Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back! With new opportunities to explore, create, and grow, fall semester is always an exciting time at Voiland College. In the coming weeks, I look forward to celebrating with you the many terrific activities that are happening around our college, but I first want to highlight our important accreditation process that is about to begin, and how you can take an active role.
Accreditation Renewal
2019 is the year of accreditation renewal for the Voiland College. Last spring, the landscape architecture program was successfully reaccredited. Now, Voiland College is in the midst of renewing accreditation for 18 of our engineering and computer science academic programs.
The upcoming accreditation process is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the wonderful achievements we have made in the past several years, as well as renew our focus on things we can continue to do better.
Accreditation is important because it helps our stakeholders determine if we meet quality standards, which is potentially vital to helping prospective students determine whether to enroll in our programs and employers decide if they want to hire our graduates.
The engineering and computer science accreditation agency, ABET, originally founded in 1932, has accredited more than 4000 college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. Under ABET, the reaccreditation process includes five major steps:
- An ongoing process of assessment to determine the degree to which student outcomes are meeting program educational objectives (conducted over the course of the past six years)
- Preparation of a Self-Study Report which documents these processes and outcomes (prepared over the course of the past year and submitted last June)
- An on-site visit (see dates below)
- Post-visit response period (in the weeks and months following the visit)
- Final decisions announced by ABET (July 2020)
The ABET Accreditation Team will be visiting us on the following dates:
- WSU Vancouver: Sept 22-24
- WSU Bremerton: Sept 26
- WSU Everett: Sept 27
- WSU Pullman: Sept 29 – Oct 1
- WSU Tri-Cities: Oct 13-15
I want to give special thanks to the following program coordinators for their leadership in the preparation of the Self-Study Reports:
WSU Pullman / Everett / Bremerton
| Program | Coordinator |
|---|---|
| BS Computer Science | Chris Hundhausen |
| BA Computer Science | Chris Hundhausen |
| BS Electrical Engineering | John Schneider |
| BS Computer Engineering | Jose Delgado-Frias |
| BS Software Engineering | Sakire Arslan Ay |
| BS Mechanical Engineering | Cecilia (Cill) Richards |
| BS Materials Science and Engineering | Qizhen (Katherine) Li |
| BS Civil Engineering | William (Bill) Cofer |
| BS Construction Engineering (accrediting in 2021) | Dave Pollock |
| BS Chemical Engineering | David Thiessen |
| BS Bioengineering | David Lin |
WSU Tri-Cities
| Program | Coordinator |
|---|---|
| BS Civil Engineering | Akram Hossain |
| BS Electrical Engineering | Scott Hudson |
| BS Mechanical Engineering | Messiha Saad |
| BS Computer Science | John Miller |
| BA Computer Science | John Miller |
WSU Vancouver
| Program | Coordinator |
|---|---|
| BS Electrical Engineering | John Lynch |
| BS Mechanical Engineering | Dave Kim |
| BS Computer Science | Scott Wallace |
While we appreciate the leadership of these individuals, the accreditation process relies upon the active participation of every faculty and staff member in the college. Many of you will have an opportunity to meet with the accreditation visitors and discuss your role in the development of program educational objectives, how you teach your courses and the annual assessment process.
Some of us have participated in ABET reviews in the past and some haven’t. In either case, there have been a number of changes to the ABET process and expectations since our last on-site visit in 2013. Therefore, the college will be hosting information sessions to help us all understand the kinds of questions you may be asked during an on-site conversation.
Upcoming ABET Site Visit Preparation Sessions
We have enlisted the help of a consultant, Dr. Richard C. Warder, to help update us on the new changes and learn about the new processes. Dr. Warder has years of experience both as an ABET reviewer and a consultant helping other institutions prepare for their visits. I strongly encourage you to join one of the following presentations, either in-person or via a remote connection. Even if you cannot join a presentation specific to your unit, the other presentations can provide solid general information about the process.
WSU Vancouver
September 9, 9 AM
VECS Room 201M / Zoom link
WSU Tri-Cities
September 10, 9:30 AM
East 212 / Zoom link
WSU Pullman / Bremerton / Everett
September 11, 9:30 AM
ETRL 101 / Zoom link
WSU Pullman / Bremerton / Everett
September 11, 1:30 PM
ETRL 101 / Zoom link
If you see Dr. Warder or members of the ABET Team, please give them a big ‘Coug’ welcome. If you have any questions about the accreditation process, please contact Krishnamoorthy Sivakumar, siva@wsu.edu or your program coordinator (listed above).
Program Growth and Impact on Washington
One accomplishment we should all take pride in is our success in meeting the expectations that were given to us by the Washington State Legislature five years ago.
With funding support from their engineering expansion bill, we have added several degree programs and nearly doubled the number of annual engineering and computer science graduates since 2011, helping meet the growing demands of the many high-tech industries of the state of Washington, and providing a multitude of opportunities for our graduates.
Last year, for the first time, the college bestowed more than 1000 engineering and computer science degrees and more than 100 degrees from the design and construction, a significant achievement, one that reflects our steadfast commitment to the ideals of a land-grant university. These students were educated in every corner of the state and have gone on to take employment in Washington and beyond. You should each be proud of your role in transforming the lives of these students and appreciate the cumulative impact that these graduates and those before them will have on the world.
I hope you can take a moment over the coming weeks to reflect upon our many achievements over the past decade, and consider how we can continue to serve the needs of our community in the years to come. As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas.
Go Cougs!
Mary Rezac
Dean, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99163
mary.rezac@wsu.edu
509-335-5593