A Note On Accreditation From the Dean…

Dear GSLIS Students:

I know that you are eager to hear what’s happening regarding the GSLIS program accreditation so I will be keeping you informed about our progress towards re-accreditation with as much information as I have available at any given time.

First and foremost is the fact that the Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) program has been consistently accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) since the 1930s.  We have a thriving and dynamic program and have one of the largest programs of all of the accredited schools. 

Right now we are preparing for a visit of the External Review Panel (appointed by the ALA Committee on Accreditation) as we look toward re-accreditation by ALA.  The visit by the Panel members will take place on March 31 – April 1, 2008.  The decision regarding our re-accreditation will take place during the ALA Annual Conference in late June, 2008.  We should know that outcome by the beginning of July.

The members of the External Review Panel are:

• June Lester, Professor  (ALA External Review Panel Committee Chair) School of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma
• George Abbott, Retired Media Services Department, Syracuse University Library
• Richard AmRhein, Dean of Library Services
• Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources, Valparaiso University
• Diane Barlow, Associate Dean College of Information Studies, University of Maryland

Off-site Panel Members are:

• Joan Giesecke, Dean of Libraries University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Annabel Stephens, Associate Professor School of Library and Information Studies, The University of Alabama

Part of our preparation for the visit by the members of the External Review Panel is the writing of a Program Presentation, which includes how our program meets the standards as outlined and explained in Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies, 1992 edition.  All of the full-time faculty members have been involved in writing this document, with Dr. Karen Brown serving as the overall editor.  Others involved in the writing of the Program Presentation include several alumni, advisory board members, the Provost, students, and the staff.  We have solicited information from students, employers, graduates, and more.  This has truly been a collaborative effort by many of our constituents.

We expect to have the Program Presentation (document) available in the GSLIS Office – Crown Library 300 – by Friday, February 14, 2008.  We encourage students to stop by the GSLIS Office and review this document.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Susan Roman

Dean and Professor

Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS)