current | 4-29-04 | 4-22-04 | 4-20-04 | 4-6-2004 | 3-24-04 | 3-10-04 | 3-03-04 | 2-26-03
February 26, 2004
To the University Community:
Two years ago, the University of Northern Colorado began preparation for a comprehensive accreditation review by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Since that initial planning period, the University has carried out a thorough internal review. It is now time to engage the entire University in the final phases of preparation for the site visit, which will take place September 20-22, 2004. Please participate in this important preparation by learning about the NCA accreditation process. Following is a synopsis of preparation at UNC, the scope of the review, and the implications of accreditation.
What has UNC done to prepare for the review? Over the last two years, the University's accreditation activities have been extensive. During the launching period in 2002, open forums about the goals of NCA were conducted with faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees. A University Steering Committee and sub-committees were formed with representatives from faculty, staff, the student body, and administration. The sub-committees worked diligently collecting information related to the new NCA criteria. This year a writing team took the data collected by the sub-committees, drafted narrative chapters, and obtained substantiating documents. The Steering Committee and sub-committees recently provided helpful comments on these drafts. Currently, Ken McConnellogue, Vice President of Advancement, and Gloria Reynolds, Director of Communications and Media Relations, are editing the self-study chapters to give them a single, coherent style. We hope to present a copy of the edited chapters to the Steering Committee by the middle or end of March. Recently, we also held two open forums and obtained constructive suggestions about final preparations. In the next few months, we all will work hard to get the chapters and documents in order.
What is the scope of the review? NCA accreditation evaluates the entire institution. It assesses the formal educational activities of the institution; it also evaluates governance, administration, financial stability, admissions, student services, institutional resources, student academic achievement, institutional effectiveness, and relationships with constituencies inside and outside the institution. In other words, NCA evaluates everything!
What is the value of the NCA accreditation? The NCA accreditation publicly certifies acceptable institutional quality and efforts at self-improvement. Accreditation also allows us to accept federal funds, including financial aid monies and grant awards. Finally, the external review benefits the University because it encourages meaningful discussions on quality of programs, institutional changes over the last decade, and plans for the future.
We hope to get a copy of the self study report out to you by the end of the semester. We also hope you will take time to familiarize yourself with the evaluation process and report. To that end we will be providing you with periodic updates. Thank you for your willingness to stay involved in this vital accreditation review. Each of you has played a critical role in the accomplishments of the university. As a result, the University has accomplished a lot over the last ten years. We measure up well to the NCA criteria!
Vincent Scalia, Co-Chair
Teresa McDevitt, Co-Chair
NCA Steering Committee