Inside Iowa State

Jan. 27, 2006

HLC accreditation

Self-study ready for review team

by Diana Pounds

A Web-based self-study soon will be submitted to the external team that will make recommendations on the next accreditation of Iowa State University.

The team -- nine individuals from other universities -- will review the self-study over the next few weeks in preparation for a visit to the Iowa State campus March 27-29. A schedule for the external review team's visit will be announced later.

The self-study Web site contains 120 pages of information about Iowa State and links to even more detailed information, said David Holger, associate provost and leader of the self-study steering committee. The Web site is at http://www.iastate.edu/~accreditation.

The self-study and subsequent campus visit by the external team is part of the Higher Learning Commission's re-accreditation review of Iowa State.

The team will recommend whether Iowa State should be re-accredited and for how long. The maximum re-accreditation period is 10 years. The team also likely will make suggestions on how the university can improve and may require follow-up reports on changes it suggests.

The team will submit its preliminary report on Iowa State's accreditation sometime in late spring. ISU officials will have an opportunity to respond, and a final team report likely will be released in early June.

Public comment

As part of the review, the external team seeks public comments about Iowa State. Anyone inside or outside the university can submit comments to the review team. The comments should pertain to the quality of the institution or its academic programs. Public comments cannot be treated as confidential. They must be signed and submitted by Feb. 27 to:

Public Comment on Iowa State University

Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400

Chicago, IL 60602

Iowa State's self-study, a 120-page Web-based document, is a key source of information for the external team that will make recommendations on the university's next accreditation.