Academic Assessment Council

Membership

The Academic Assessment Council (AAC) shall be composed of one elected tenured faculty member from each college, including the Library; two elected at large tenured faculty members from any college, but not from the same college; a representative of the Honors College; a Graduate Program Director appointed by the Office of Graduate Studies; one full-time undergraduate student appointed by the SGA for a one year term; one full-time graduate student appointed by the GSA for a one year term; the Chair of the Subcommittee on Student Learning Assessment; a representative from the Council of Chairs; the individual appointed in the Office of the Provost serving as the Middle States Liaison Officer ex officio and voting; and the Director of Academic Assessment ex officio and voting; one full-time undergraduate student appointed by the SGA for a one year term, non-voting; one full-time graduate student appointed by the GSA for a one year term, non-voting; an Associate Dean representative elected from among the Associate Deans to a three year term, ex officio and non-voting; one Dean representative appointed to a three-year term and on a rotating basis by the Deans’ Council, ex officio and non-voting; Chair of the Core Curriculum Reporting Committee, ex-officio and non-voting; a representative from the Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity, non-voting; and the Assistant Director of Academic Assessment ex officio and non-voting.

Overview and Responsibilities

The purpose of the Academic Assessment Council shall be to provide guidance, structure, and support for the assessment of student learning and institutional effectiveness throughout the institution. Assessment is the ongoing process of establishing clear, measurable expected outcomes; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well perform­ance matches those expectations; and using the resulting information to understand and improve student learning as well as measure the effectiveness of Towson University in meeting student learning and institutional outcomes. Student learning includes the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and personal development attained through curricular, co-curricular, and out-of-class learning experiences.

  1. To provide guidance, structure, and support for the assessment of student learning and institutional effectiveness throughout the institution as it pertains to student learning. 
  2. To serve in an advisory capacity to the University community, the Office of Assessment and the Office of the Provost on matters pertaining to assessment.
  3. To participate in and provide input on the Middle States Accreditation activities.
  4. To make recommendations to the Academic Senate and the Office of Assessment regarding policies pertaining to the University assessment program.
  5. To participate in initiatives that support the institutionalization of assessment and a positive assessment culture.
  6. To provide training to members as needed on evidence-based practice in assessment.
  7. To provide guidance and support to the Subcommittee on Student Learning Assessment (SSLA) in establishing evidence-based practice in the assessment of student learning and the assessment of the assessment process completed by departments and colleges.
  8. To work towards continuous improvement of the University assessment of student learning, including, as appropriate, its simplification and streamlining.
  9. To provide an annual report to the Academic Senate.
Name Department College Term Expiration
Carol Caronna Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice CLA 2024
Mary Slade Early Childhood Education COE 2023
Susan Picinich Theatre COFAC 2024
Douglas Sanford, chair Management CBE 2022
Kathleen Ogle Nursing CHP 2022
Angel Kumchev Mathematics FCSM 2022
Kimberly Miller Cook Library Library 2022
Tenured at large      
Tenured at large      

Subcommittee Representatives

Name Department
Melissa Groves Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Student Learning Assessment (SSLA)
Kaitlyn Wilson Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Student Learning Assessment (SSLA)

Ex Officio

Name representative/ Department
LaVern Chapman Inclusion & Institutional Equity, non-voting
Regina Carlow Deans' Representative  (term ending 2022), non-voting
  Graduate Program Director Representative
Abram Fox Honors College
Claire Holmes Council of Chairs
Tab Uhrich Associate Dean representative (term ending 2024), non-voting
  Chair, Core Curriculum Reporting Committee, non-voting
Leticia Romo Director of Academic Assessment
Emily Bailey Asst. Director of Academic Assessment
Maggie Reitz Vice Provost, Middle States Liaison Officer
TBD SGA
TBD GSA

Meetings

The Academic Assessment Council meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 2:30 PM.

The SSLA Subcommittee meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 12:30-2 PM.

Student Learning Assessment Subcommittee (SSLA)

The subcommittee on Student Learning Assessment (SSLA) shall consist of two representatives (referred to as Assessment Leaders) from each college; a single representative for the Library, a single representative for Graduate Studies, and a single representative for the Honors College.  Representatives shall be selected by the respective colleges based on their assessment expertise and/or experience.  The Director of Academic Assessment; the Assessment Coordinator and a representative of the University CORE Committee or their designee will as serve as ex-officio members of the subcommittee.

Name Department
Melissa Groves, Co-Chair CBE
Douglas Sanford CBE; AAC chair
Elizabeth Crusse  CHP
Emily Bailey  CLA
  CLA
Kaitlyn Wilson, Co-Chair CHP
Stephen Schroth COE
Kimberly McCormick  COE
Carrie Price Library 
Jason Rigby COFAC
Melanie Formentin COFAC
Sonali Raje FCSM
Michael Krach  FCSM
David Ownby Graduate Studies
Alison McCartney Honors College
Leticia Romo Academic Assessment
Tanisha Peterkin Assessment Coordinator
   
 Michaël Dewally (Ex officio) University Curriculum / CCRC / Designee
TBD SGA