The University of Colorado at Boulder will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit Feb. 22-24 next year by a team representing The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. CU-Boulder has been accredited by the commission since 1913.
The Higher Learning Commission is one of six accrediting agencies in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Institutional accreditation evaluates an entire institution and accredits it as a whole. Other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs. Accreditation is voluntary. The commission accredits approximately 1,100 institutions of higher education in a 19-state region. The commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
For the past year and a half, CU-Boulder has been engaged in a process of self-study, addressing the commission's requirements and criteria for accreditation. The evaluation team will visit the institution to gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate. The team will recommend to the commission a continuing status for the university. Following a review process, the commission itself will take the final action.
The public is invited to submit comments regarding the university.
"I am inviting our entire community to give the commission substantive input on the university," said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. "Accreditation is vital to both the public's confidence in us, and our confidence in ourselves and our mission. Please write to the commission and give it the input it needs to understand and evaluate the university thoroughly."
Comments should be submitted to:
Public Comment on the University of Colorado at Boulder
The Higher Learning Commission
30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602
Comments must be received by Jan. 22, 2010, and must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs, must be in writing and signed, should include the name, address and telephone number of the writer, and cannot be treated as confidential.
For more information about CU-Boulder's reaccreditation process and to view the self-study, please see .
For more information about the Higher Learning Commission, please see .