I. Review of Minutes

The minutes of the April 06, 2005 meeting were read and approved.

II. Follow-Up from Previous Meeting

a. Visit to Marriot Hotel

Dr. Greer presented a PowerPoint presentation of the room amenities from her recent visit to the Marriott Hotel compared to those of the Crowne Plaza. The presentation focused on the Presidential, Executive, Ambassador and Concierge level suites. Each room has high speed connections. The Presidential suite of the Marriott is approximately 20 x 23 and could accommodate a meeting of up to ten people; it has two internet connections, a full kitchen and bath. The Ambassador suite is similar to the Presidential suite. The Executive level suite can also accommodate ten people; it has one bath and one high speed internet connection. The Concierge level suite is an open room with French doors; small meeting area to accommodate 3 to 5 people; and access to large dining area. All levels come with complimentary breakfast. The Marriott offered a varied selection of conference/meeting rooms; indoor pool and spa, airport shuttle and valet parking. A group of committee members are invited to sample food. The Committee members were provided a copy of the proposals for both the Marriott and the Crowne Plaza hotels.

b. Update on Transcript Requests and SpanTran

Approximately 40 foreign transcripts were forwarded to SpanTran for review and evaluation of faculty credentials. Heidi Porter of GSBS and Maxine Stredic of MDACC have been working together to verify and copy faculty transcripts for the medical school. Heidi is still awaiting files from additional schools.

Dr. Tomasovic recommended an urgent meeting to discuss and resolve any discrepancies regarding various faculty member lists.

III. Schedule for Dr. Sullivan's Visit April 27, 2005

Dr. Sullivan will spend a full day on site April 27, 2005. A copy of the Core Requirements, the Comprehensive Standards and the Federal Mandates are expected to be sent prior to her arrival. The meeting is expected to include discussions regarding the executive summaries added by various departments, and follow-up on individual issues from the last visit. Dr. Tomasovic advised the committee to make him or Dr. Greer aware of any additional concerns they would like to discuss.

IV. Review of SACS Documentation

a. Core Requirements

The Core Requirements have been completed and submitted in reasonable order. The documentation has been submitted to Don Norwood of Scientific Publications for editing.

b. Federal Requirements

Dr. Tomasovic indicated that the Federal Requirements would be the next documentation that could be readily completed for review by Mr. Norwood.

c. Comprehensive Standards Update

There is an April 9th deadline for the Comprehensive Standards. Dr. Tomasovic suggests that the committee provide an overview for him to read through. The Comprehensive Standards is by far the largest documentation and will take a substantial amount of time for the editor to complete.

V. Process for Review of Compliance Report by Scientific Publications

Don Norwood of Scientific Publications will be editing the Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards and Federal Requirements documentation. He will ensure that the documents read in a common voice, create a glossary and advise on the readability. Once the editor has established an overall pattern, all additional changes will be assessed through Dr. Tomasovic. As the documentation is completed it will be posted on the SACS website.

V. Other Business

The documentation for Smithville will need updating. The Smithville trip and the visit from Dr. Sullivan occur within days of one another and there will not be adequate time to make all the changes. Therefore it was resolved to inform Dr. Sullivan of any necessary changes. The resume for Ben Melson will be replaced with the resume for Leon Leach. Each committee member will receive a booklet from SACS "Handbook of Reaffirmation of Accreditation". Dr. Sullivan was adamant that each department completed some type of survey to show its effectiveness. Dr. Greer provided a sample of a departmental assessment survey to measure institutional effectiveness and offered assistance in design, implementation, and evaluation.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 a.m.
Next meeting April 27, 2005, 2:00 -3:00 p.m. (Guest:Dr. Margaret Sullivan)

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