There is much going on at SLIS and all of it is very exciting and the result of the efforts of so many of our dedicated students, faculty, and alumni. As we enter the holiday season, let me thank each of you for your contributions on behalf of SLIS and express my appreciation for all that you do for SLIS.

The Program Presentation draft for the American Library Association (ALA) is due on Friday the 21st of November. Once it is safely winging its way to ALA, I will work with the faculty to put it up on the SLIS accreditation Web site so all members of our outstanding community have an opportunity to review and read it (it is quite long, however, so be forewarned). We have spent countless hours to obtain the data necessary to tell our story, be self reflective, and improve our program. I hope you will see that our efforts have paid off and that SLIS is meeting stakeholder needs through self-improvement.

Further, we are preparing for several upcoming events that I want to invite you to participate in and join us as we provide venues for our community to foster collaboration and mutual understanding:
1. The SLIS Holiday Party is scheduled for December 2, 2008 from 6 - 9 PM. Please join us and share in the spirit of the season.
2. The SLIS Symposium, Bridging the Spectrum: A Symposium on Scholarship and Practice in Library and Information Science is scheduled for January 30, 2009 from 10. Please join us as we share our research, foster discussion, and seek new ways to contribute to the field. We had over 40 submissions for presentations and poster sessions and James Rettig, ALA President is our guest speaker. It will be an exciting and rejuvenating event. I hope to see you there.
3. The ALA accreditation visiting team arrives on the 22nd of March and departs on the 24th of March, 2009. This is a call for alumni, students, and part-time faculty to join us and help us tell our story to demonstrate our contribution to the students, faculty, university and field. I will likely put out a call for alumni and part-time faculty to join us, I hope I can count on you to be there and show support for SLIS.

SLIS recently hosted its fall faculty meeting at the Mullen Library, May Gallery. The event included a presentation by Ms. Karen O'Brien, the ALA Director of the Office of Accreditation. We had some excellent conversations about the curriclum and the needs of the program. I encourage you to view the video of the event available at: http://slis.cua.edu/about/Accreditation page.

When we released the spring schedule of classes, we reviewed and analyzed the needs of students, based on their feedback, and made over five changes to the spring schedule to meet your needs. Be on the lookout for the summer schedule, we are working on it now.

As we enter into the season of thanksgiving and joy, may I wish you and your loved ones joy, health and well being this holiday season. If you have been touched by the recent economic woes our country is experiencing, please accept my heartfelt sympathy. I know that the situation will eventually improve. I know that we will survive and thrive and be the stronger for the experience. I also know the mood is anxious for us all. With the coming of the holiday season, let us take comfort in the knowledge that we are loved and that each day is a new opportunity.

My best wishes
Dean Kelley

The Next Round of the Program Presentation

The School is achieving its accreditation milestones and carefully following its accreditation timeline. Our latest achievement is a complete, well-edited version of our program presentation. The program presentation will soon be available for you, our stakeholders, to read, consider, perhaps ponder, and give us your feedback. I wanted to alert you to this next phase in our process so you will be ready to comment and are aware of our progress. The faculty have worked extremely hard, with dedication and consideration of the needs of our students, faculty, and colleagues in the LIS field. I am proud of their accomplishments and their willingness to participate in this process to bring it to a successful conclusion. I also want to mention, as the time grows near, that we need you, our students, alumni and faculty at SLIS to help us tell our story when the visiting team arrives in March 23rd and 24th, 2009. So, mark your calendars and plan to join us as we ready ourselves to present SLIS as the great school it is!
Dean Kelley

The latest from SLIS

SLIS has been very active these last months since I last wrote of our progress in May of 2008. Some highlights of our progress include:

• The research/best practices symposium planned for January of 2009. The symposium committee, composed of Dr. Kules, Professor Shumaker, Assistant Dean Steelman and Dr Kelley has developed a concept for the Symposium that was approved by the SLIS faculty. This an exciting opportunity to share your successes and accomplishments with your fellow students, scholars and professionals in our field in a variety of areas. We are very excited to have this symposium planned. Further, James Rettig, current ALA President has agreed to be the keynote speaker for the event. Please find further information on our upcoming symposium at: http://slis.cua.edu/symposium/symposium.cfm. I hope to see you there and I strongly recommend submitting a proposal for consideration for the event.
  
• The first, complete draft of our Program Presentation, the accreditation document for the American Library Association, is complete. This draft is now being reviewed and edited. We expect to produce a new draft each month leading up to the formal submission of the draft to the American Library Association on November 23, 2008. As soon as the editing process is complete, we will share this latest draft with all of our stakeholders, colleagues, and friends.
  
• SLIS has received additional funds for improvements to the Information Commons as a result of our Strategic Funds proposal to the Dean's Council and through the auspices of the Provost. The School's Technology Committee, chaired by Dr Kules, is examining our next steps and determining what improvements are possible with the additional funds. Further, I provided funding to upgrade our licenses to the Adobe Creative Suite for the Laboratory and the SLIS classrooms. The latest version is now available and is part of our efforts to continually improve our technology infrastructure in Marist and on behalf of our students and faculty.
  
• I am hosting an accreditation update on September 25th, 2008. The event is scheduled in the Information Commons from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. I hope I will see you in the Information Commons, in Marist Hall, on the 25th. I look forward to speaking to you about our efforts and hearing your views.
  
• The fall faculty retreat is right around the corner. This is an annual event where the full-time SLIS faculty come together to discuss our current progress on planning and establish next steps. This year's retreat is scheduled for October 3rd. We are most fortunate that a former SLIS Dean, Dr. Elizabeth Aversa, is the key note speaker for the event and she will converse with the faculty on our present and future and discuss the School and how to best steward it into the future.
  
• Finally, our fall, full faculty retreat will be on November 8, 2008. We will again have the company of Mrs. Karen O'Brien, Director of the Office of Accreditation, for the American Library Association. She will provide an update on the accreditation process and answer questions about the upcoming visit of the External Review Panel (ERP) who will visit SLIS in March, 2008.
  

It is busy at SLIS, much is being accomplished and we are making excellent progress. I hope to hear from you and, please, if you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Dean Kelley

The Latest from SLIS

There have been several recent events of note this spring semester. In this blog posting I'd like to share information on our progress with accreditation, discuss the Stone Lecture, seek your support, and mention the passing of an important member of our community.

Accreditation

We have passed two major milestones this semester. First, the official Program Plan, was due March 23, 2008, exactly one year before we go through the re-accreditation process. We have submitted that document and it is also available on the SLIS web site at: http://slis.cua.edu/about/Accreditation/. The Program Plan received very high marks from the Executive Director of the Office of Accreditation at ALA and our External Review Panel Chair, Dr. Jean Donham. We are extremely pleased to have achieved this milestone and to have received such positive comments on our efforts by the individuals who are leading our review process and provide formal feedback on our efforts.

Second, We had a faculty meeting with the entire SLIS faculty on April 26, 2008, and this was also very informative and extremely helpful as we review the core courses in SLIS and revise and develop formal outcomes measures for the courses in SLIS. The current slides on the State of SLIS are now available on the SLIS accreditation site also.

We also had another meeting of the SLIS Advisory Committee and are continually seeking stakeholder feedback through many avenues to make SLIS's program a better place for all.

The Annual Elizabeth Stone Lecture

The annual Elizabeth Stone lecture was also well attended and Mr. Andrew Pace, the guest speaker gave a lively presentation enjoyed by everyone in attendance. We were particularly pleased to have Dr. Stone's daughter, Ms. Anne Cole Stone Crow, joining us for the event. Her remarks about her mother, her mother's dedication, and the impact of her administration on the development of SLIS were heart warming and reassuring, especially for a new dean such as myself! :-) A video of the speaker's remarks for the Stone Lecture is available through the SLIS home page. For more information on the Stone Lecture series go to: http://slis.cua.edu/people/stonelecture.cfm. Or, to learn more about the many activities of our SLIS alumni, please see: http://slis.cua.edu/people/alumnigateway.cfm.

SLIS Surveys

SLIS is reviving the survey process to obtain feedback on how well we have served our alumni and our current students. We are asking for your assistance to obtain sufficient feedback to use to improve our program. Please take a moment to fill out either the alumni or student survey to help us make improvements and continually refresh the program.

Jessica Dovi

We lost an important member of the CUA community two weeks ago, on April 24, 2008, Mrs. Jessica Dovi. Mrs. Dovi was a recent graduate of SLIS and after graduation, rose to become the Head of Access Services at the Mullen Library, CUA. In her short life, she made an impact on many, many people and is survived by her husband, Damien Dovi, and her infant son, Matthew. I had the privilege of attending her funeral and seeing her life's impact on her friends, family, faculty, and co-workers. I was reminded of one of my favorite films, It's a Wonderful Life, as I observed the love, caring and sorrow in the room after the funeral. She was a brave individual who lived life to its fullest in her short time with us here on earth. We are looking forward to welcoming her family at the upcoming graduation ceremony for SLIS on May 17th in the Law School Atrium. Her husband will be accepting her diploma in her place. If you had the privilege of knowing Jessica, or seek to assist in finding a cure for melanoma, please contribute to The Jessica Dovi Foundation c/o St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 2609 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22207-3501. Jessica, we will miss you!

SLIS Graduation

On May 17th we will celebrate the degree completion of 46 SLIS graduates (and counting)! We are excited to welcome the graduates, their family, friends, and guests to celebrate the completion of their degrees and to share in the joy of success and the anticipation of life after completion. I hope to see you there! If you haven't let us know you intend to join us, please do so with Ms. Anita Coleman at colemana@cua.edu.

Have a great summer, see you in the fall (yes, I'll be here this summer, so, if you are on campus, stop by).

Dean Kelley

Exciting Developments in SLIS

New Developments in SLIS:

The Faculty Web Page:

SLIS faculty, students, and staff have been extremely busy with many projects designed to make things better for all of us in SLIS. First, we recently "unveiled" our new faculty Web page available at: http://slis.cua.edu/people/adjunctresources.htm. I am very interested in your feedback on our new faculty Web page and any ideas you have for improving this resource for the future.

ALA Accreditation:

We have completed, and submitted, the next report for our upcoming accreditation visit in 2009. The Program Plan is the next required submission. You can find the report at http://slis.cua.edu/about/Accreditation/. The final version of that report will be on the accreditation page in the next day or two. The Program Plan is the detailed outline of the report we are preparing, referred to as the Program Presentation, that forms the primary document for the on-site accreditation visitors in 2009. The Plan is under review by ALA and the SLIS Coordinating Committee will speak with ALA in early April to ensure we are on the right track and preparing a document that meets their expectations.

So many of our dedicated alumni, current students, faculty and staff have contributed to this impressive document. I want to thank everyone for your dedication and commitment to SLIS's future.

Upcoming Events:

Some important upcoming events on the SLIS calendar include:
1. The Elizabeth Stone Lecture, sponsored by the SLIS Alumni Board on April 30, 2009 in Hannan Hall.

2. The semi-annual faculty meeting of the entire SLIS faculty scheduled for April 26, 2009 in Mullen Library, the May Gallery and, last but not least,

3. SLIS Graduation! SLIS graduation is on May 17th in the Law School Atrium on the CUA campus.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!
Dean Kelley

The first draft of the Accreditation Program Presentation Plan

Dear SLIS Community,

The process of developing a Program Presentation for accreditation is developmental. With this in mind, I want to alert you that the first draft of the Program Presentation Plan is available for review and comment by our SLIS community (you!). The document may be viewed at the following location: Program Presentation Plan Draft I. The initial draft is the result of significant work by many individuals associated with the development of the Plan. I have so many individuals to thank, the dedicated faculty of the School, the students who have graciously agreed to participate in the process and our caring, engaged alumni, to name a few.

The Program Presentation Plan outlines the process the School will follow, and the evidence the School will provide, to demonstrate our compliance with the six accreditation Standards. The next step is to develop the complete Program Presentation, the document that forms the detailed discussion of our evidence to demonstrate our compliance with the Standards for our accreditation visit in 2009.

The Program Presentation Plan, once reviewed and revised and finalized, will be reviewed by the Executive Director of the Office of Accreditation and our External Review Panel chair. These two individuals will examine the Plan, give us their views on our progress and alert us to any issues they see that we need to address as we develop the actual Program Presentation. The Program Presentation will be submitted at the beginning of 2009 to the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association's Office of Accreditation.

For now, this is an excellent first draft that includes the work of a dedicated group of individuals who are committed to our success in 2009. The draft will be revised per the feedback we receive through our SLIS Accreditation Web Page, through review and revision by the six standard committees responsible for this document, the Alumni Board of Directors for SLIS, and from the SLIS Advisory Committee.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me or the chair of the standard committee responsible for the chapter.

Thanks
Dean Kelley

The SLIS Accreditation Forum

I hosted the first accreditation forum on Monday, February 11, 2008 for the entire SLIS community. The purpose of the forum was to begin the process of reviewing SLIS's current status on planning for our next accreditation visit and to provide further information on the issues that SLIS is addressing as we prepare our Program Presentation for the External Review Panel who will visit SLIS on March 23 & 24, 2009. I had the event taped so I could provide it to you as part of our efforts to keep you up-to-date and informed about all aspects of accreditation and the progress we're making. I also hope it will generate questions that you will ask me here in my blog so we can have a continuing dialogue and discuss issues that may arise, or concern you, as we progress toward the visit in 2009. The taped event can be accessed here: The Forum Video. Thanks to everyone who attended I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable discussion of the issues of importance to the future of SLIS.
Dean Kelley

The Latest on Accreditation Planning

It is always exciting to share good news. It is my pleasure to announce the creation of the SLIS Accreditation Web site to keep everyone informed of our activities and progress toward re-affirming our accreditation in 2009. The new Web site is available through the SLIS home page by selecting --> about SLIS ---> Accreditation from the left-hand menu at http://slis.cua.edu/. Or, if you prefer, the direct link to the site is: http://slis.cua.edu/about/Accreditation/. The many individuals giving generously of their time are listed at the site as are the documents and presentations related to preparing for an accreditation visit. In addition, the current progress of the School on developing planning documents, and a planning process, are located here for your perusal.

I will also be hosting a forum on accreditation on Monday, February 11th, 2008. I hope to see you there. The event will be webcast and a copy of the event will be made available through the accreditation Web site also. In the meantime, or if you cannot attend the first forum (there will be more!) please do not hesitate to check out our new Web site and share your views, questions, or concerns with me on the process.

The Web site is the hard work of Professor David Shumaker and Ms. Colleen Candrl. I extend my thanks to both of them for their assistance with establishing this important Web site for our SLIS community.

Thanks.
Dean Kelley

Update on Accreditation Status

Much has occurred since I last shared the information about SLIS and our accreditation efforts. The faculty are actively engaged in strategic planning, an essential foundational piece for our upcoming accreditation visit. One important milestone for having a successful accreditation visit in March of 2009 involves regular reporting on our planning process to the Committee on Accreditation (COA), the body that decides whether to accredit a School of Library and Information Science such as CUA-SLIS. In December, 2007, I submitted a detailed report on our progress. For the purposes of ensuring all of our constituents are informed, I attach a copy of the Executive Summary of that document here for your perusal. In addition, the Provost of the University, Dr. James Brennan, and I met with the Committee on Accreditation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss the School's progress and garner their feedback on our approach to reaffirming our accreditation status in 2009. This was a very productive meeting. The response from the COA was generally positive and they did not express any concern with our efforts, in fact, they were complimentary of our efforts. I will provide a copy of the PowerPoint slides of my talk with the COA on the soon-to-be-released accreditation web site. We are currently working on a web site for the accreditation process at CUA-SLIS to keep you informed and to provide a location for documents and updates to supplement my blog.

There is much that remains to be done. Our next milestone is the Plan for Program Presentation we will submit to the COA in March of 2008. I will also be hosting a series of forums to give everyone an opportunity to discuss our progress and ask questions on our approach and status.

Thank you again for your support and interest in SLIS!