Site Team Report

1. Introduction

This is the report of the comprehensive evaluation visit for Michigan Technological University for the purposes of continued accreditation by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. As part of the visit, the Team reviewed the institution's request that "No prior commission approval [will be] required for offering courses and degree programs at new sites."

Michigan Tech has been continuously accredited by the North Central Association since 1928. The University itself is much older, having been established in 1885, as the Michigan Mining School. Today, Michigan Tech is one of Michigan's four research universities, along with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University. Michigan Tech is currently designated as a Doctoral II university in the Carnegie classification scheme (20 doctoral degrees per year in one field or 10 in three or more fields), but its ambition is to reach the Research II status (50 doctoral degrees and $15.5 - 40 million in Federal R&D funding).

The evaluation team found the institutional self-study to be extraordinarily well-prepared and useful in preparation for the visit. Obvious care had gone into the preparation of the report, which follows in outline Michigan Tech's well-developed strategic planning process with its eight institutional goals. The resource room contained many helpful supplementary materials. Although the self-study does not follow the standard outline, it is unusually attentive to the patterns of evidence in support of each general institutional requirement and criterion for accreditation. This report is organized in the same manner as the self-study. [Commendation 7]

During the team visit, members interviewed all campus level administrators and school/college deans. In addition, open meetings were held for faculty, staff, and students. The team also met with two members of the Board of Control (including the chair), and community leaders. These meetings provided ample opportunities for the team to become familiar with Michigan Technological University. [Commendations 1, 2, 3, 4, 9]

The team is unanimous in its conclusion that Michigan Technological University meets or exceeds all of the general institutional requirements and the criteria for accreditation. It has addressed all of the concerns raised in the 1988 visit, save one on the condition of the library. This report seeks to document this evaluation, although not in an encyclopedic manner. The main thrust of the report is from the consultative viewpoint; that is, comments from the team are meant as constructive advice and criticism to a fine university as it seeks to address the challenges of its strategic plan. Progress and monitoring reports on particular issues are recommended, and the request for change of status regarding new degree sites is addressed.

How to Read this Report

Michigan Tech received permission from the North Central Association to conduct a non-traditional self-study. To be of the most usefulness to the institution, the team report follows the same format as the self-study. As with the self-study the various General Institutional Requirements and Criteria for Accreditation are addressed in the body of the report, and cross-referenced in Chapter Fourteen.

The team's commendations, suggestions, and concerns, are also cross-referenced throughout this document. Those that apply to a specific unit or area of the University are in bold. Those that are of broad interest and are summarized in Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen are in [bold italics].

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