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Reaffirmation of Accreditation

WMU is currently working on the components of the comprehensive evaluation process which culminates on April 12-13, 2021 with a remote visit by a peer review team.

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Updates

Updates

 

Wednesday, April 14

Peer Review Visit Concludes

WMU's HLC peer review visit has drawn to a close! The Core Team wishes to thank the hundreds of stakeholders that participated in every phase of this process. Your commitment and dedication to the fulfillment of WMU's mission was clearly evident to all. Your hard work over the past 10 years is impressive and was well-received by our reviewers. The HLC peer review team will now draft their assessment report and provide WMU with the opportunity to review for factual corrections before a final decision is made by the HLC Institutional Actions Council. We expect their report and determination in early fall 2021. Again, thank you all for the countless hours of work, dedication, and determination that have gone into making this valuable process a success!

 

Friday, April 9

Comprehensive Evaluation Schedule

Monday, April 12

9 a.m.
Meeting with the President and Cabinet

30 minutes

9:45 a.m.
Academic Affairs

30 minutes

10:30 a.m.
Writing Team

30 minutes

10:30 a.m.
Campus Tour

1½ hours

11:15 a.m.
First Drop-in Session

45 minutes

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12:15 p.m.
Luncheon with Members of the Board of Trustees

1 hour

1:30 p.m.
Criteria 1 & 2

1½ hours

3:15 p.m.
Criteria 3 & 4

1½ hours

4:45 p.m.
Review Team Debrief

15 minutes

 

Tuesday, April 13

9 a.m.
Criterion 5

1 hour

10:15 a.m.
Flexible Concurrent Sessions

1 hour

 

University Assessment Steering Committee, Institutional Effectiveness, WMU Essential Studies Executive Committee

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Faculty and Staff

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Students

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10:15 a.m.
Second Drop-in Session

45 minutes

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11:30 a.m.
Exit Interview

30 minutes

 

Monday, March 29

April 12 and 13 Drop-In Sessions

The Reaffirmation of Accreditation process provides opportunities for campus engagement, and our success depends on input from all members of the WMU community. Drop-in sessions will occur on the following dates via Zoom:

April 12, 11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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April 13, 10:15 to 11 a.m.

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  • April 7th 2 p.m.

HLC Information Session

Join the WMU Core Team on April 7th at 2:00 p.m. to learn about the HLC comprehensive evaluation process which culminates on April 12-13, 2021 with a modified site visit. The team will discuss WMU's assurance argument, the peer review visit, steps taken to prepare the campus community, and answer any questions. This session is open to all members of the WMU community.

  Join on Webex

Thursday, February 11

Peer Review Team Announced

Dr. Marius Boboc, Chair
Vice Provost for Academic Planning
Cleveland State University

Dr. Melissa K. Berke
Associate Dean
University of Nebraska at Omaha

Dr. Cynthia Howard Sims
Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs
College of DuPage

Dr. Robert L. Simpson
Provost Emeritus
Kettering University

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Reynolds
Associate Vice President for Assessment and Quality Initiatives
Marshall University

Dr. Joanne Liebman Matson
Professor
University of Arkansas at Little Rock

 

Friday, January 22

Student Opinion Survey

Want to make your voice heard? We're listening. On Monday, February 8, all Spring 2021 undergraduate and graduate students will receive an invitation to participate in our student opinion survey. The data collected through this survey will assist the HLC peer review team during their campus visit on April 12 and will be used to help us envision the future of WMU. The survey will be open until February 17.

About the Higher Learning Commission

  • What is the Higher Learning Commission?

    The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is a regional accreditor in the North Central region, which includes 19 states.

    Serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning.
    HLC Mission

    HLC assures that institutions of higher education are consistently improving, following federal guidelines, and grants accreditation status. Western Michigan University is on the Open Pathway and the re-accreditation visit will take place April 12-13, 2021.

  • What is the purpose of regional accreditation?
    The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by an institution of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Institutional accreditation applies to an entire institution indicating that each of an institution's parts is contributing to the achievement of the institution's objectives.
    U.S. Department of Education
  • How does this affect me?

    HLC accreditation touches every part of campus, from academic departments to financial aid to student services. It directly affects students, staff, faculty and administrators. WMU utilizes accreditation to focus on continuous improvement. Expect that WMU will continuously improve to provide a quality learner-centered education.