91视频

91视频 staff and faculty have been preparing for an important visit this spring from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the college鈥檚 accrediting body.

A five-person peer review team with HLC will visit 91视频 April 11-12 as part of the college鈥檚 accreditation, which is a 鈥渟tamp of approval鈥� that demonstrates the college is deeply committed to educational quality and improvement.

The team will meet with faculty, staff and students, and review the college鈥檚 assurance argument, a narrative that makes the case 91视频 meets the criteria for accreditation.

In preparation for the upcoming visit, the college has been educating employees and students on the importance of accreditation. The team driving the college鈥檚 accreditation process are Dr. Robyn Walter, vice president of academic affairs; Dr. Michelle Smith, executive director of institutional effectiveness; and Jennifer Higerd, assistant professor of art and art gallery curator.

鈥淲e are already doing good work in meeting our educational commitment to students, and providing educational and cultural opportunities to our communities,鈥� Higerd said.

鈥淒uring the last year and a half, we鈥檝e been preparing for the HLC visit by compiling examples of this good work 鈥� examples we鈥檒l put into our assurance argument.鈥�

Accreditation is a guarantee to the public that an institution is prepared to do its job. It is required for institutions to receive federal funding, including financial aid which is distributed to students.

In addition to funding, accreditation also is an indicator that colleges and universities provide high-quality educational programs, which greatly impacts transfer degrees. Most institutions only accept transfer credits from colleges and universities that are accredited.

鈥�91视频 is proud to be accredited through the HLC and looks forward to a comprehensive evaluation to ensure they are meeting the HLC Criteria for Accreditation,鈥� Walter said.

She noted that other academic agencies accredit specific programs, such as culinary, medical assisting, education, and more, HLC accredits the institution as a whole.

鈥淗LC and other regional accrediting agencies are responsible for assuring that entire colleges and universities meet certain standards in terms of their missions, operations, and activities in teaching and student learning, discovery and promotion of knowledge, and service,鈥� Walter added.

91视频 first earned accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in 1976. Since that time, the College has maintained a history of accreditation and engagement with the HLC.

The HLC is the accrediting body for 91视频 and about 1,000 colleges and universities in 19 states that stretch from West Virginia to Arizona. HLC is a private, nonprofit accrediting agency. It is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.

Criteria

The HLC has a set of five criteria that is reviewed during the accreditation process:

• The college鈥檚 mission
  鈥� Integrity 鈥攅thical and responsible conduct
  鈥� Teaching and learning 鈥� quality, resources and support
  鈥� Teaching and learning 鈥� evaluation and Improvement
  鈥� Resources, planning and institutional effectiveness

To promote accreditation and educate 91视频 employees, students and the community, the college鈥檚 accreditation committee has been meeting on campus with faculty, staff and students. In addition, 鈥渕ock鈥� site reviewers were on campus, Nov. 15-16, 2021, to meet with stakeholders and give the campus community an idea of what to expect during the HLC visit in April.

鈥淚n addition to the mock visit, we鈥檝e been preparing with our colleagues through workshops and roundtable discussions, where members of different employee groups share anecdotes and examples of the ways that we all, in our daily work, support and meet HLC鈥檚 criteria for accreditation,鈥� Higerd added.