University to be evaluated for reaffirmation
On April 25 and 26, the Higher Learning Commission will visit Central Michigan University to evaluate it for reaffirmation of accreditation.
Vice Provost for academic effectiveness Claudia Douglass presented on the reaffirmation process at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting. She is the leading team member gather data for the HLC to evaluate CMU.
Douglass said there has been more than 100 "engagement meetings," including those with students, to receive feedback from the university's constituents. Student input was sought via survey Feb. 8-15. Douglass said the university will not know how many students contributed until the final report at the end of June, but she expects 20-30 percent of students participated.
"The attitude of the HLC is that it's our responsibility to assess ourselves and take initiatives to improve our quality," Douglass said.
The university has been accredited since since 1915, except for the 1922-23 year. Accreditation is a validation process used by the HLC to evaluate colleges and universities to affirm that it provides a quality education to its students. CMU is reaffirmed every 10 years.
The process reviews all facets of CMU based on five criterion: A clear mission, ethical and responsible conduct, quality teaching, evaluation and resources and institutional effectiveness.
To maintain accreditation, CMU must show it is student-centered. It must also report university changes, including new degree programs. The HLC will check that CMU is in compliance with federal law, including Title IX and financial aid.
