KU launches Higher Learning Commission accreditation reaffirmation process

LAWRENCE — In a little more than two years, the University of Kansas will undergo evaluation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to reaffirm its accreditation. On Aug. 29, steering committee team members from all KU campuses will assemble in the Kansas Union’s Big 12 Room to formally begin a comprehensive process.

There are three key initiatives related to KU’s work to prepare for reaffirmation:

• The gathering of hundreds of artifacts that provide evidence KU not only meets but exceeds the core components of the HLC criteria and other requirements.
• Institutionalizing accreditation to ensure accountability.
• The adoption of a Quality Initiative (QI) aimed at a major improvement effort.

KU’s QI project, co-led by Neal Kingston, director of the Achievement & Assessment Institute, and Michelle Mohr Carney, dean of the School of Social Welfare, focuses on the adoption of universitywide institutional learning goals. It will work to strengthen and scale degree-level assessment at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses by developing and implementing degree maps that integrate the institutional learning goals and degree-level learning outcomes for all undergraduate and graduate programs. The QI project will also revise the academic program review processes at Lawrence and Edwards to achieve a stronger alignment of degree-level learning outcomes assessment with annual budgeting, operations and strategic plan implementation to create a culture of continuous quality improvement at KU. The Center for Teaching Excellence will also play a key role in the implementation of the QI project.

Along with ensuring continuous improvement, HLC accreditation is important because it is a requirement for awarding federal financial aid, which about half of all KU students currently receive. In addition, many academic programs need regional accreditation as a condition of receiving specialized accreditation. The Kansas Board of Regents also requires KU to maintain HLC accreditation in order to award degrees.

“As KU once again engages in a comprehensive self-study that ensures our continued institutional accreditation, it provides us with important opportunities to see where we’re performing well and areas that need improvement,” said Douglas A. Girod, KU’s chancellor. “It requires us to prove our case rather than state our case, demonstrating to our stakeholders that KU not only provides a quality educational experience but engages in continuous improvement across the core functions of our academic, research and operational missions.”

KU has been continuously accredited by the HLC since Jan. 1, 1913. The regional accrediting agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, requires institutions under its authority to perform a comprehensive self-study every 10 years to demonstrate they meet the requirements for accreditation. Once an institution’s self-report is submitted, a peer review team is selected to conduct the evaluation, which includes visits to the university’s campuses and meetings with stakeholders. The reviewers then make a recommendation for continued accreditation.

HLC requires that the self-study process involve a diverse and representative cross-section of the university community. KU’s steering committee, which includes co-leads from the Lawrence and Edwards campuses and the Medical Center campus for each of the five criteria, reflects the diversity of the universitywide community of faculty, staff, students, governance representatives and administrators, and it will further represent a wide cross-section as members are added to the criterion subcommittees.

“The individuals who have agreed to serve in this critical capacity and take on the task of gathering a broad range of evidence deserve our gratitude and support as they conduct this work over the next 26 months,” Girod said.

KU’s self-study will be submitted to HLC in fall 2024. The peer review team is expected to visit campuses as part of its evaluation process early in 2025.