Attending: John M. Crisp, Mike Gadell, Homer Garza, Noe Guerra, Dolores Huerta, Mattie Marcum, William Mareth, Mary Peña, Jim Pierce (Chair), Lisa Welch.

Not Present: Vickie Natale.

Principal Committee Chairs Present: Antonio David, John Mastenbrook, Maryann Williams.

Principal Committees: Steering Committee Chair Jim Pierce reviewed the membership rosters of the Principal Committees and said that the rosters had been submitted to the administration for approval. Mattie Marcum asked about the addition of students, board members, and others to the committees; Pierce said that Principal Committee chairs would be responsible for adding students to their committees and that the committees may need the advice of the Steering Committee regarding which committees should have a board member.

The Educational Support Services Committee: Noe Guerra presented an overview of the work of the Educational Support Services Committee (Sections 5.1 and 5.2 of the Criteria). Guerra said that the library should be well prepared for the SACS visit in 2000. He mentioned only one recommendation that the library had received from SACS in 1990 and reported that it had been addressed. He said that the committee would have to consider the ways in which the library is meeting the needs of students, both oncampus and off. He said that in 1990 the campus was weak in the area of computer access for students, but that by 2000 the library will have over 200 computer terminals available for student access.

Pierce asked about the "must" statement at the top of page 57 of the Criteria, which says that the library must work cooperatively with faculty members and other information providers to ensure that students learn to use resource materials in different formats effectively. Guerra said that the library had worked with the English Department to develop a program that allows for the use of ENGL 1301's "fifteenth lab" for instruction in the use of resources on the Internet. Additionally, he said that the library will be offering one- to two-hour classes on accessing the Internet. Pierce asked if the satisfaction of this "must" statement would require a survey to demonstrate cooperation with the faculty, and Guerra said that it would. Marcum pointed out that the work of the Library Committee helps also to demonstrate cooperation with the faculty.

Pierce asked about SACS library requirements with regard to online courses. Guerra said that the library catalog is available online and that "document delivery" is available through interlibrary loan. He said also that the library has a site license for Texshare, a collection of 2000 online magazines.

Pierce pointed out that all of the Principal Committees will have to consider that SACS places significant emphasis on having all policies "written down." Agreements will need to be formalized and evaluated. Additionally, he pointed out that the job of the committees is to look for "the existence" of the required documents, not to create them.

Guerra said that the primary contact for the committee at the library is the Library Director.

Pierce said that Section 5.2 (Instructional Support) covers areas beyond the library and suggested that the committee consider the ways this area was handled in other self-studies.

Other Discussion: Pierce said that some Principal Committees would begin their work at the end of spring and during the summer, but that all would have their work underway in the fall. Mike Gadell asked if the Institutional Purpose Committee should begin its work before the others. Pierce said that SACS Consultant Doug Boyce had said that the work of the Institutional Purpose Committee should parallel that of the other committees and that its job is to describe the mission as it currently is.

Pierce referred to one self-study that had included numerous documents, reaching a length of 750 pages. He said that DMC's would not reach that length, but that all documents would have to be readily available to the visiting committee. He said that the Steering Committee will need a centralized workroom. Finally, he said he will soon be receiving self-study plans and other materials from several colleges.

John Mastenbrook asked how time-consuming the committment will be for chairs and members of the Principal Committees. Guerra said that the amount of time required will vary considerably from committee to committee.

Mike Gadell asked about the status of the Self-Study Plan. Pierce said that he is putting together a draft of the plan and will be bringing it to the Steering Committee for approval. It will then be submitted to SACS Liaison Dwyer by early this summer; after his approval, and with the addition of more material, it will become the Self-Study Manual. Pierce said that the Manual is a working document that will continue to develop as the self-study goes on.

Next Steering Committee Meeting: April 8, 1998, 12:00 noon, Century Room. On the agenda are: review of Principal Committee membership, orientation plan for Principal Committees, review of responsibilities of Faculty Committee.

Minutes prepared by John M. Crisp