Accreditation Campus Visit April 27-29

A 12-member team of national evaluators for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA) will visit campus as the university undergoes the final stages of its self-study for re-accreditation. That visit takes place April 27-29, with a special reception with university leaders on April 26. The accreditation site visit includes more than 72 meetings and events with more than 350 students, staff, faculty and community partners over two intensive days.

The team is currently reviewing the 214-page self-study report to the HLC/NCA. The university’s review for re-accreditation by the nongovernmental HLC/NCA is a process that takes place every decade, as UC demonstrates its accountability in meeting the national standards for providing a quality education to its students, for promoting a life of learning for the entire university community, as well as in serving its mission and its many stakeholders.

“Based on rigorous peer review, the outcomes of the re-accreditation process will serve to validate the high academic standards UC is pursuing and will provide valuable feedback regarding areas that require improvement,” says Anthony J. Perzigian, UC senior vice president and provost.

During the campus visit, team members will hold open forums to hear from UC students, faculty and staff to get their view of the UC experience. Those forums will be held from 4-5 p.m., Monday, April 27, in Tangeman University Center (TUC). The forum with faculty will be held in Room 400-B TUC and the forum with UC staff will be held in Room 400-C TUC. The student forum will be held in Room 425 TUC.

The team will also tour different offices on campus and work in a resource room that will hold an array of materials supporting the self-study. The formal assembly of the resource room, located in Room 400-A of Tangeman University Center (TUC), is currently under way.

The two-year self study involved university-wide participation in taking an open,  reflective and objective look at the evidence-based accomplishments of the university as well as how the university is responding to future challenges in higher education.

The report focuses on five key areas:

• Mission and Integrity
• Preparing for the Future
• Student Learning and Effective Teaching
• Acquisition, Discovery and Application of Knowledge
• Engagement and Service

Over the past decade, the university has undergone a dramatic transformation since the Higher Learning Commission last visited UC’s campus in 1999. At that time, the MainStreet corridor through the heart of campus was just a concept. Construction had not yet begun on the student life-centered corridor where people can learn, eat, work and play.

The university-wide General Education program wasn’t implemented until fall 2001. As the university looks forward to continued transformation in the years ahead, the self-study report states that a semester-based model of General Education is currently under consideration.

After years of enrollment slippage, UC|21 strategies have resulted in record enrollment and this fall’s most academically prepared freshman class on campus. Last spring’s graduating class held the largest number of graduates in 20 years, and UC’s graduation rate has risen 7 percent over the past five years.

Budget planning is now tied to academic priorities and there’s a new university diversity council to enhance the university’s mission. The $1 billion Proudly Cincinnati capital campaign, launched publicly last October, is the most ambitious fundraising effort in UC’s history to support its mission and goals.

The commission will issue its report on the university in summer 2009 and will announce any action and recommendation for continued accreditation in fall 2009.

The members representing the national team of consultant evaluators are:

• Celestino Fernández, team chair and a professor of sociology at the University of Arizona. Fernández has served on accreditation review teams throughout the United States as well as internationally.
• Richard L Alfred, professor of higher education, University of Michigan
• Ingrid Gould, associate provost for faculty and student affairs, The University of Chicago
• Richard D. Howell, associate dean for research, College of Education, University of New Mexico
• James H. Larson, professor and chairperson of sociology, University of North Dakota
• Nancy McCarthy Snyder, associate professor of public administration, Wichita State University
• Jean McEnery, director of assessment and professor of management, College of Business, Eastern Michigan University
• Harvey Perlman, chancellor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Douglas M. Priest, associate vice provost, Indiana University Bloomington
• Karen Pugliesi, vice provost for undergraduate studies, Northern Arizona University
• Dorothy Simpson-Taylor, director of diversity resources, University of Iowa
• Promod Vohra, dean and professor of engineering, Northern Illinois University

The comprehensive self-study report and other key documents, as well as an executive summary of the self study, can be reviewed from the UC/HLC accreditation Web site at http://www.uc.edu/hlcaccreditation

E-mail: hlc@uc.edu
Phone: 513-556-1040