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News Release
Contact: Melanie Magara, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-1681
December 12, 2003
University seeks public comment for accreditation visit
DeKalb – Northern Illinois University will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit Feb. 23-25, 2004, by a team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Members of the public are invited to submit comments regarding the university directly to the commission at the following address: Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602.
Comments should address substantive issues related to the quality of the university or its academic programs. Letters should be signed and should include the name of the person providing the comments as well as his or her address and telephone number. Comments should be received by no later than January 20, 2004, and will not be considered confidential.
The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education is one of six accrediting agencies in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Institutional accreditation evaluates an entire institution and accredits it as a whole, while other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs. Approximately 950 institutions of higher learning in 19 states are evaluated by the Commission. Accreditation is voluntary.
Northern Illinois University was chartered in 1895, and today serves more than 25,000 students at its campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and at its three outreach centers in Rockford, Hoffman Estates and Naperville. The university is composed of seven degree-granting colleges that together offer 51 undergraduate programs and 70 graduate degree programs, including 10 Ph.D. programs, 6 doctoral degrees in Education and the Juris Doctorate, or law degree.
NIU is included in the Doctoral/Research Universities – Extensive category of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). The university is currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and is a member of the North Central Association.
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