2008 Woodie Awards
UA receives high praise from higher learning commission
Larry Burge
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: News
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A 12-member commission called UA a first-rate institution and gave the university's overall education process high praise.
The Higher Learning Commission of Colleges and Schools teamed up on UA's campus last April. Its members included another university's president and other schools' assorted college deans and professors. The team reviewed 67 UA documents, materials and Web pages. They held almost 100 interviews with a range of UA administrators, faculty, staff, students and associates to evaluate how the UA presents its opportunity for students to learn.
"Accreditation is a voluntary procedure aimed to give educators a process for improving student achievement," according to a UA press release. "To earn accreditation, schools must meet high quality standards, be evaluated by an outside group of professionals and have in place a school improvement plan that focuses on student performance."
"The Higher Learning Commission did a very thorough analysis of our programs. To earn reaccreditation is a mark of excellence for any university, but beyond that the report is a very gratifying," said UA Chancellor John A. White.
The UA's sense of direction and accomplishments, overall morale of faculty, staff and students impressed the visiting commissioners. Since the last commission evaluation in 1997, the commissioners wrote, "the UA has transformed itself."
Their account gave praise for the 2010 Commission and the role its four reports have played in the decade-long process to make a change toward excellence at the UA.
"Their comments show they understand what we have accomplished in the past decade and what we are still trying to do," White said. "Their praise is, of course, very welcome, but their recommendations strike me as being right on the mark and will prove to be very valuable to the university."
The report supported Chancellor White's decision in 2000 to take the UA toward a world-class, student-centered research university by stating "the 2010 Commission's approach to institutional planning and change could be used as a highly successful model by other institutions of higher education interested in deep and extensive planning and transformative change."
The Higher Learning Commission of Colleges and Schools teamed up on UA's campus last April. Its members included another university's president and other schools' assorted college deans and professors. The team reviewed 67 UA documents, materials and Web pages. They held almost 100 interviews with a range of UA administrators, faculty, staff, students and associates to evaluate how the UA presents its opportunity for students to learn.
"Accreditation is a voluntary procedure aimed to give educators a process for improving student achievement," according to a UA press release. "To earn accreditation, schools must meet high quality standards, be evaluated by an outside group of professionals and have in place a school improvement plan that focuses on student performance."
"The Higher Learning Commission did a very thorough analysis of our programs. To earn reaccreditation is a mark of excellence for any university, but beyond that the report is a very gratifying," said UA Chancellor John A. White.
The UA's sense of direction and accomplishments, overall morale of faculty, staff and students impressed the visiting commissioners. Since the last commission evaluation in 1997, the commissioners wrote, "the UA has transformed itself."
Their account gave praise for the 2010 Commission and the role its four reports have played in the decade-long process to make a change toward excellence at the UA.
"Their comments show they understand what we have accomplished in the past decade and what we are still trying to do," White said. "Their praise is, of course, very welcome, but their recommendations strike me as being right on the mark and will prove to be very valuable to the university."
The report supported Chancellor White's decision in 2000 to take the UA toward a world-class, student-centered research university by stating "the 2010 Commission's approach to institutional planning and change could be used as a highly successful model by other institutions of higher education interested in deep and extensive planning and transformative change."
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