Format Guidelines, Procedures, and Timetable

Notification: By April 1, the Associate Provost for Quality Initiatives and Curriculum (QIC) and the Dean of Graduate Studies (DGS) will notify the appropriate deans and department chairs/school directors if their programs are to be reviewed in the next year. 

Self Study Report: The self study report will be prepared by the department/school faculty and chair/director. If an academic program is accredited by an outside body, the most recent accreditation report should be submitted along with the report. The self study is due to the QIC and DGS by November 1. The report will be provided to the internal review committee and the academic college dean. PLEASE SUBMIT THE SELF-STUDY ELECTRONICALLY to sbooth@kent.eduand mstephen@kent.edu.

Selection of Internal Review Committee: The department/school submits the names of potential internal reviewers from cognate disciplines. The QIC, DGS and academic college dean select four tenured faculty members (two must be graduate faculty). If a unit‘s only programs are at the graduate level, the review committee will consist of three tenured graduate faculty from cognate disciplines selected by the DGS and academic college dean, in consultation with the QIC. If a unit’s only programs are at the undergraduate level, the review committee will consist of three tenured faculty from cognate disciplines selected by the QIC and academic college dean.

Internal Review Committee Report: The internal review committee will submit its written report to the QIC and the DGS within four weeks after the review is conducted. The internal review committee report will be provided to the department/school and the academic college dean.

Department/School Response: The department/school has the option to prepare a document in response to the internal review report. The response document is due to the QIC and DGS within three weeks after the internal review report is received. The document will be provided to the academic college dean.

Selection of External Review Committee: External reviews are mandated by the Ohio Board of Regents for all doctoral programs. The internal review committee and/or the academic college dean may request an external review of a department/school that does not have a doctoral program.  Names of potential external reviewers are included in the department/school’s self study report. These individuals should be experts in the discipline being reviewed, have extensive experience in administration of a graduate program and should have no professional or private conflict of interest. The DGS and academic college dean will select the external reviewers.

External Review Committee Report: External reviewers will be provided with the self study report, internal review committee report and the department/school response document (if one was submitted). The external review committee report is due to the DGS within four weeks after the review is conducted. The report is provided to the QIC, the academic college dean and the department/school.

Final Department/School Response: After considering the report from the external review team, the department/school has the option to prepare a response document. The response document is due to the DGS within two weeks of receiving the report. The document will be provided to the QIC and the academic college dean.

Final Report and Action Plan: The QIC, DGS, academic college dean and department chair/school director meet to develop a final report and action plan. The report shall include a summary of the conclusions reached during the course of the review process as well as specific action items addressing any outstanding concerns that were raised.

Update Report:No later than 18 months after the conclusion of the review, the department/school will submit to the QIC, DGS and academic college dean a response to the specific action items identified in the Final Report and Action Plan.