Steering Committees & Working Groups

Villanova’s self‐study is being guided by the Steering Committee, which includes three Self‐Study Committee Chairs (or Tri-Chairs), a Self-Study Coordinator, and seven Working Group Chairs (each overseeing the examination of one of the seven Standards for Accreditation). The remaining 13 members of the Steering Committee represent key Villanova constituencies whose feedback is a valued component of the self-study. The Steering Committee is assisted in its work by two staff members from UNIT.

The Self-Study Leadership Team

The Self-Study Leadership Team provides day-to-day leadership of the self-study process and is a subset of the Steering Committee, consisting of the Tri-Chairs and the Coordinator. The Tri-Chairs include one administrator who is the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO), an administrator who reports to the Office of the Provost, and a faculty member. The Coordinator is a staff member who reports to the ALO.

Self-Study Tri-Chairs

  • Jerusha Conner, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Education and Counseling
  • Kevin Grubb, Executive Director, Career Center and Assistant Vice Provost, Professional Development
  • James Trainer, Ph.D., Associate Vice President and Executive Director, Office of Strategic Planning & Institutional Effectiveness

Self-Study Coordinator

  • Stephen Sheridan, Director, Accountability, Accreditation and Assessment Services, Office of Strategic Planning & Institutional Effectiveness

Working Groups

Working Groups were assembled through a collaborative process in which the Leadership Team recommended Vice Chair candidates and potential general members to each Working Group Chair based upon the expertise individuals could bring to each standard. The Leadership Team also consulted with senior administrators and leaders in the Faculty Congress in identifying people to serve. The Working Group Chairs, upon selecting a Vice Chair, assumed responsibility for recruiting the potential members for their working group, including student members, who were identified through various student organizations and recommendations by staff, faculty, and the administration.

If you have any comments or questions pertaining to Middle States accreditation or the self-study process, we would like to hear from you.