Samantha Robinson
Daily Egyptian
The School of Social Work received the extension it was seeking in the accreditation process and full cooperation from faculty, staff and students.
The original deadline for submission of the self-study to the Council on Social Work Education was set for Sept. 15, but after a formal request from School of Social Work director Mizan Miah, the new deadline is Jan. 15, 2003.
The self-study, a three-volume evaluation of the school including information on faculty, staff, curriculum and other areas of the program, has to be submitted every eight years when the school is up for reaccredidation.
Miah said that even though the deadline is in January, he is hopeful that the self-study will be completed before Christmas break.
"We are on track, and I see us getting it done early due to cooperation from students and faculty," Miah said.
The School of Social Work has six graduate students who have been collecting data, materials and documents to help keep things on schedule, and because of their efforts, two of the three volumes of the study are near completion.
After the miscommunication and misunderstandings earlier this year, Miah is trying to keep everyone in the department informed about what is going on with the situation.
At the beginning of the fall 2002 semester, he plans on holding meetings to inform students and teachers on the progress and status of the accreditation process.
"In this process, I see clearly that the dean and other faculty will have good support for the school if they have trust in my leadership," Miah said.
Miah said that the council has confidence in him and his ability to get the job done. One of the ways he keeps his aspirations high is by receiving help from others in the department.
After the self-study is complete, a site visit by committee members of the council will take place within two months, followed by the final step of a commission review of all materials submitted in October 2003.
"We have the third highest summer enrollment within the College of Education," Miah said. "That is a good sign that students believe in our program."
Colleen Kerley, office systems specialist II in the Office of Admissions and Records, confirmed the numbers of enrollment in the College of Education.
This summer, there are 92 students in the Social Work program, just below elementary education and workforce education and development.
Faculty and students working on the self-study declined to comment until the entire process is complete; They prefer to leave all comments to Miah.
Miah said the process is on track and headed in a direction for a positive outcome.
"Students, staff, faculty and community practitioners have been supportive, and I will continue to keep everyone aware of what is going on," Miah said.
Reporter Samantha Robinson can be reached at
srobinson@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
