Making the case for UW-Whitewater

November 17, 2014

As Warhawk graduates cross the stage at commencement, proudly bearing their purple-covered diplomas, they can rest assured their degrees are of high quality and their educational foundation strong.

By one measure of excellence, UW-Whitewater is about celebrate a big milestone: January 1, 2015, will mark the 100th anniversary of the campus's first accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

That designation is more than just a footnote in the university's online profile. It has real implications for students, for faculty and staff, and for the campus.

"Accreditation matters and the stakes are high," said John Stone, dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, and the campus's HLC liaison. "You have to be regionally accredited for your institution to be eligible to receive federal funding and compete in federal grant programs."

Since the campus's last reaccreditation efforts in 2004-05, UW-Whitewater students have received more than $638 million in federal funds, including financial aid and work study - a substantial amount of money that can impact whether or not a student attends college at all.

Accreditation is also a factor in how credits transfer from one institution to another, according to Stone. Overall, accreditation is a sign of quality - a weighty stamp of approval of a university's academic programs and operations.

For UW-Whitewater, it's time to make the case for renewal of that designation.

Stone, along with Greg Cook, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, are co-coordinators of the UW-Whitewater reaccreditation efforts. They are working with a team of more than 50 faculty and staff members and administrators in assembling materials in advance of the reaccreditation visit.

Collectively, the team will write enough to fill a short novel - up to 35,000 words. To support their arguments, they'll include more than 300 documents - evidence that UW-Whitewater is meeting the criteria for reaccreditation.
The report will focus on five criteria:

• mission
• integrity: ethical and responsible conduct
• teaching and learning: quality, resources and support
• teaching and learning: evaluation and improvement
• resources, planning and institutional effectiveness

Cook and Stone and the team began work in June, and will share their report with campus in March 2015. Everyone on campus is encouraged to review the report and offer feedback.

"We want to make sure we include the most outstanding programs, achievements and efforts, so if folks notice any omissions, they should let us know," Stone said.

UW-Whitewater will then need to have everything ready when the HLC visits campus Oct. 4-7, 2015.

"HLC will send five to seven people - known as peer reviewers - to campus. When they arrive, they will likely use their preliminary conclusions to guide interviews with people involved in preparing the reaccreditation materials, and hold open meetings on campus with faculty, staff and students," Stone said.

The open meetings could cover a variety of topics - everything from advising to classroom instruction to program evaluations. Faculty, staff and students will be identified and invited to participate in the weeks leading up to the visit.

Community members are also encouraged to participate in the reaccreditation process. UW-Whitewater will post a notice on its website and place ads in local newspapers in June, encouraging the public to send comments and remarks directly to the HLC in advance of the visit.

The HLC is expected to announce its findings one to two months after its visit.

Stone, who currently serves as a team chair in the HLC Consultant/Evaluator Corp, is convinced that UW-Whitewater will fare well in the reaccreditation process.

"When I visit other schools, I always come back with a much deeper appreciation for our institution," he said. "We tend to do things right."