Self Study Report Released

In what I am fairly sure is an unprecedented move for the college, Shimer has released the full, unredacted self study report, including appendices. The report has been prepared as part of the ongoing process of accreditation review. The contents, which include all manner of in-depth information on school operations, will be of great interest to all friends of the college.

It has become common enough for large, well-established universities to publish their self-studies online -- after all, what do they have to lose? -- but it is much rarer for schools anywhere near Shimer's size to do so. A web search turns up nothing, for example, from Reed College, let alone St. John's. An abundance of praise, then, is due to the self-study committee and the College for taking this bold and significant step forward for transparency.

Frances Shimer -- who insisted on keeping public records well after the school had passed into her and Miss Gregory's sole control, and without whose unwavering commitment to unvarnished excellence we would have no school to defend -- would certainly approve of this move.

Well done, Shimer!

And now, a trip down memory lane

This takes me back:



Shimer's lucky thirteenth president has been working pretty hard lately to rehabilitate his incompetent, power-crazed, duplicitous, money-grubbing, incompetent problematic image. He may still have some work to do; the above screenshot was taken today.

Agenda for Shimer College Assembly of November 12, 2011

Source (PDF). See committee & Fireside reports on alumni.shimer.edu. Thanks are due once again to Aaron Garland for making this information available to the external community.

ASSEMBLY AGENDA
Sunday, November 12, 2011
I. Report on the Minutes of September 11
II. Committee Reports: Committee reports have been sent out through the Bulletin
Board and willnot be presented orally. Please read them prior to the meeting.
Questions for committees are welcome.
∙ APC
∙ Administrative Committee
∙ Admission Committee
∙ Financial Aid Policy Committee
∙ Grievance, Appeals, and Judicial Committee
∙ QLC
III. Administrative Reports: (Requested by the Agenda Committee)
∙ Mary Pat Barbarie (Development): 5 min
∙ B David Galt (Presidential Search): 5 min
∙ B David Galt (Student Life Reorganization): 15 min
IV. Tabled Item from 9/11: 15 min
∙ Motion: that Shimer College elect a student in the spring of each calendar year to
be designated as Student Representative to Outside Organizations. (Motivated by
Erik Boneff)
∙ Note: If this motion passes, the Assembly will promptly hold this election.
V. Elections: 15 min
∙ Financial Aid Policy Committee (3 day students, 1 weekend student, two faculty,
1 at-large)
∙ Student Replacement for the QLC
VI. Dean Barbara Stone’s Report on the Academic State of the College: 30 min
VII. Proposed Amendments to the Assembly Constitution:
∙ For discussion only to be voted on at the first Assembly of 2012. SEE BELOW.
∙ (1)Transparency (motivated by Eileen Buchanan); (2) Authority (Motivated by
Albert Fernandez); (3)Committee reports (motivated by Eileen Buchanan)
VIII. Adjournment

Assembly info posted on alumni.shimer.edu

The next meeting of the Assembly of Shimer College will be held at 4 PM on Sunday, September 11, 2011, in the Cinderella Lounge at Shimer.

In a wonderful and unprecedented move, not only the agenda of the current Assembly and minutes of the previous Assembly, but also the committee reports, have been posted publicly on alumni.shimer.edu. Many thanks to Aaron Garland for making this significant step towards openness possible.

The agenda has been reproduced below, for convenience. Here are direct links to the committee reports: Academic Planning Committee, Administrative Committee, Admission Committee, Development Office, Grievance Committee, Quality of Life Committee.

Agenda for the Meeting of the Shimer College Assembly
September 11, 2011 – 4 PM


1) Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of April 10, 2011 (prepared by Secretary Neel Rana)

2) Questions and Responses to Committee and Departmental Reports

3) Progress Reports:
a. Accreditation Self-Study (Colleen McCarroll)
b. Presidential Search Committee (B David Galt)

4) Discussion of proposed amendment to the Assembly Constitution to expand the official membership of the Quality of Life Committee (QLC) from its current seven members to ten (motivated by B David Galt).

5) Elections for Assembly Officers and Committees (to begin September 12, 2011):
a. Admissions Committee (announcement of results of online election)
b. Grievance, Appeals, and Judicial Committee (“ “ “)
c. Quality of Life Committee (“ “ “)
d. Ombudsperson
e. Speaker of the Assembly
f. Agenda Committee
g. Secretary of the Assembly
h. Parliamentarian

6) Discussion of Student Representative to Outside Organizations (motivated by Erik Boneff)

7) Student Elections:
a. Board of Trustees (2 Weekday, 1 Weekend)
b. IIT Representative
c. Other representative(s) per result of discussion of Agenda Item #6

8) Announcements

9) Adjournment

Announcement of Shimer College Assembly of 9/11

From an announcement circulated to the community by email.

Dear Shimerian,

I’d like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you to the first meeting of the 2011-12 Shimer College Assembly. The Assembly is the broadest governance structure of Shimer College and deliberates on matters that affect the integrity of the College as a community. It normally meets only four times a year, so it’s important to attend each meeting in order to be as involved and well informed as possible about various matters at the College.

Prior to that meeting, which will take place on September 11, you will be receiving reports by email from a number of departmental directors and chairpersons of committees of the Assembly. I recommend that you read those reports carefully and come to the Assembly meeting prepared with questions concerning them if you have any. In the interests of time, those reports will not be read at the Assembly meeting, but all questions will be welcomed and the appropriate persons are expected to be there to respond to them.

The September 11 meeting will consist primarily of elections to Assembly committees and offices. There will also be at least one additional report and at least one discussion item. The agenda will be posted and otherwise distributed at least 5 days in advance of the meeting.

If you have items you would like to be considered for discussion at the September 11 meeting, please send them to a member of the Agenda Committee (Albert Fernandez, Rebecca Noble, or me) no later than 8 PM Monday, September 5. Priority will be given to items submitted by 8 PM next Tuesday, August 30, but we will also consider those submitted between then and September 5. If you are interested in submitting an item for Assembly discussion that is not of immediate concern, you should consider submitting it before the next Assembly meeting, which will take place on November 13.

If you are new to Shimer and would like to know more about the Assembly prior to the first meeting of the current year, you should plan to attend an information session. It will take place at 2 PM on “Community Tuesday,” September 6, in the Cinderella Lounge.

The September 11 Assembly meeting will take place in the Cinderella Lounge beginning at 4 PM. I hope to see you there.

David Shiner
Speaker of the Assembly