What is accreditation?

• Assuring and advancing the quality of higher education.
• Required to be eligible for federal student financial aid
• Validates USAO’ standing in requests for public or private support.

Who is USAO’s accreditor?

• The Higher Learning Commission (HLC, for short).
• USAO last received 10-year continuance of accreditation in 2010. 

When is USAO’s visit with the HLC?

• External review team was on campus March 30-31, 2020.

What will occur during the HLC visit?

• A peer review team will spend two days on USAO’ campus.
• Team members will tour campus, meet with administrators, students, staff, faculty, and board members in both formal meetings and open forums, and evaluate assurance argument.
• The team will seek to verify the information provided in the Assurance Argument and review USAO’ policies, procedures and strategic plans.
• During this time, the team members will be determining whether USAO meets the standards for reaccreditation. 

What can I do to prepare for a successful visit?

• Be familiar with HLC Criteria for Accreditation.
• Read the Assurance Argument.
• Be familiar with USAO’ Mission and Strategic Plan.
• Participate in open forums.
• Be on campus and available.
• Be prepared to answer questions appropriate to your role’s contribution to the institution.

Staff

• What can USAO be most proud of in services offered to students?
• What area is of most concern in Student Services?
• What is your impression of the campus climate?
• Does USAO have appropriate policies and procedures in place?
• Is there equity among departments relative to funding, staffing, space, support service?
• How are planning and budgeting tied together?
• How is quality documented within your department?
• Tell us about significant changes in recruitment and retention over the past 5-10 years.
• Is enrollment rising/falling/stabilized? What are the reasons for this?
• Describe USAO’ retention
• Are you aware of how the accreditation process works?
• What can you say that would help the team to make a fair evaluation of USAO

Students

• What can USAO be most proud of in services offered to students?
• What is the aim of the Interdisciplinary Studies core curriculum?
• What are the best attributes of this university?
• Do students actually receive what USAO promises in the catalog, materials and website?
• What kinds of changes are taking place within the university? Do you see these changes as positive or negative? How will these changes impact USAO?
• Do students have an opportunity to provide the administration with input?
• Does USAO offer programming in support of diverse populations?
• Did you know an HLC Accreditation Team was coming?
• If someone gave USAO $1 million, how would you recommend it be spent?

Faculty

• How does USAO assure its Interdisciplinary Studies core curriculum is high quality?
• What is USAO doing to assure an environment that is welcoming, inclusive and increasingly diverse?
• Describe USAO’ diversity efforts regarding student and faculty recruitment and retention?
• Are the faculty and staff participating in the planning for the future?
• Is the morale of the faculty and staff positive?
• How does USAO provide support for student learning and effective teaching?
• How does USAO assure quality in its educational programs?
• What improvements have resulted from assessment?
• How do program assessment results impact your planning process?
• Do faculty have the necessary infrastructure and resources to support effective teaching and learning (i.e., technology, laboratories, libraries, performance spaces, museum collections)?
• In what ways do faculty and students contribute to scholarship and creative work at USAO?
• How does USAO encourage or support student or faculty research, creative activity, discovery?
• How does USAO ensure the acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge responsibly?
• Tell us about the trends in enrollment over the past 10 years. Is enrollment rising/falling/stabilized? What are the reasons for this?
• What programs are growing? What programs are not growing?
• Describe USAO’ retention efforts
• How were you involved in the accreditation process?
• Have you read any of USAO’s accreditation materials?
• Do you believe that the narrative accurately represents USAO? What, if anything, would you add? What, if anything, would you change?