The University of Iowa’s accreditation is once again under review. A team of peer reviewers is on campus this week meeting with school officials, faculty, staff and students to take a deeper look at the school's status.
This comprehensive review of the University of Iowa’s accreditation happens every 10 years. It’s an opportunity for school leaders to outline their policies and procedures, and their plans for the future.
Administrators provided hundreds of pages of policy analysis and documentation to demonstrate the work they're doing. It's up to representatives of the Higher Learning Commission, which grants the school's accreditation, to review the documents, gather their own evidence and make a final determination.
The team of peer reviewers on campus this week is made up of professors from other schools, representing the HLC. They’re meeting with university administrators in formal sessions, as well as holding open meetings with faculty, staff and students to gauge their perceptions of the school's status.
Heather Berg is with the HLC and says the campus visits are intended to help the review team get a fuller impression of the school, and determine whether the UI's stated policies are lining up with what the campus community sees day to day.
“All people on campus are part of that community and we’re aware that they participate and can help demonstrate whether the policies and practice that are in place are…occurring as they’re written,” she said.
Berg says the HLC will consider whether the UI is meeting the organization's criteria, which span categories of school mission, institutional integrity, teaching and learning metrics, and institutional effectiveness.
“Is this institution as a whole providing quality education? And also, constantly improving," Berg said. "That’s another thing we look at is the advancement of higher education, so what are they doing to improve?”
The peer reviewers will analyze whether the UI is meeting the HLC's requirements and will draft a report for the HLC, which the university will be able to review and respond to.
It could take three to six months for the HLC to make a final decision.
