As one part of a periodic review of the University of Iowa’s institutional accreditation, a team of peer reviewers from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) will visit campus March 25–26 to meet with university leaders, faculty, staff, and students.
The University of Iowa accreditation website has information about the accreditation process, the university’s preparation for this comprehensive review, and answers to frequently asked questions.
“We look forward to this opportunity to showcase the excellent work done by our faculty, staff, and students, and to hear the perspective of experienced external reviewers on ways that we can best serve the members of our community,” says Tanya Uden-Holman, associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of the University College, who serves as the university’s accreditation liaison officer with HLC.
A schedule of public meetings will be released about a month before the visit. A typical site visit includes:
- Meetings with institutional leadership, board members, and groups involved with preparing accreditation documentation;
- Open meetings to discuss each of the five criteria for accreditation with members of the campus community;
- Open meetings with various campus constituency groups such as faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates; and
- Meetings about one or more areas of focus determined by the team as needing additional attention.
Accreditation in higher education is the recognition that an institution or program maintains standards requisite for its graduates to gain admission to other reputable institutions of higher learning or to achieve credentials for professional practice.
The UI’s last comprehensive review took place during the 2008–09 academic year. The university was accredited for the first time in 1913 and is currently accredited by HLC, which was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Accreditation preparation
Before the accreditation site visit, the UI prepares a narrative assurance argument describing how it meets each of the five accreditation criteria. It also compiles an evidence file—supporting documents for the assurance argument narrative. These documents might include mission statements and strategic plan implementation, assessment reports and program review documents, financial records, minutes from meetings of governing boards and decision-making groups, and materials submitted to and received from specialized accreditation organizations or state agencies.
HLC’s criteria for accreditation address five broad areas, each of which includes three to five core components, for a total of 21 specific items for the university to address in its Assurance Argument. The five broad areas are:
- Mission: The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.
- Integrity—Ethical and Responsible Conduct: The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.
- Teaching and Learning—Quality, Resources, and Support: The institution provides high-quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered.
- Teaching and Learning—Evaluation and Improvement: The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates its effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.
- Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness: The institution’s resources, structures, and processes are sufficient to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to future challenges and opportunities. The institution plans for the future.
In the months leading up to the comprehensive review, UI working groups compiled information for use in the assurance argument and evidence file.
“We’re always working to maintain and advance the quality of the university, a large organization with many moving parts,” Uden-Holman says. “The team of writers who drafted our assurance argument has been working for months to assemble the university’s story, meeting with faculty, staff, students, and campus leaders to collect information and to seek their feedback as they have worked on drafting the document. We are grateful to all who contributed, and we think it tells a story we can all be proud of.”
After the assurance argument and evidence file are finalized and submitted to the peer reviewers, a final copy will be posted on the university’s accreditation website.
Another source of information for peer reviewers will be information collected from the public. Public comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs, and must be received by Feb. 25, 2019.
Interested parties can submit comments regarding the university in either of the following ways:
- By mail: Public Comment on the University of Iowa, Higher Learning Commission, 230 S. LaSalle St., Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604-1411.
- Online: Visit the HLC website, www.hlcommission.org/comment.