Self Study: Overview

• University-wide conversation
• An effective model
• Online resource room
• Site visit preparation

---

University-wide conversation
The image that will guide Loyola's process of preparing for the reaccreditation site visit is a conversation—in fact, a series of conversations and interactions that will respond to what has gone before. The partners in the conversation are the Reaccreditation Steering Committee and the wider university community.

Each step in the conversation involves dialogue between those knowledgeable about activities across the university—especially administrative leaders, but also the whole community of faculty, staff and students—and the Steering Committee responsible for gathering the information and weaving the report. We envision three—and perhaps even four—repetitions of this conversation, each time at a higher level of detail, sophistication and comprehensiveness.

An effective model
This conversation model has been chosen because it fits this moment at Loyola. Some universities use the self-study process to mount new initiatives; and toward that end, they create many communities involving even more people. At Loyola, however, we are at a point when many initiatives are under way: mission statement review; strategic planning; core curriculum revision; academic assessment assistance; restructuring and relocation in advancement, finance and information services; increasingly active university policy committees; and many others.

So, our Self-Study Plan does not envision activities that would, in fact, be duplications. Rather, our role is simply to observe, to document and, by doing this, to contribute.

Online resource room
This process of conversation will be complemented by document collection and publication. Our "resource room" will be largely electronic, with online access to all relevant documentation.

Site visit preparation
We envision completing this process in approximately a year, providing us with a widely supported report and a comprehensive collection of documents by late 2004. The remaining months will be devoted to updating our report with new information and ensuring a flawless site visit in April 2005.