University of Virginia Library

Too Many Steers Spoil Bull

By ANDY BALLENTINE

Reevaluating a diverse
university is an awesome task.
Numerous programs,
departments, and schools must
be studied at lengthy
Judgments must be made as
to their effectiveness,
strengths, and weaknesses.

Every ten years such a
study is made at Virginia by
members of the University
community itself to renew
accreditation under the
Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools.

University President Edgar
F. Shannon recently appointed
a Steering Committee to
coordinate evaluation activities
and to summarize the findings
of future committees as they
study all aspects of the
University.

Gaining Consensus

Edwin E. Floyd, professor
of mathematics and chairman
of the Steering Committee,
sees his most important role on
the Committee as gaining a
consensus of the other
members. "The function of the
Steering Committee itself is to
make sure other committees
are named, to make sure
committee reports come in at
the proper time, and to make a
summary report supplementing
the other reports," Mr. Floyd
said.

Although it is too early to
decide which specific areas will
be studied, Mr. Floyd feels that
the reports made by various
observation teams will be put
to good use inside the
University community in
addition to fulfilling
accreditation requirements.
"Generally the problems
pointed up by past self studies
have eventually been solved,"
he said.

Weaknesses

Executive Secretary of the
Steering Committee Donald W.
Jones agrees with Mr. Floyd
on this point. "Our reports will
probably strengthen areas that
need strengthening and will
hopefully point out
weakness," Mr. Jones said.

"The self-study program is
planned to examine and
evaluate the University's past
and present resources –
faculty, students, programs and
clientele," he continued.
"These elements will be
studied in close relation to
purpose and objectives of the
University."

Mr. Jones does not
underemphasize the
importance of his role as
Executive Secretary. "This is a
policy-making committee," he
said, "and I will coordinate and
implement the policies of the
committee."

All schools of the
University are included in this
project, and Ralph W.
Ingersoll, Assoc. Dean of the
School of Medicine will have a
powerful voice on the Steering
Committee.

"My function is not just to
represent the Medical School,
because the study is a
University function," he said.
"It's to assess where we are."

Obviously, the University is
in little danger of losing its
accreditation, and Mr. Ingersoll
views the study's most
important function as "seeing
that we're doing well."

Better Communication

Mr. Ingersoll cites a lack of
communication between the
University's ten schools, and
hopes the self-study project
will remedy this problem. "It
will be valuable for people
outside the School of Medicine
to look at the School," he said.

"There will be a value for
the students too," he
continued, "in articulating
what the Medical School
expects from undergraduates."

Of the Steering Committee
members interviewed, Mr.
Ingersoll most values equal
representation from all areas of
the University. "It looks like
membership on the Committee
is pretty well proportioned,"
he says. "There is always a
problem of having too many
administrators in the entire
University."

Student Council President
Jim Rinaca, another
Committee member, puts far
less emphasis on equal
representation. "I'll make my

own judgments and
evaluations of the reports made
by other committees," he said.
In his opinion, there will be no
danger of divisive factions in
the study project.

"We're all serving as an
independent committee," Mr.
Rinaca said. "Our purpose is to
make a real and rational
evaluation of the University
and we're not really
responsible to anyone in the
University."

Mr. Rinaca does feel some
obligation to students,
however. "I'll help select
student members to be put on
the various committees, and
when reports start coming in,
I'll watch out for the student's
point of view."

Comprehensive

The self-study project will
be comprehensive not only in
its scope, but also in examining
actions taken over long periods
of time. "We will lay open to
questions decisions made in the
last ten years as well as
projections for growth in the
future," Mr. Rinaca said.
"Based on our
recommendations, policy may
even be reversed."

In this extremely important
examination of the University,
the Steering Committee
possesses great power.
Outstanding aspects of the
University will be praised and
unsatisfactory programs and
practices will be exposed. The
process is one of maintaining a
high standard and improving
on that standard.