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By Melissa Neill. From the .

“Perhaps most impressive to the visit team was the way that students, faculty and staff articulated the mission and values as a touchstone for their work,” states the report. “When asked to list points of pride for St. Kate’s they uniformly identified one or more component parts of the mission (commitment to social justice, educating women, inclusiveness).”

Though mission is one of five criteria of accreditation — the others being integrity, quality of education, continuous improvement, and institutional effectiveness — it’s the foundation of St. Kate’s. Mission is what makes a Katie a Katie and builds an enduring connection to the University.

Quotes from the Higher Learning Commission's Reaffirmation Review final report, May 25, 2023.

Accreditation: a history

Accrediting is the practice of non-governmental, peer evaluation of both overarching institutions and of profession-specific programs. Since there is no United States federal accrediting body, and states vary in the degree to which they involve themselves, regional and national accrediting bodies have formed in order to standardize the level of quality in institutions and programs across the country.

The first regional accrediting agency was established in 1885, initially evaluating secondary schools and their ability to meet college admission standards. By the early 20th century, they also evaluated colleges and universities with a focus on faculty, program length, and admission requirements.

In 1952, the Department of Education began recognizing accrediting bodies and providing federal financial aid to veterans who attended accredited schools. The Higher Education Act of 1965 expanded access beyond veterans. Today, federally approved accrediting agencies work with higher learning institutions to elevate the quality of postsecondary education and ensure access to financial aid for approved programs.

In 1916, St. �������� first earned full accreditation by the then-North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, now HLC. Every 10 years, the University must receive reaffirmation of accreditation to maintain its standing. In year four of that cycle, St. Kate’s completes a check-in, followed by a quality initiative in years five through nine that encourages colleges and universities to continue to focus on improvement and growth.

A collective effort

Denise Baird, PhD, senior vice president for academic operations and student success/co-provost, led St. Kate’s most recent accreditation cycle. She kicked off work on reaccreditation almost as soon as she joined St. Kate’s in July 2020, initially establishing five faculty-staff teams to align with HLC’s accreditation criteria (see above).

Each team collected information, including supporting evidence of the University’s achievements in these areas. They also hosted listening sessions with faculty, staff, and students to unite data with real world experiences. Baird began to draft the submission for reaffirmation of accreditation in 2022 based on outlines from the teams. At the same time, she worked to complete and report on the HLC-required Quality Initiative, which focused on operational improvements in academic affairs.

Even afterward, what strikes Baird most is the clear commitment her colleagues demonstrated. “When asked, no one hesitated to provide what was asked for. Everyone across St. Kate’s was ready to support the project,” she says.

Bringing the report to life

Years of work culminated in a two-day, onsite visit from HLC members in April 2023, when groups of University members met with the visiting HLC team to bring the written report to life. The two days included both structured meetings with relevant St. Kate’s community members and open forums where anyone could provide feedback on St. Kate’s progress.

The visit was a rich opportunity for faculty, staff, students, and administrative members to reflect on the many facets of life, work, and study at the University.

“The process of accreditation helps a university do a full evaluation and reflection on how they’re doing across many criteria,” says Pa Der Vang, PhD, associate professor of social work. Vang was faculty senate president for the majority of the reaffirmation process. “It invites staff conversations around academics; faculty and staffing; diversity, equity and inclusion; and performance outcomes. I see this as a positive outcome of this process.”

Eva Ngono ’25 also recognized the value of community discussions, and helped promote the event among her peers to encourage their involvement in the open forums. 

“It’s not a surprise that a lot of people showed up,” says Sarah Schnell, vice president of human resources. “We are an institution that values hearing diverse thoughts. This whole process has demonstrated our employees’ commitment  to the greater good of the institution.”

In its final report, HLC affirmed the University’s commitment to its students, noting that “faculty are truly committed to their relationships with students, and to supporting individual students, in ways that surely manifest in increased retention and graduation.”

Accreditation isn’t just recognition of impactful student learning. It also allows the University to engage alumni and the broader community in its mission work. The HLC team specifically pointed to the success of the recent comprehensive campaign, LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence, as a manifestation of St. Kate’s ability to include the institution as a whole in a strategic initiative, and to engage alumni and the broader community in widespread support of the University.

“Accreditation means the degree you have, the one you worked so hard to earn while you were here, has value,” says Todd Deutsch, MFA, Alberta Huber, CSJ, Endowed Chair in the Liberal Arts and professor of art and art history. “Our alumni’s continued involvement with the University means something, and financial contributions change lives and have a positive impact.”

Ongoing growth

The commitment to maintaining and surpassing accreditation quality is ongoing — not just once every 10 years or at designated checkpoints. Baird notes that the University began the next 10-year process the same summer it was reaccredited, with semi-annual gatherings of University members who can speak to each of the five accreditation criteria. 

The University will also continue its focus on ongoing assessment of student learning and educational outcomes of students. HLC acknowledged this as an area for improvement while commending a new assessment toolkit and commitment to one-on-one support. The four-year check-in, in 2026-27, will include a special focus on this work.

As Baird shared in a campuswide email celebrating the successful results from HLC, reaffirmation isn’t just a box St. Kate’s checks to prove its worth to students  and partners. The University aims for excellence, and reaffirmation of accreditation is proof of the power to live the mission.

“Our reaffirmed accreditation should be a point of pride we all share, for this is not the effort of a single office or person,” wrote Baird to the University community. “This was the work of so many across our University over the past three years.”