CSC gets high marks from accreditation team
Although the process isn’t quite complete, Chadron State College employees had cause for celebration Wednesday morning when the Higher Learning Commission’s five-person evaluation team revealed its findings after a visit to the CSC campus this week. The team members, who examined nearly every aspect of the college, will convey to the HLC North Central Association of Colleges and Schools’ Board of Trustees that Chadron State meets all five criteria and that it found no serious concerns.
They also will not request any follow-up visits and will suggest that CSC’s next evaluation occur in 2016-17, the maximum time allowed between reaccreditation approval.
Dr. Lois Veath, Chadron State’s vice president for academic affairs who led Chadron State’s preparations for the accreditation process, said she couldn’t be more pleased with the results of the visit.
“Only 20 to 25 percent of colleges and universities go through the process without follow-up activity, so the team’s recommendations make us extremely happy,” Veath said.
Chadron State President Dr. Janie Park said the findings are extremely encouraging, but noted that the process won’t be finalized until the HLC Board of Trustees reviews the information submitted by the visitation team. The final report is expected to be finished this fall.
“We now have external confirmation of what I have known all along -- we have an excellent college, excellent academic programs, excellent student services, and excellent administrative services,” Park said. “I feel very proud to be the president of this remarkable college.”
The five criteria for accreditation are mission and integrity; preparing for the future; student learning and effective teaching; acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge; and engagement and service.
Prior to the visit, Chadron State personnel prepared and submitted a 200-page self study report to the HLC. The team members, which consist of higher education professionals from other colleges and universities, used their time on the CSC campus to determine if the report was consistent with the college’s actual operations and also evaluated the institution’s capabilities. The preliminary report that the team drafted while on campus will be scrutinized by two more panels before being submitted to the HLC Board of Trustees for validation.
Chadron State has been continuously accredited by the North Central Association since 1915. Accreditation assures that institutions provide a quality education. Colleges and universities that do not receive accreditation from the HLC lose eligibility for several types of federal support.
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