SUBJECT: Reminder – 2023 Higher Learning Commission Visit

Greetings, colleagues:

I hope everything is going well and your semester is off to a wonderful start.

I’m writing to remind everyone that the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) will be visiting our campus for a comprehensive evaluation visit next fall (November 13 and 14, 2023).

For those unfamiliar with HLC, the organization is our campus’s accreditation body and is tasked by the federal government with reviewing higher education institutions to ensure accountability and quality of student learning, assessment, resource allocation, and all other aspects of operations. A successful HLC review is necessary to receive federal funding, including student financial aid.

I am pleased to report that the preparation efforts are going well. In 2017, we had a successful interim HLC visit and our campus continues to do well in many of the core areas of HLC concern, including assessment, program reviews, general education (DDC) program, and our composite financial indicator. Many individuals are responsible for the position our campus finds itself in as the successful operation of a university doesn’t happen overnight.

To be sure, more work needs to be done before HLC comes next fall. A core HLC coordinating group has been working to draft the narrative report argument for the HLC visit which will be published later this fall for the campus community to review. In addition, over the course of the next year, representatives from the HLC coordinating group will be visiting select groups and offices on campus to provide more details on issues that may be a focus of the HLC visit. Yet, the most important efforts for a successful visit happen everyday through the outstanding faculty and staff who continually show their commitment to the mission of this university.

I promise to not send weekly updates on our HLC efforts, but I will communicate out to campus when necessary. I also encourage you all to visit the HLC – 2023 Visit Preparation webpage which includes an overview of accreditation, listing of HLC policies and practices, preparation timeline for the HLC visit, notice of HLC comments, FAQ section, and the members of the HLC coordinating group.


Thanks and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.


Mitch

Mitchel A. Sollenberger, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Professor of Political Science
University of Michigan-Dearborn
313-593-5030
Mitchel Sollenberger website