UNO Institutional Accreditation UNO Strategic Planning Forum February 15, 2008

Steve Bullock, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Political Science and Assessment Coordinator

The North Central Association’s Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

   The HLC accredits degree-granting educational institutions in: AK, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, OK, NM, SD, WI, WV, and WY The HLC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is one of only a handful of agencies approved by the federal government Accreditation is a basic measure of legitimacy and is required to enable our students to acquire federal loans

HLC Accreditation Tracks

     Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality (PEAQ) Traditional path Primarily summative Results-oriented Comprehensive self-study every 10 years Intensive site visit   Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Newly created path Formative and summative     Process-oriented Annual reports focusing on self identified Action Projects Systems Portfolio Less exhaustive site visit

The AQIP Path

To proceed successfully down the AQIP path institutions must:  Submit application and be accepted into AQIP (UNO in 2003)    Send campus representatives to a Strategy Forum to identify Action Projects (2004) Submit Annual Updates on the Action Projects (2006 and 2007)

Submit Systems Portfolio (due November 2008)

   Receive feedback about the Systems Portfolio from HLC review team (2009) Host a site visit with HLC team (2009) Receive a reaffirmation of accreditation (2009/10)

UNO Action Projects

1. Civic Participation Project (Paul Sather)

-facilitating civic engagement among UNO students

2. Academic Transitions (Deborah Smith-Howell)

-focused on coordinating the transition to college for first-year students

3. myMAPP/faculty (Neal Topp)

-ePortfolio project for faculty Annual Review and RPT processes

The Systems Portfolio

 UNO’s Systems Portfolio due in November 2008 7.

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 Nine categories which contain a variety of questions to be answered:

Helping Students Learn

Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders’ needs Valuing People Leading and Communicating Supporting Institutional Operations Measuring Effectiveness Planning Continuous Improvement Building Collaborative Relationships

The Systems Portfolio and Our Strategic Plan

 Goal 1: “UNO will be recognized as a student centered metropolitan university”  Systems Portfolio Question: “How do you determine the preparation required of students for the specific curricula, programs, courses, and learning they will pursue?”

The Systems Portfolio and Our Strategic Plan

 Goal 2: “UNO will be recognized for its academic excellence as a metropolitan university”  Systems Portfolio Question: “By what means do you ensure that student learning expectations, practices, and development objectives align with your mission, vision, and philosophy?”

The Systems Portfolio and Our Strategic Plan

 Goal 3: “UNO will be recognized for its outstanding engagement with the urban, regional, national, and global communities.”  Systems Portfolio Question: “What are your institution’s key collaborative external relationships?”