ASU Mid-South passes 4-year Higher Learning Commission comprehensive evaluation

ASU Mid-South passes 4-year Higher Learning Commission comprehensive evaluation

Institutional Actions Council reaffirms college’s accreditation for another 6- year period

ASU Mid-South The Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) formally accepted its Consultant Evaluation Team’s report on Arkansas State University Mid-South at its meeting on July 30, 2018. This action finalized the College’s 4-year HLC Comprehensive Evaluation and reaffirmed Mid-South’s accreditation for another 6year period.

The team of peer reviewers, representing other higher education institutions under the purview of HLC, visited the ASU Mid-South campus in March and evaluated the college on five criteria: (1) Mission; (2) Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct; (3) Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources and Support; (4) Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement; and (5) Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness.

After an extensive evidence review and interviews with faculty, staff, students, board members, and community members, the team found all criteria fully met, no areas for concern, and made no recommendation for monitoring. “That is very rare in today’s climate,” remarked Thomas Bordenkircher, Vice President for Accreditation Relations at the Higher Learning Commission. “It is such a pleasure to be your liaison given all the great work you are doing there.”

“Having our accreditation reaffirmed in such a positive way, particularly in light of all of the changes Mid-South has experienced over the past three years, is a testament to the on-going commitment of our faculty, staff, Board of Visitors, Board of Trustees, and the ASU System to providing accessible, quality higher education here in the Delta,” said Dr. Debra West, Chancellor or ASU Mid-South. “The criteria for accreditation are the tenets of what constitute a quality educational institution. Fortunately for us, a commitment to quality has always been a huge part of the culture here at Mid-South, so that makes the process of reaffirmation less of a burden that it might otherwise be. With that being said, it is not something we ever take for granted. Led by our Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Michelle McMillen, our campus put forth a tremendous effort to ensure our team of consultant evaluators get the full picture of who we are and what we do here.”

“For an institution that recently joined a system and experienced significant senior leadership change to receive such an overwhelmingly positive report is proof of the many good things happening at ASU Mid-South,” said Dr.

Charles L. Welch, President of the Arkansas State University System. “I could not be prouder of our faculty, staff, students and administration. Our future is exceedingly bright.”

Michelle McMillen added, “I am so grateful to the members of our HLC Planning Committee for all they did in preparation for the visit, and to the entire staff for all their hard work. We especially appreciate those community members who took time out of their schedules to be interviewed about their thoughts on ASU

how we are doing as a college. Being the HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer here at ASU Mid-South is really effortless, because we live and breathe the criteria every day in all aspects of the college.”

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting postsecondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes 19 states. The Commission relies on a cadre of carefully selected and trained professionals who serve the Commission in its accreditation processes.

This group of more than a thousand individuals share their knowledge of and direct experience with higher education, their dedication to educational excellence, and their commitment to the principles underlying voluntary accreditation.

For more information about the HLC, visit https://www.hlcommission.

org/ .

For more information about ASU Mid-South, visit https://www.asumidsouth. edu.

By Deborah Yen