Accreditation
The University has received official notice from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of reaffirmation of our institutional accreditation status through 2026-2027, a small workgroup will be put in place to guide us in our ongoing accreditation obligations. With our strong evaluation, Creighton is eligible to be on the Open Pathway, which is an ongoing process along a 10-year cycle. In Year 4, we will be required to demonstrate how our institution meets the HLC criteria through an updated assurance argument. In Years 5-9, we will be required to identify and engage in a University-wide Quality Initiative of our 10-year cycle.
Fr. Hendrickson and Tom Murray join in thanking everyone who worked these past 2-3 years, preparing the campus community for the Comprehensive Evaluation visit, April 10-11. There are too many individuals to personally thank, but I would like to acknowledge the faculty, staff, and students who worked together on several teams to prepare background materials, which is a testament to the organization required to accomplish this monumental task; among them, the HLC Executive Team, our criteria writing teams, campus focus group and listening session participants, as well as the Deans, CSU Executive Team, and President's Council.
A special thank you to all who met with the HLC visiting team, particularly those of you who to attended the Open (Faculty, Staff, Criteria) Forums-more than one member of the team commented on both the quantity of participants and the quality of the feedback shared.
If you missed visiting with the team but want to know more about our submission, the Assurance Argument, and our previously submitted Quality Initiative Project, may be found on the HLC website. A report from the Higher Learning Commission will be issued and the information will be shared with the campus community when it is available (Fall 2017).
With appreciation to the members of the HLC Executive Team and numerous staff members, the 100-page assurance argument and sizeable Federal Compliance Report were submitted on Monday, March 13th. The team will be reviewing these documents, as well as the results of the student survey and 3rd party comments, as they prepare for their campus visit, April 10-11.
Information about the team and copies of our final assurance arguments are now available on the university?s Accreditation webpage (2016-2017 Comprehensive Evaluation Visit). Information on the campus interview schedule will be posted as it becomes available (I.e., once the team has constructed their schedules, early April). As always, you are encouraged to contact us with your questions, Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
The Higher Learning Commission's survey of Creighton students launched February 6 and will close on February 15, 2017; all students' survey results and comments are sent directly to HLC and a summary report will be shared with the accreditation visiting team. Fr. Hendrickson and I are reviewing the draft assurance arguments, and final editing of the document and compilation of the evidentiary documents continues, as does our completion of the sizeable Federal Compliance Report. The submitted assurance arguments will be shared with the campus in March, as will information on our visiting team and campus interview schedule (April 10-11, 2017). Until then, contact us with your questions, Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
A special thank you to Carol Zuegner, who over the holiday break, lent her professional, editing skills to our draft document. Using her feedback, final editing of the document and compilation of the evidentiary documents commences, as does our completion of the sizeable Federal Compliance Report. This final draft will be forwarded to Provost Murray and President Hendrickson later this month. Updated documents will be available for campus viewing in early spring, to include information on our visiting team and the upcoming Student Survey launch. Until then, contact us with your questions, Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
The HLC Executive Team thanks the members of the Creighton community (faculty, staff, students and administrators) for their feedback regarding the draft assurance arguments for the five core accreditation criteria. Editing of the document and compilation of the evidentiary documents continue, as does our completion of the sizeable Federal Compliance Report. Updated documents will be available for campus review in early spring; until then, you may contact us with your questions at Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
In the last few weeks, all faculty and staff should have received a short letter and an attached brochure, "Accreditation Assurance Process," which answers basic questions about the review process. If you would like additional copies of these materials or have questions, send your request/questions to Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
As we continue to prepare for our spring accreditation site visit, the HLC Executive Team invites all members of the Creighton community (faculty, staff, students and administrators) to provide feedback regarding the draft assurance arguments for the five core accreditation criteria. Starting Oct. 28 and extending into early November, the campus is invited to attend a series of Open Forums to ask questions and to provide feedback on our draft assurance arguments. The complete listing of open sessions is as follows:
Criterion 3. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources and Support
Criterion 4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement:
Criterion 1. Mission
Criterion 2. Integrity, Ethical and Responsible Conduct
Criterion 5. Resources, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
The draft documents also will be available online for review and electronic feedback, should you not be able to attend an open session. Campus announcements will be made as soon as the documents are available for review.
The University recently received HLC's response and review of our Quality Initiative Report. The review report stated that Creighton had successfully accomplished the goals outlined in the QI project, and the report was accepted by HLC.
The HLC Executive Team remains fully engaged with preparations for our April 10-11, 2017 visit. Our September activities include:
The Creighton campus should look for both the HLC Accreditation brochure and their invitation to review and comment on the university?s Assurance Arguments. In the meantime, you may access current updates by visiting our website regarding the accreditation process or direct your comments, questions and suggestions to Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
The HLC Executive Team has had a busy summer: submission of the Quality Initiative Report to the HLC; submission to present on "Establishing an Academic Planning Structure and Process" at the 2017 annual meeting; website reviews; syllabi repository construction; and significant work on our Federal Compliance Report and Assurance Argument. As we await the HLC report on our Quality Initiative project, the Executive Team remains fully engaged with preparations for our April 10-11, 2017 visit.
Assurance argument drafts are being finalized, reviewed, and edited; later this fall, the campus will have the opportunity to read and provide feedback. In the interim, the HLC Executive Team will continue to keep the campus updated on our work and progress; you may access current updates by visiting our website regarding the accreditation process or to follow campus developments. Please direct your comments, questions and suggestions to Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
Creighton University's Quality Initiative Report for the HLC was finalized in June and reviewed by the deans, Provost Tom Murray, and Fr. Hendrickson. The report is available for campus review on the university's accreditation webpage. Fr. Hendrickson approved the final report and Dr. Gail Jensen, our Administrative Liaison Officer, submitted the final report this month. The Quality Initiative Report provided us with opportunity to develop a more mature and system-wide process of institutional effectiveness that included a broader range of evidence, beyond finances and enrollment that can be used for decision making. The QI project involved three major initiatives: Annual Academic Effectiveness Reporting, revision of our traditional Academic Program Review processes, and implementation of a university-wide new academic program planning process. Collectively, they evidence Creighton's ongoing commitment to "continuous improvement" in our academic endeavors. The report will be reviewed by a team of peer reviewers, and we will receive a report from the HLC, prior to our April 2017 campus visit.
Summer remains a busy time for the HLC Executive Team as they remain fully engaged with preparations for the April visit and our Assurance Argument submission later this academic year. The criteria writing teams continue to edit, collect evidence, and elicit feedback from campus focus groups. The HLC Executive Team will continue to keep the campus updated on our work and progress; however, you may access current updates by visiting our website regarding the accreditation process or to follow campus developments. Please direct your comments, questions and suggestions to Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
Dr. Eric Martin, our HLC staff liaison, visited the Creighton campus on April 27th. Meetings with the President, Provost, Executive Vice President, and other administrative and governance groups allowed Dr. Martin to meet our senior leadership and HLC Executive Team members and to engage in discussion regarding our HLC documents and the April 2017 comprehensive evaluation visit. Eric Martin joined the Commission in 2010 as a staff liaison, served as the Director of the AQIP Pathway from 2012-2015, and now serves as Vice President and Chief of Staff.
Our HLC Executive Team will remain busy over the summer months, finalizing our draft of the Quality Initiative Report that will be shared with the campus prior to its August 2016 submission date; refining assurance arguments, enabling us to improve our drafts in preparation for sharing the accreditation assurance arguments with the larger campus community in fall 2016; and focusing attention on the currency and accuracy of our University web pages. The HLC Executive Team will continue to keep the campus updated on our work and progress; an HLC Calendar has been added to our website, where you may continue to access current updates regarding the accreditation processCampus Updates.
The HLC Annual meeting was held in Chicago, April 15-19, and a large contingency of Creighton faculty and staff attended the annual meeting. Drs. Brenda Coppard and Gail Jensen were joined by Valerie Calderon in their presentation on "What is the Value of a College Degree." Between now and next year's annual meeting, our Creighton campus still has much to do to prepare for our April 10-11, 2017 accreditation visit.
On April 27, Dr. Eric Martin, Creighton's HLC liaison, will be visiting our campus and meeting with President Hendrickson, Academic Council Executive Committee members, Dean's Council, Provost Council, among others. For a complete campus visit schedule, view here. This is an opportunity for Dr. Martin to better familiarize himself with our institution and for us to ask questions of him, regarding the HLC and our upcoming visit.
Our current HLC accreditation initiatives include: finalizing our draft of the Quality Initiative Report that will be shared with the campus prior to its August 2016 submission date; focus group responses to draft assurance arguments, enabling us to improve our drafts in preparation for sharing the accreditation assurance arguments with the larger campus community in Fall 2016; and focused attention on the currency and accuracy of our university web pages.
The HLC Executive Team will continue to keep the campus updated on our work and progress. The President's Council was provided an update on April 20; the Board will also be kept updated on our progress; and you may also access current updates by following these campus developments or by visiting our website regarding the accreditation process.
Campus Focus Groups Scheduled for Spring 2016
The HLC Executive Team has reviewed all Draft Assurance Arguments. Although the drafts are still incomplete (i.e., missing all evidence documents, descriptive rather than evaluative, "in process"), the HLC Criterion Team Chairs will be sharing these drafts with targeted focus groups in Spring 2016. View schedule of focus groups.
Focus group feedback will allow the writing teams to further refine their assurance arguments and/or identify additional sources of campus documents that evidence our compliance with accreditor standards.
Students Join Criterion Writing Teams
Your HLC writing teams continue the laborious process of identifying, collecting and analyzing organizational documents and reports so as to provide evaluative arguments that speak to our five criteria. New to the writing teams are our Student Members:
Criterion 1: Chad Nieri, College of Arts and Sciences
Criterion 2: Jhone White-Lucas, College of Arts and Sciences
Criterion 3: Evan Daugherty, School of Medicine
Criterion 4: Alex Peterson, Heider College of Business
Criterion 5: Kayman Nixon, Heider College of Business and Nicholas Tvrdy, College of Arts and Sciences
View complete listing of current Criterion Writing Team members.
Collection of Evidentiary Documents
Your HLC writing teams remain active during the summer months; a special note of appreciation for faculty on 9- or 10-month contracts who are working on their committees. Writing teams are identifying evidentiary documents they will require for their assurance arguments. Email the HLC Executive Team at Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu to request documents/information. Documents collected are being stored digitally and managed by our Evidence File team.
Criterion Writing Teams Formed
Thank you to all the 51 members of the Creighton faculty and staff who volunteered and/or accepted invitations to serve on our five criterion-based writing teams. These individuals will spend approximately the next 22 months writing, editing, and refining Creighton University's Assurance Argument, so as to allow us to evidence:
View complete listing of the HLC Criteria.
Seeking HLC Criterion Writing Team Members
In preparation for our 2016-2017 reaffirmation visit from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Creighton University HLC Executive Team invites individuals, with criterion-specific expertise, to forward nominations to participate on one of five writing teams (one team per HLC criteria); each writing team will consist of 5-7 individuals. The time commitment is February 2015-December 2016.
All nominees must have:
Nominations may be sent to: Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu and should include the following information:
View complete list of criteria and components:
Nominations should be submitted not later than January 14, 2015. Final selections will be made by Dr. Ed O'Connor and announced in January 2015. Individuals not selected may be called upon to serve as campus consultants during the evidence collection and report writing processes. If you have questions, please contact us at: Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu.
Members of the HLC Executive Team have been actively engaged in a series of campus HLC orientation presentations, fall 2014. For a complete list of presentations view the campus communication schedule; we hope you were able to attend an orientation session. If not, you may request a presentation by contacting us at Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu or you may access an informational handout or orientation materials at HLC Accreditation Overview 2014.
Spring 2015 will offer additional campus engagement opportunities, through a number of "campus listening sessions." View schedule of campus listening presentations in Spring 2015.
