News

In all previous reviews, SIUE met all of the accreditation and compliance standards required. The HLC conducts Quality Checkup visits to institutions during the fifth or sixth year in every seven-year cycle of AQIP participation. SIUE hosted its Quality Checkup visit during March 2014.

The visits serve to verify the systems portfolio, assess progress on opportunities for improvement and examine federal compliance. They also determine whether the institution continues to meet the HLC’s criteria for accreditation, uses quality management principles and builds a culture of continuous improvement, as AQIP participation requires.

“We have met all of the criteria and are positioned well to continue to deliver the highest quality education,” said Julie Furst-Bowe, SIUE chancellor.

Highlights of the review included:

• SIUE demonstrated a concentrated concern for Helping Students Learn followed by interest in improving leadership and engagement of employees.
• SIUE has clearly established a culture of continuous improvement which is visible in several ways, including the construction of an all-purpose student success center, an advising plan, an all-encompassing academic assessment process, learning opportunities for students outside of the classroom and the attention to retention issues.
• SIUE has a renewed commitment to its quality journey with the change of leadership and University Quality Council improvement processes. The University made changes to its administrative support for continuous improvement, assessment, diversity, faculty development and curriculum development. Its BRIDGE program and reorganization of advisement and academic development, supported with data analysis for informed decisions in a more formal integration of assessment, will lead to enhanced best practices and understanding of its student learning and achievement.
• SIUE has committed to a vision for student learning and has developed long-term goals to focus its efforts, developing annual action plans in a more coherent and systematic alignment with its structures and processes.

“The latest review from the HLC is a clear reflection of SIUE’s devoted attention and on-going commitment to our students,” said Dr. Parviz Ansari, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “Our success is a result of our faculty and staff’s hard work and passion for higher education.”

Associate Provost Denise Cobb is responsible for overseeing the University’s accreditation and quality assurance processes.