University’s re-accreditation process approaching

As part of the institution-wide re-accreditation process that occurs every 10 years, four faculty and staff committees are preparing a self-study report, which a team of senior faculty and administrators from peer schools will review. The site team, appointed by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, will evaluate the University during a three-day visit in the Winter Quarter.

The Commission operates under the aegis of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, one of six regional agencies that accredits universities in the United States, and has accredited the University since 1913. As part of the re-accreditation process, Provost Richard Saller and President Don Randel have chosen to give special emphasis to the University’s research infrastructure. They anticipate a productive exchange of ideas with the experienced group of scholars and officers who will visit on behalf of the Commission in February.

In accordance with federal regulations, the University is notifying the public of the upcoming evaluation through advertisements in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Maroon, the Hyde Park Herald as well as the University’s alumni magazine, to seek comments on the quality of the institution and its programs. A copy of the University’s ad appears on Page 2 of this issue of the Chronicle.

Mark Wrighton, Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis, will lead the site team, which will meet with various members of the University community to discuss the self-study report and the topics that it raises.

The federal Higher Education Act sets out regulations that govern the accreditation process.