Reaccreditation Team to Visit University of Arkansas in April 2017

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas is due for its 10-year reaccreditation evaluation by the Higher Learning Commission. A peer review team is scheduled to visit the campus in April 2017 to conduct its evaluation.

The university first received accreditation in 1924, and its last reaffirmation of accreditation occurred in the academic year 2006-07. Four years after that reaccreditation the university submitted an assurance review to demonstrate that it was still meeting requirements, and then submitted a Quality Initiative Report focused on increasing graduation rates.

The Higher Learning Commission is a regional accreditation agency that is responsible for higher education institutions in 19 states, including Arkansas. Institutions are evaluated to be sure they meet all federal requirements and also that they meet specific criteria developed from a set of guiding educational values.

These educational values are essentially basic and defining assumptions about higher education institutions:

• A focus on student learning
• Education seen as a public purpose
• Education intended to prepare students for a diverse, technological, globally connected world
• A campus culture of continuous improvement
• Evidence-based institutional learning and self-presentation
• Integrity, transparency, and ethical behavior
• Leadership that promotes the well-being of the institution
• Sustainable management of the university’s resources
• Mission-centered evaluation
• Accreditation aimed at assuring and advancing quality of the institution

Find out more detail about the Higher Learning Commission’s guiding values.

These values are the foundation for the five criteria a university must satisfy to earn reaccreditation by the commission:

• Mission: it must be clear, publically stated, driving all programs and aimed at serving the public good
• Integrity: ethical and responsible conduct
• Teaching and Learning: quality, resources and support
• Teaching and Learning: evaluation and improvement
• Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness: the institution’s ability to fulfill its mission, improve and plan for the future

Read detailed explanations of the criteria for accreditation.

There are three “pathways” for an institution seeking reaccreditation. The University of Arkansas is on the Open Pathway, which includes the separate Quality Initiative, an opportunity for the university to pursue an independent improvement project. The peer review team is involved in each stage of this 10-year process.

The peer review team is drawn from more than 1,300 volunteer educators from institutions in the 19-state region. The team will assess the university’s written reports, review its federal compliance, and conduct a student opinion survey in the coming months, followed by visit to the campus in April.