By Farris Willingham, Staff Writer
The university’s strengths and weaknesses will be evaluated in the upcoming reaccreditation.
Representatives from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association will visit OCU from Nov. 7-9 to consider reaccrediting the institution.
“They are a private reaccrediting agency that does the work of investigating, visiting and getting information from a number of colleges and universities in order to determine whether those higher education institutions ought to have reaccreditation, which is required for all kinds of things,” said Art LeFrancois, professor of law. “These agencies are continually rethinking their approach to assessing higher education.”
During their visit, the HLC representatives may approach students walking on campus, which isn’t something students should panic about, said Moose Tyler, visiting instructor of mass communications.
“The chances of seeing an evaluator is small, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared,” she said. “If that’s the case, then we would want anyone who’s approached to be honest.”
Students don’t have to memorize the mission statement, Tyler said.
“All they have to know is what OCU stands for, and that is student success, diversity, academic excellence, rigor, and service,” she said.
A reaccrediting information session will be hosted at 2 p.m. Oct. 26 for faculty and staff and 4 p.m. Oct. 27 for students in Room 151 of Walker Center for Arts and Sciences.
Steven Leahy, who is a part of the publicity team for reaccreditation, said he wants students to attend the information session.
“I hope that they take away that this is an opportunity for growth for the school and for each individual person here on campus,” the mass communications senior said. “It’s a chance to take a look at what we do and remember that it’s important and that it shapes the future.”
The representatives also will have an office space in the library, where they will conduct evaluations electronically, said Tom Brown, acting associate provost.
“There are six people on the team,” he said. “They may be looking at various things during their stay.”
To be reaccredited, a university must prove through a thorough self-study that it meets five criteria:
-mission and integrity,
-finances,
-planning and assessment,
-teaching and learning,
-instituting a culture of lifelong learning, and
-service and community outreach.
“Each of the five criteria is broken down into many, many sub-questions,” he said. “We try to respond by using examples of evidence in the self-study.”
It’s essential for schools to have accreditation because schools can’t receive federal funding otherwise, LeFrancois said.
“It is difficult to find higher institutions these days that do not receive or benefit somehow federal funds, which may be through loan guarantees,” he said.
The university also would lose its appeal to potential students and staff members, LeFrancois said.
“You wouldn’t want to be a four-year, liberal arts college that wasn’t accredited because that would tell all constituencies that there’s something unhealthy about the institution,” he said.
OCU won’t lose its accreditation though, LeFrancois said.
“For us, the question is not do we get reaccredited or not,” he said. “The question is what kinds of issues do we have that the HLC thinks we can and ought to do a better job with.”
Students and faculty can visit the Facebook page “OCU Self-Study” or follow @OCUReaccreditor on Twitter if they want quick, need-to-know information, Tyler said.
For more information on the criteria, self-study and the HLC, visit OCU’s website okcu.edu/selfstudy.
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