Reaccreditation and Illinois A Presentation for the University Library Faculty by Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe October 2018

Accreditation Overview General Higher Learning Commission Means of assuring and improving the quality of higher education institutions and programs for 100ish years in the USA Voluntary system of self- examination and peer review Regional approach in concert with the US Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) accredits degree-granting post- secondary educational institutions 19-state region of the United States reaffirmation of accreditation on a 10-year cycle

Timeline: Fall 2017: Quality Initiative Project final report submitted Spring 2018: Quality Initiative Project final report approved (January 17, 2018) Assurance argument criterion working groups convened + Federal Compliance team convened Fall 2018-Spring 2019: Criterion working groups prepare assurance argument + Federal Compliance team prepares report May 31, 2019: Assurance argument and Federal Compliance report due to Reaccreditation Leadership Team June-September 2019: Final review and editing of documents October-November 2019: Public comment period on assurance argument January 2020: HLC survey of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students Submit assurance argument and Federal Compliance report Early March 2020: Final schedule for site visit determined March 30-31, 2020: Comprehensive site visit by Higher Learning Commission Peer Review Team

Timeline: Fall 2017: Quality Initiative Project final report submitted Spring 2018: Quality Initiative Project final report approved (January 17, 2018) Assurance argument criterion working groups convened + Federal Compliance team convened Fall 2018-Spring 2019: Criterion working groups prepare assurance argument + Federal Compliance team prepares report May 31, 2019: Assurance argument and Federal Compliance report due to Reaccreditation Leadership Team June-September 2019: Final review and editing of documents October-November 2019: Public comment period on assurance argument January 2020: HLC survey of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students Submit assurance argument and Federal Compliance report Early March 2020: Final schedule for site visit determined March 30-31, 2020: Comprehensive site visit by Higher Learning Commission Peer Review Team

Illinois Structure Reaccreditation Executive Steering Team The Reaccreditation Executive Steering Team provides oversight of the reaccreditation work by charging the core leadership team and working groups and providing important resources. The Steering Team assures that the work is being done to meet expectations and accreditation timelines. Core Reaccreditation Leadership Team The Core Reaccreditation Leadership Team is charged with reviewing the development of the University’s Assurance Argument and Evidence File in preparation for the University’s Reaffirmation of Accreditation. In addition, the Leadership Team is responsible for providing leadership and support for institutional involvement in reaccreditation activities and visits. Reaccreditation Working Groups Five working groups will develop the institutional response to each of the Higher Learning Commission’s five Criteria for Accreditation. Criterion Working Groups will be charged with drafting the Assurance Argument and identifying representative artifacts for the Evidence File. One working group will develop the institutional response to the Federal Compliance filing. Meet twice per semester. Criterion 1 Working Group Criterion 2 Working Group Criterion 3 Working Group Criterion 4 Working Group Criterion 5 Working Group Federal Compliance Working Group

HLC Criteria for All Institutions 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 their 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.

Criterion 3 - Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support The institution provides high quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered. 3.D. The institution provides support for student learning and effective teaching. The institution provides student support services suited to the needs of its student populations. The institution provides for learning support and preparatory instruction to address the academic needs of its students. It has a process for directing entering students to courses and programs for which the students are adequately prepared. The institution provides academic advising suited to its programs and the needs of its students. The institution provides to students and instructors the infrastructure and resources necessary to support effective teaching and learning (technological infrastructure, scientific laboratories, libraries, performance spaces, clinical practice sites, museum collections, as appropriate to the institution’s offerings). The institution provides to students guidance in the effective use of research and information resources.

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