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Chancellor leads project

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Also by Jared Steinke:

by Jared Steinke

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh was appointed head of the Voluntary System of Accountability Project, one of seven national panels set out to improve higher education.

UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard Wells said the VSA aims to better evaluate the quality of higher education. Evaluations, Wells said, are based on output factors like intellectual growth attained while attending college, rather than input factors such as strict admissions requirements.

In this way, the public will be more aware of the strengths of different schools by means of a clearer approach, Wells said.

He added his goals as part of the VSA include enhancing value-added outcomes so students may find the best place to develop mastery of subject matter.

Wells said the VSA needs to develop a better ranking system for evaluating schools.

"We need to relax and be honest about what we do well and what needs improvement," Wells said.

According to Wells, such a system requires a clearer understanding of how colleges use resources and how well a campus engages its students.

Wells said campuses need to rid the misconception that "everything is great" and "hold [everyone] accountable," including faculty and UW officials who all should strive to improve their respective universities.

UW-Oshkosh Integrated Marketing and Communications Executive Director Jeanette De Diemar said she recognizes Wells' "student-centric and faculty-centric view."

"He is a visionary when it comes to the quality of experience provided by higher education," De Diemar said.

De Diemar also said UW-Oshkosh hopes to train students as "agile critical thinkers," a skill that will be possessed by tomorrow's leaders.

Wells said he expects a timeframe of about six or seven months to come up with a system and test it. This includes finding new ways of gathering information more reflective of the merit of the institution and sharing the newfound insight with the public.

"I always had an interest in improving higher education," Wells said. This is a good opportunity to prove that students don't need to attend a top-ranked university to receive the highest level of education.

According to a UW-Oshkosh release, the VSA is in partnership with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as well as the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.

Funding for Wells' project was provided by a grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education totaling $267,900.

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