3. What’s Happening

Chairman’s Corner....... Our year began with planning for program review that is mandated by the Oklahoma Higher Regents and which occurs every five years. Department Chairpersons, Assistant Chairs, and Administrative Secretaries, met with Dean Bill Caire and his Administrative Team to begin the process of creating a Strategic Plan for the year. The entire College followed guidelines established by the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Four AQIP goals, 1) Helping Students Learn, 2) To value people by committing to the development of the talents of all faculty and staff, 3) To understand students’ and other stakeholders’ needs, and 4) To measure effectively and to plan for continuous improvement, were selected from the nine overall goals. Following the initial work at the College Retreat, the Biology Faculty discussed, revised, and came to consensus on our annual strategic plan. Continued revisions were made by the faculty with final editing by the Chairperson, and the Assessment and Curriculum Committees to produce the SelfStudy for Continuous Improvement (SSCI) document.