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Accreditation, Assessment and Learning (Office of) – oversees the Academic Program Review process. AAL works in close consultation with others in the Office of the Provost, the Graduate College, deans, department chairs, school directors, program directors/coordinators and reviewers to provide guidance and support for the process.

College Dean - approves various elements of the review, including the schedule and unit groupings, the nomination of candidates for internal and external reviewers, the self-study, and the action plan. The dean also meets with the reviewers at various points during a site visit (introductory meeting/dinner, individual meeting, exit) and with the Provost and unit leadership for a discussion of the action plan. 

External Reviewer - serves as an expert in the discipline being reviewed. External reviewers provide an external, national and/or international perspective and context for evaluating the program and provide feedback and recommendations for improvement. They are expected to provide insight into current trends in the discipline and analyze available information (self-study, faculty and student data, curriculum, funding, etc.) as well as engage with students, faculty and staff to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the unit under review. External reviewers attend all site visit meetings and during the exit interview provide highlights for the university community from their observations that will be included in a final report. The external review team then writes a report of recommendations and submits it within a month of the site visit.

Faculty (all ranks and campuses) - provide input for the unit’s self-study and meet with the external review team. In these meetings with external reviewers, faculty are encouraged to share their thoughts on climate, research, teaching support and other factors that impact their program. They also assist with identifying factual discrepancies in the final reviewers’ report and help craft the unit’s Action Plan utilizing the reviewer feedback.

Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (Division of) â€“ provides additional information on program alumni when needed.

Institutional Research (Office of) - provides specific data on admissions, students, faculty, credit hours, grade distributions and degrees awarded needed to complete the unit’s self-study report and provide external reviewers a more complete picture of the unit they are reviewing.

Internal Reviewer - provides institutional and college context for the external reviewers to help them better understand the environment in which the disciplinary unit functions (e.g., university culture, policies and practices). Although the internal reviewer may be consulted by the external reviewers for additional information about the university to include in the final report, the external reviewers have sole responsibility for writing and submitting the final report. The internal reviewer attends the introductory meeting/dinner, working lunches with the external reviewers, and the exit meeting.

Research and Sponsored Programs (Division of) - provides additional information when needed on faculty research/grant activity for the self-study.

Review Unit – is the subject of the review and may refer to a single program, a cluster of degree programs, or may span the offerings of an entire department, school, or college.

Review Unit Administrator – is most often the responsible party for coordinating completion of the unit’s self-study report, including providing a list of potential external and internal reviewers in collaboration with college leadership (dean and/or school director, if applicable), developing the site visit itinerary, meeting with the external reviewers at various points during the visit (individual meeting, exit), and reviewing the external reviewer final report for factual errors. This person is also responsible for taking feedback from the external reviewer report back to faculty in order to complete the unit’s Action Plan, which is then approved by school (if applicable) and college leadership. Once approved, the unit administrator, along with college leadership (dean and/or school director, if applicable), meet with the Senior Vice President and Provost to discuss the plan. The unit administrator is also asked to submit and update on the status of the plan a few years out.

Review Unit Staff - often assist with the logistics of the program review process. This assistance includes reserving rooms for meetings taking place in the unit’s area, contacting students, setting up virtual meetings, or planning reviewers’ working lunches. Staff members also participate in meetings with external reviewers to provide insight to external reviewers concerning the overall workings of the unit, the climate within the unit, and functional needs to support the academic unit.

School Director (if applicable) - provides feedback on various elements of the review prior to it taking place such as the unit grouping and the nomination of potential internal and external reviewers. They are also responsible for working with the units to set up the various elements of the review, such as drafting the self-study and setting up the schedule. The school director is expected to meet with the reviewers at various points during the site visit (individual meeting, exit) and discuss the resulting action plan with the unit after the review. They also meet with the provost and unit leadership for a discussion of the action plan. 

Senior Associate Provost- engages in a pre-visit meeting with Associate Provost of Institutional Effectiveness to discuss self-study and meets with external reviewers at various points during the review process (introductory meeting/dinner, individual, exit).

Provost or designee - meets with external reviewers during the review process.

Associate Provost, Academic Affairs – meets with college and unit leadership for a discussion of reviewer feedback and the resulting action plan. 

Students - provide candid information to the external reviewers about all aspects of their experience in the unit under review including climate, support (academic and work/life), advising/mentoring, curriculum, career preparation, resources and facilities.