President's Message 

On April 8-11, 2001, a team representing the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools will visit William Paterson University for our decennial accreditation visit. Thanks to the leadership of Associate Provost Steve Hahn, Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Dona Fountoukidis, a dedicated Steering Committee, and subcommittees composed of over 100 faculty, staff and students, we have produced an outstanding Self-Study report which I am pleased to share with you. (Click here to view self-study report.)

We chose to undertake what Middle States terms an alternative self-study design. The focus of our self-study is an assessment of our progress in fulfilling our newly adopted mission statement and thus the report is organized around the major themes of academic excellence, student success, diversity and community outreach. 

The preparation of this report and the forthcoming visit are among the most important tasks a University Community can undertake. Beyond the obvious importance of making our best case for reaccreditation, the self-study process and Middle States team visit offer us the unique opportunity to have objective peers undertake an analytical and reflective look at everything we do, or should be doing, to fulfill the goals and objectives expressed in our mission statement, and to amass and evaluate the evidence to document the extent to which we have, or have not met those goals and objectives. 

I hope you share my pride in the significant accomplishments of our faculty and staff over the last decade that are readily apparent in the Self-Study. I encourage you to review the report, be involved in the team visit and be prepared to redouble our efforts to improve William Paterson University as we reflect on the feedback from the visiting team.