UC s Reaccreditation Self-Study Highlighted at Annual Conference

The University of Cincinnati’s self-study report for reaccreditation will be on display at the 115th annual meeting of the Higher Learning Commission/North Central Association (HLC/NCA), which takes place April 9-13 in Chicago. Representatives of the UC self-study steering committee – including co-chair Ralph Katerberg, interim dean of the UC College of Business – will also be among the presenters at the annual conference, one of the largest events of its kind in higher education.

UC was notified of its reaccreditation last fall, following a two-year self-study examining how UC was meeting national standards for quality and accountability. The voluntary process for reaccreditation takes place every decade.

During a site visit involving a 10-member team of national consultant evaluators last spring, team chair Celestino Fernández remarked that UC’s materials could serve as a national model for other institutions undergoing reaccreditation, a two-year process.

“I was thrilled when the review team chair mentioned that he had rarely seen how a university could accomplish the transformation that took place at UC over the past decade,” said Lawrence J. Johnson, steering committee co-chair and dean of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH).

The conference is expecting 3,400 attendees. Many of them represent universities just beginning the procedure for reaccreditation.

The UC panel presentation is entitled, “Mobilizing the Research University for a Successful HLC Self-Study and Visit: Moving the Beast Without Getting Bit.” It will be featured in the HLC’s Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality. Katerberg says the UC report and presentation will serve as an example for other research institutions about creating a successful, reflective self-study for large, complex public universities.

Among the highlights of the presentation will be emphasizing successful organization of the report around early and efficient planning, inviting university-wide participation in the self-study, and preparing for the site visit, with an executive summary highlighting key findings of UC’s self-study report.

UC representation at the conference will include Katerberg; Nelson Vincent, associate dean for the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH); Cheryl Albrecht, associate dean for UC Libraries; and Simon Jorgensen, graduate assistant, CECH.