SFA professor named coordinator of assessment

Dr. Larry King

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Dr. Larry King, professor of communication at Stephen F. Austin State University, has been asked to coordinate assessment activities related to the university's reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

As coordinator of assessment for SFA, Dr. King will work closely with the provost's office, deans, department chairs, program directors and faculty members to develop assessment plans for the various academic areas, Dr. Richard Berry, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in making the announcement.

"Dr. King has a number of years of experience in the field of assessment, including chairing the Core Curriculum Assessment Committee for the last several years, and he is proving to be a very valuable team member as we work on assessment issues," Berry said.

Dr. King, a Nacogdoches native, joined the SFA faculty in 1998, having taught previously at Lamar University and Olivet Nazarene University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in religion and communication, a Master of Arts in communication, and a Master of Arts in religion, all from Southern Nazarene University, and a doctorate in communication from the University of Oklahoma. He is a past recipient of SFA's Teaching Excellence Award for the College of Applied Arts and Sciences.

As SFA moves toward reaffirmation of its accreditation by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the university is rightly placing more emphasis on its assessment activities, Dr. King said.

"Assessment is an essential tool for ensuring that we are constantly improving our academic programs and administrative services," he said. "All universities are being called upon to be accountable to the state, various accrediting agencies and the public, and our assessment activities allow us to demonstrate that we have established clear goals and are working to achieve them."