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Just a housekeeping item and some news before we get into the full swing of the semester! Academic Assessment Reports Due I know many of you have been working this summer to complete your assessment reports. For others this is just a reminder that upon completion of the assessment process (data analysis, review of results, discussion of results, and determination of appropriate actions), final assessment reports should be entered in the Planning Module in Compliance Assist. All reports must be submitted to the College office no later than September 15, 2016. (Please check with your College, as it may have an earlier deadline.) Colleges must complete review no later than October 30, 2016, using the Feedback Form (see College Review Feedback Form How-to-Guide available at http://sacs.utk.edu/resources/). When the College completes its review and there are no revisions needed by the department, the associate dean notifies the SACSCOC Liaison for final institutional review to ensure reports are clear, use appropriate direct measures, have sound actions, meet accepted assessment practices, and ultimately to provide confidential feedback for improvement. Transitions There are some changes to personnel I need to inform you about. First, Dr. Janelle Coleman has joined the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center as the faculty consultant for academic assessment. She has extensive experience with assessment of student learning outcomes at the high school and collegiate levels. She also has teaching experience at UT. She hit the ground running and has already had consultations with different program faculty. As part of Experience Learning, Dr. Chris Lavan joined UT this past spring as the Director. We welcomed him to the Assessment Steering Committee. He comes to us with experience leading a campus quality enhancement plan. Also, as part of the Experience Learning team, Mr. John Walker joined UT as an assessment analyst with a joint appointment in the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center and the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to assist with assessment of the learning outcomes associated with Experience Learning. John brings assessment experience from a junior college. And, finally, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Heather Hartman will be working with me this academic year as I transition out of my role as the SACS COC Liaison to retirement (August 2017) and into a post-retirement position with the Graduate School assisting with the implementation of a degree audit system for graduate programs. She served as an Accreditation Liaison for over three years at her former institution, facilitating a successful reaffirmation and level change, as well as coordinating the efforts of an Institutional Effectiveness group. She then worked as Coordinator of Substantive Change at SACSCOC, educating those of us at institutions on substantive change and supporting the SACS COC Vice Presidents in their work with institutions. Her primary responsibility at the Commission was evaluating substantive change submissions and recommending action. At UT, she has been working in the Provost Office as Summer Sessions Coordinator and, this past year, chaired the university's Accessibility Implementation Team. Wishing all a great 2016-2017 academic year! Mary [http://images.utk.edu/images/interface/ut-emailsignature.gif] Mary Lewnes Albrecht, PhD Associate Vice Provost for Accreditation 527 Andy Holt Tower Knoxville, TN 37996 Voice: 865-974-3635 Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Office: http://sacs.utk.edu<http://sacs.utk.edu/> Faculty: http://plantsciences.utk.edu/albrecht.htm "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education . . . The human mind is our fundamental resource." John F. Kennedy