NASPAA—The Global Standard in Public Service Education

1029 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005 Tel: 202-628-8965 • Fax: 202-626-4978 • Email: copra@naspaa.org

Monica Valentine MPA Program Coordinator Kentucky State University

November 12, 2019

Dear Professor Valentine,

The Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA) has completed its review of your one-year reaccreditation decision letter response. We appreciate your efforts in responding to questions outlined in the July 2019 decision letter.

The Commission has reviewed your response to the concerns articulated in the July 31, 2019 one-year accreditation decision letter. Based on a review of your response, the Commission recommends the program proceed to an abbreviated follow-up site visit. The program should also update the Commission on the concerns described in the enclosed Interim Report and provide evidence of progress made towards implementation before COPRA's 2019 Decision meeting. If you choose to not proceed to site visit, please alert NASPAA staff by November 26, 2019.

Note that this initial feedback does not constitute prejudgment of an accreditation decision. A full discussion of the Commission's concerns will take place at the Summer 2020 COPRA meeting. You may submit responses and supplementary materials regarding progress until two weeks before this meeting, by May 22, 2020. Any responses should not only update the Commission on progress since the decision letter, but also look forward and discuss the program's plans for ongoing programmatic improvement.

To facilitate the on-the-ground review, a two-person Site Visit Team will be appointed. In visiting your program, the Site Visit Team will be directed to address the items listed in the Interim Report and provide evidence to confirm and/or clarify information provided in the decision letter response. To prepare, please review the Site Visit Manual, and other helpful resources, on the NASPAA website at https://www.naspaa.org/accreditation/accreditation-step-step/hostingsite-visit.

A member of the Commission, Peter Ngwafu, has been designated to serve as liaison to your program. I urge you to contact your liaison via email at peter.ngwafu@asurams.edu to discuss any questions and concerns raised in the Interim Report and to answer any questions you may have about the process. As Chair of COPRA, I would also be pleased to respond to your questions about this letter or the review process at maja.holmes@mail.wvu.edu.

Please notify NASPAA Director of Global Accreditation, Martha Bohrt ( mbohrt@naspaa.org) of your decision to proceed to site visit no later than November 26, 2019. Please also submit your response to the specific points addressed in the enclosed Interim Report by uploading a single PDF file to the Documents tab in the NASPAA Data Center no later than January 15, 2020. NASPAA Staff will contact your program shortly to begin the process of appointing your site visit team. Your site visit should be scheduled no later than January 15, 2020. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chief Accreditation Officer, Heather Hamilton at Hamilton@naspaa.org.

We look forward to working with you throughout the remainder of the accreditation cycle. Please do not hesitate to contact myself or NASPAA staff if you have any questions. ATTACHMENT: Interim report: response requested

ATTACHMENT: Interim report: response requested