really leads and guides the focus of what we do,” Buck said.


3: “The institution understands the relationship between its mission and the diversity of society.”

One of the issues the self-study provided to the accreditors points out is that diversity is not directly addressed in the mission, but Buck said that doesn’t mean it’s not present.

“They focus on [the] mission, but they’re also looking at the vision and the value statements,” she said.

Buck said diversity is an important, if not necessary part of a well-rounded education.

“[Students] are living in a world that is diverse,” she said. “It’s a global economy. If we don’t help people understand how to live in a diverse world, our students aren’t going to be successful.”

Major evidence showing the importance Ball State puts on diversity is the recognition it received Friday for tripling its international population in the last decade.


4: “The institution’s mission demonstrated commitment to the public good.”

The mission statement stresses the integration of knowledge and application, and one of the benefactors it mentions are external partners, which Buck said are where the university really works toward the public good.

Through programs such as immersive learning and Building Better Communities, the university works with people in communities located far from Muncie.

“There’s an awful lot of communities that can talk about the things Ball State has done to build their community and make them a better place,” she said.

Another area Buck said focuses on the public good is the new strategic plan — Education Redefined 2.0: Advancing Indiana.

“Goal 4 is all about that effort of engagement and our commitment to the public and making a difference in the state of Indiana,” Buck said. 

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