Reminder: HLC site team on campus Monday-Wednesday

September 18, 2013

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) site team will be on campus next Monday-Wednesday, Sept. 23-25, to evaluate the University of Michigan-Dearborn for continued accreditation.

Vision 2020

The university’s Vision 2020 website details information about the visit including the self-study report, visit schedule and a general briefing guide.

During the visit, faculty and staff members are encouraged to:

  • Be available. Site team members may have additional questions or request additional information. All faculty and staff are asked to be on campus Monday and Tuesday, September 23-24, and available for last-minute requests.
  • Attend the faculty and staff open forums. This is your opportunity to offer feedback and to help the site team more clearly understand the university and how it fulfills its mission.
    • Faculty open forum: Monday, Sept. 23, 3:30 p.m., Kochoff A, University Center
    • Staff open forum: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 4:30 p.m., Kochoff B, University Center
  • Encourage students to attend the student open forum: Monday, Sept. 23, 2:30 p.m., Kochoff A, University Center. We ask faculty members to excuse students from class during this time who would like to participate in this important process. Communications have gone out to students asking them to request permission ahead of time and present a “Student Open Forum Passport” to faculty members following the forum.

There are a number of ways in which faculty and staff can prepare for the visit:

  • Visit the HLC/Vision 2020 website to learn more about the process and read the executive summary and self-study report.
  • Review the general briefing guide, which gives examples of questions most likely to be asked and provides tips on how to prepare for those questions.
  • Review UM-Dearborn’s mission and goals for student learning. Consider the contributions you are making to the university’s mission and how your work contributes to accomplishing the HLC’s five criteria for continued accreditation:
    • Mission
    • Ethical and responsible conduct
    • Teaching and learning: quality, resources and support
    • Teaching and learning: evaluation and improvement
    • Resources, planning and institutional effectiveness

The visit is the culmination of years of work across campus. Hundreds of faculty, staff, students and outside stakeholders participated in the self-study process, reflecting on how the university upholds its mission. The results of the process—partnered with the university’s strategic planning process, Vision 2020—will guide the direction of the university in the years to come.