Accreditation Guidelines
Accreditation typically requires Advisory Boards to review program curriculum, facilities and equipment, and placement opportunities. How do you manage a advisory meeting for several programs while focusing on specific program objectives? Some content is for the good of the whole, but most of the meeting is program specific. -Justin Sommer
Justin, I have the board members meet initially all together to eat and go over the agenda. Then we have a breakout session. Lead instructors would bring the board members representing their program to separate classrooms to discuss curriculum, etc. All discussion would then take place in this smaller group session. It is the lead instructor's responsibility to gather the necessary documentation from their groups.
Justin,
The only way to do this is to be creative in assembling your agenda.
Here's a suggestion: try positioning the more generic materials in the middle of the meeting; recognizing this will take some discipline on your part, and schedule more program specific materials around (before and after) the generic information exchange. Also consider grouping your programs as close as possible, e.g. graphic arts and photography, or all allied health, and concentrate the more similar technical discussions, equipment, etc. together.
For the facilities piece, I wouldn't be so concerned; most advisors are interested in seeing facilities for other programs as much as they like to see their own program facilities.
By applying these approaches, you can “dismiss†some board members after the generic section is covered and request that others arrive just before it begins; again this requires discipline and flexibility on your part, but it can be done.
R. Roehrich
