SCELCapalooza 2025

University libraries have long been integral to academic excellence, but new approaches to accreditation often diminish their visibility and role within institutional evaluations.

At the 2025 SCELC Symposium, we welcome a panel of three expert speakers who have served as visiting committee members and Accreditation Liaison Officers, offering unique perspectives on accreditation processes across agencies such as SACSCOC, WSCUC, and NWCCU. Attendees will gain insights into the evolving accreditation landscape and strategies for ensuring that libraries remain a visible and valued part of institutional assessments. Through real-world examples and practical advice, participants will learn how to advocate for the library's essential contributions to student success, research, and institutional quality within accreditation frameworks.

About the Panel:

Kelly Peterson-Fairchild is Director of Library Services, University of Massachusetts Global Kelly Peterson-Fairchild has served as the Director of Library Services at the University of Massachusetts Global since 2024, overseeing the online library and tutoring services. She is also an evaluator with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Previously, she was the Accreditation Liaison Officer and Dean of Library & Open Learning Services at Utah Tech University.

James A. Wiser is Dean of Library Services and Educational Technology, Abilene Christian University. Dr. Wiser has served as Dean of Library Services and Educational Technology for Abilene Christian University (ACU), a private R2 university located in Abilene, TX, since 2020. He serves as an off-site and on-site reviewer for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the regional agency that accredits colleges and universities stretching from Virginia to Texas. He earned a BA from Harding University, an MLS from Indiana University Bloomington, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.

Megan D. Lawrence is Director of Accreditation and Compliance, Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences. Megan Lawrence leads the accreditation and compliance function at the Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences, where she has served as the Accreditation Liaison Officer with the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) since 2015. She volunteers as the WSCUC Substantive Change Committee co-chair and has participated in 15 WSCUC site visits, including visits for reaffirmation, eligibility, and structural change. She has worked in higher education since 1995 in multiple roles, including teaching, institutional research, student services, library services, assessment, student records, transfer and articulation, and accreditation. Megan holds an MA in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Arizona and a BA in English Literature from the University of Notre Dame.

Following on the panel discussion in the preceding hour, attendees will break into small groups to discuss concrete steps we can take to add value to and maintain the library's central role in the university accreditation process.

Roger C. Schonfeld will deliver the keynote at the SCELC Deans and Directors Symposium on March 4th, 2025, speaking on innovation and the sustainability of shared infrastructure.

About the Speaker:
Roger C. Schonfeld is the vice president of organizational strategy for the not-for-profit ITHAKA organization and leads its Ithaka S+R research and advisory programs in our sector. Much of his work focuses on innovation and sustainability for the shared infrastructure that makes possible the work of libraries, publishers, and the research enterprise. Roger is an author of the recent Ithaka S+R report on “The Second Digital Transformation of Scholarly Publishing: Strategic Context and Shared Infrastructure.” He currently serves as a board member for the Center for Research Libraries and writes for the Scholarly Kitchen. He has degrees in English Literature and Library and Information Science from Yale and Syracuse universities.

As AI tools become integral to our day-to-day life and scholarly research, the potential for transformative advancements in science and knowledge is vast. However, we are beginning to see a strange juxtaposition: Publishers are licensing high quality scholarly publications to AI companies as training materials—often without author consent, at the same, publishers are also putting more restrictions on how researchers can use licensed content for AI-assisted research. This session will focus on the severe impact of restrictive publisher contracts on U.S. researchers, who face legal hurdles that their international counterparts do not. While the EU’s Copyright Digital Single Market (CDSM) Directive and AI Act protect researchers' rights to use content for noncommercial AI training and AI-enabled research, U.S. researchers are being hampered by contracts that override fair use, putting them at a global disadvantage. Attendees will gain insight into how these legal and contractual barriers threaten the future of research and will be invited to advocate for research rights and more equitable licensing agreements.

About the Speaker:
Yuanxiao Xu is a copyright attorney at Authors Alliance. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, and has since served as Counsel at Creative Commons, Staff Attorney at the Dramatists Guild of America, and Copyright Specialist at the University of Michigan Library. She has substantial experience advising academic authors on issues related to plagiarism, open access, copyright infringement, fair use, licensing, and contract negotiation. Yuanxiao is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. She lives in San Diego now with her husband and their cat from Tijuana. You are welcome to email her with your thoughts and questions at xu@authorsalliance.org; she's looking forward to hearing from you.

About the Speaker:
Gwen Evans, VP of Global Library Relations at Elsevier, has an extensive background in libraries. Former Executive Director of the library consortium OhioLINK, she was also an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Library Information Technologies at Bowling Green State University. Writings include a white paper with Roger Schonfeld of Ithaka S+R entitled “It's Not What Libraries Hold; It's Who Libraries Serve: Seeking a User-Centered Future for Academic Libraries” and “Creating Diversity in Libraries: Management Perspectives” in Library Leadership and Management with Mihoko Hosoi and Nancy S. Kirkpatrick. Recent presentations, panels and workshops include on DEIA, Research Integrity, AI, and cybersecurity preparedness at Researcher2Reader, Fiesole Retreat, Charleston and ACRL Choice webinars. Evans is a board member of CLOCKSS and the Friends of the National Library of Medicine and a member of the University Relations Working Group for the Scholarly Networks Security Initiative.