Accreditation team to visit campus this month

by Mark McGowan

An accreditation team from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will arrive on campus Monday, Feb. 23.

The team’s 11 members, representing different Midwestern colleges and universities, will spend three days poring over documents and meeting with various constituencies in an effort to verify information reported in NIU’s self-study.

Scheduling of meetings is still taking place, said Virginia Cassidy, associate vice provost for academic planning and development. Key campus leaders have been asked to hold their calendars for those days, she said.

Cassidy compares the team’s relatively short time on campus to a family gathering at Thanksgiving: The preparation – in NIU’s case, two-and-a-half years – takes far longer than the event itself.

“We’re in the final stages,” Cassidy said. “All the materials have been sent to all the members of the team, and we’re in the process now of making arrangements for the visit, such as the transportation of team members to campus. We’re getting the resource room prepared, and we’ve sent out many calls for documentation and information from all across the campus. Getting that final schedule ready is another big step.”

Jan Rintala, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education who headed the self-study steering committee, is looking forward to the visit.

“We’ll have an opportunity throughout the campus community to basically clarify and reinforce the items within the self-study document itself,” Rintala said. “One of the biggest outcomes is that the team members have expertise that may provide guidance for us as we continue to improve and change, which I think all institutions have to do.”

NIU’s self-study, which is more than 300 pages, is available in printed form, on CD and in a PDF file located on the bottom right corner of NIU’s online homepage.

“This is a way of letting the whole university community and other people who are interested in what’s going on at the university, whether it’s alumni or our partners or agencies where we have affiliations, read our self-study,” Cassidy said. “We have lots of good stories to tell.”

Rintala, who calls her many months atop the steering committee “a tremendous learning experience,” said the self-study is an enlightening manuscript.

“Probably the biggest challenge was taking an extraordinary amount of information and trying to cull it down to capture the essence of what we’re all about without it being a 1,000-page document,” she said.

“Even though I’ve been here 16 years, and involved in a lot of committee structures, there was an amazing amount I learned about the institution and its programs and the outreach activities and the student support areas,” she added. “I don’t think, as faculty members and staff, that we are really aware of all the good things going on.”

It provides a comprehensive review of the entire university organization, from academic programs, facilities and financial solvency to technical support, research and artistry. It also reports on governance structure, university mission, planning that has occurred since the last site visit in February of 1994 and support services for students.

Accreditation, which can be awarded for up to 10 years, provides NIU an outward distinction as a competent, comprehensive university with a clear map for the future. Examiners from accrediting agencies for specific programs also look for NCA accreditation as one of their routine checkpoints.

NIU, which has enjoyed NCA accreditation since 1915, must meet five criteria:

• The institution has a clear and publicly stated purpose consistent with its mission that is appropriate to an institution of higher learning.
• The institution has effectively organized its resources to accomplish its purposes.
• The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes.
• The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness.
• The institution demonstrates integrity in its practices and relationships.

“This is an important event for the university community,” Cassidy said. “I encourage people to become familiar with the report. In addition to the meeting specified for individuals and groups, there will be open meetings for faculty, staff and students.”

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