Program of Excellence

As part of the WVU Board of Governors program review process, programs can request to be considered for the designation, “Board of Governors Program of Excellence.” When preparing the supporting statement, the program should consider and provide evidence in support of the following criteria; successful requests must meet all of these criteria.

• Distinction. The program must be one of distinction. It should have received state or national recognition or some other clearly defined external indicator (e.g., national or regional rankings, recognition by an accrediting or governing body, comparative data that distinguishes the program) appropriate to the mission of the program. External validation of high quality by a nationally recognized body will strengthen the case. Programs may also use validated external data to make their own comparison in lieu of an established ranking.
• Faculty. All faculty should be appropriately qualified and credentialed. There should be documented evidence of faculty achievement in scholarly activities like research, teaching, and/or service. Evidence of innovation in instruction should also be included if appropriate.
• Graduates. Evidence of success of graduates in career placement and/or in continuing higher education must be documented. Evidence may also address students' research, creative endeavors, publications, and prestigious scholarships, fellowships, or grants.

• Curriculum and Assessment. The program must have a clearly defined curriculum and measurable learning outcomes and must regularly assess their student learning outcomes. Evidence of a strong assessment plan that utilizes assessment data to improve the program must be included. The program should hold national or specialized accreditation if available and all accreditation criteria must be met fully.

The self-study document should provide a convincing statement and include adequate supporting data. Documented evidence of high quality is required. Mere assertion of quality or lists of accomplishments will not suffice. The case will be much stronger if placed in the context of national benchmarks.

Requests for the Board of Governors Program of Excellence designation will be considered by the Undergraduate or Graduate Council, which will nominate those programs they feel are worthy of this designation. The Provost will review the nominations and endorse those that are appropriate. The Board of Governors will consider the nominations endorsed by the Provost and certify those that they deem appropriate as a Board of Governors Program of Excellence. The designation as a Program of Excellence lasts five years, beginning at the time of the award until the program’s next review.

Programs awarded the Program of Excellence may use the image below for their websites and in their marketing materials.