UConn Is Preparing For Its Ten-Year Reaccreditation

STORRS — The University of Connecticut is preparing for its ten-year reaccreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.

Comments from the public are now being sought for a self-study that has been prepared during the past 18 months as part of the reaccreditation process. The reaccreditation applies to all campuses of the university, including Avery Point, Stamford, Waterbury, Hartford, the Health Center, and the School of Law.

The committee doing the self-study is headed by Karla Fox, a professor of business law and special assistant to the provost.

The self-study focuses on 11 standards: mission and purpose; planning and evaluation; organization and governance; the academic program; faculty; students; library information and resources; physical and technological resources; financial resources; public disclosure; and integrity.

The report prepared by the UConn committee is posted to the Web at the accreditation website, www.neasc.uconn.edu.

An evaluation team from NEASC will visit the university from January 28 to 31 to complete the reaccreditation process. The committee will gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate and will make a recommend to the commission regarding the status of the institution. Following a review process, the commission will take final action.

The Commission on Institutes of Higher Education is part of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, one of eight regional accrediting bodies for educational institutions in the United States.

Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole.

The commission, recognized by the US Department of Education, accredits approximately 250 institutions of higher education in the six-state New England region. UConn has been accredited by the commission since 1931.

Accreditation is important, Fox said, because it is required for federal grants, research funds, and student loans; because employers often ask if a college, university, or program is accredited before deciding to provide tuition assistance to current employees, when evaluating the credentials of employment applicants, or before making a charitable contribution; and because state governments require that a college, university, or program be accredited when they make state funds available to students or institutions or allow students to sit for state licensure examinations in many professional fields.

Comments on the self-study must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution. The comments will not be treated as confidential. The comments should include the name, address, and telephone number of the person providing the comments and must be signed. They must be received by the commission no later than January 31.

Comments may be emailed to cihe@neasc.org or sent via US mail to Public Comment on UConn, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, 209 Burlington Road, Bedford MA 01730-1433.