51³Ô¹ÏÍø

51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s next national accreditation is scheduled for 2020. In preparation, faculty, students and staff across campus will be spending the 2018–19 academic year discussing the university’s plans, priorities and vision.

51³Ô¹ÏÍø is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. Accreditation review takes place every 10 years and requires a comprehensive evaluation of the university’s programs, policies and practices. In December 2019, a team of leading educators will visit 51³Ô¹ÏÍø to review the university as a whole and provide recommendations for continued improvement.

The accreditation process is always an occasion for introspection about 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s strengths and challenges—and a chance to gain thoughtful feedback from the team of higher education leaders assembled by the HLC. This accreditation cycle is unique, however, because of its timing. Through accreditation, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø has the opportunity to demonstrate how our initiatives are coordinated to deliver on our campus vision and strategic imperatives.

In 2018–19, five working groups made up of faculty, staff and graduate and undergraduate students will meet to discuss how 51³Ô¹ÏÍø fulfills the five criteria by which the university is accredited: Does it follow its mission? Does it act with integrity? Does it have sufficient resources to offer its programs and plan for the future? Does it give its students a high-quality education? And does it systematically evaluate its programs and processes and seek to improve them?

Led by Katherine Eggert, vice provost for academic planning and assessment, the working groups will draft a report that will be made available to the campus community for feedback and suggestions at the end of the academic year. Campus updates will be available on the Accreditation website.