Northwestern is undertaking an institutional reaccreditation review this academic year that will conclude in a visit to the University in April 2015 by a seven-member evaluation team, the University announced Monday. The review is being done through the Higher Learning Commission and will occur under the direction of Provost Daniel Linzer.

“The reaccreditation process involves the entire University community, and the active engagement of the schools and administrative units in the this process to date has been outstanding,” said Jake Julia, associate vice president and associate provost for academic initiatives, in a news release. Julia said the process is a “team effort.”

The University must submit various materials to the team to be reviewed. The Office of the Provost has reached out to staff and faculty across all 12 undergraduate and graduate schools to acquire materials that will be summarized into two reports, according to the news release. One report will describe how NU has met the requirements for accreditation, and the other will include federal compliance data.

In addition, initial reports of the submitted materials will be drafted by the Assessment/Accreditation Council, which is made up of staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, members of the Faculty Senate and senior administrators. The Council is meeting monthly to develop the reports.

During the team’s visit, members will have the opportunity to meet with students, faculty and staff to address the information submitted by the University during open sessions.

Students will also have the opportunity to be involved in the reaccreditation process though a student satisfaction survey distributed by the Higher Learning Commission.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @olivesocean