Farewell frost!
October 30, 2024
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University is undergoing an institutional reaccreditation review this academic year through the Higher Learning Commission, and the process will culminate in an on-site visit April 27 to 28, 2015, by a seven-member evaluation team.
The reaccreditation process, announced last April, continues to move forward under the direction of the office of Northwestern Provost Daniel Linzer.
As part of this comprehensive evaluation, Northwestern is required to submit to the evaluation team a variety of materials to demonstrate how the University meets the commission’s requirements.
“The reaccreditation process involves the entire University community, and the active engagement of the schools and administrative units in this process to date has been outstanding,” said Jake Julia, associate vice president and associate provost for academic initiatives. “This is really a team effort.”
Over the last several months, the Office of the Provost has reached out to staff and faculty across about 40 areas and all 12 schools to request materials that will be synthesized into two key reports:
- Articulation of how Northwestern meets the commission’s criteria for accreditation
- Compilation of federal compliance data
Throughout the fall, the Office of the Provost will continue to review materials from the schools and administrative units and compile initial drafts of these reports, with assistance from the Assessment/Accreditation Council.
The council -- comprised of staff and faculty from across the schools, undergraduate and graduate students, members of the Faculty Senate and senior administrators -- has been convening on a monthly basis to advise on the development of the reports.
Additional details about the reaccreditation process and requirements can be found on the Office of the Provost’s website: http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/initiatives/university-accreditation/index.html
During the two-day site visit in April, the evaluation team members will meet with students, faculty and staff to validate the data submitted in the University’s materials.
Members of the campus community will be able to visit with team members during open sessions. The public also will have the opportunity to submit comments about Northwestern to the commission in advance of the evaluation team visit.
More information regarding the site visit will be provided in early 2015.
Students will have an additional opportunity to engage in the reaccreditation process by participating in the Higher Learning Commission’s new student satisfaction survey.
Northwestern anticipates receiving additional details regarding the survey’s launch from the commission in January.
The Office of the Provost will keep the Northwestern community informed throughout the reaccreditation process. Please direct all questions to Jake Julia, associate vice president and associate provost for academic initiatives, or Jenny Puchtel, manager of the accreditation process.
