Today and tomorrow the Higher Learning Committee review team is visiting Oklahoma Christian University. This visit is crucial to the accreditation process, which occurs every 10 years for universities across the country. What is accreditation, and why is it important for students? The Talon sat down with Dr. Lowry, professor of communication, who explained the reasoning behind this process.
Accreditation is a review process in which an educational institution or program is assessed against a defined set of standards. This is voluntary in the United States and is performed by non-profit organizations across the nation. In the past, accreditation has been strictly regional; however, the choice now belongs to the education institution. The process is not pass-fail; rather, it is a continuous improvement model. A review team may give out a short accreditation, or probation, which will only last a few years until the next reassessment, if an institution is unsatisfactory.
Not only does accreditation keep educational standards high, it also allows students to obtain government funding. The United States federal government requires colleges to be accredited in order to be eligible to receive grants. In addition, graduate schools and other professional schools refuse graduates from unaccredited schools. Therefore, as an accredited institution, Oklahoma Christian students are able to receive Pell Grants and be accepted into professional schools. Another benefit of accreditation is the ability to transfer between schools; to transfer to an accredited college, you must be coming from another accredited institution. This verifies that the education or classwork that was completed previously was up to a national standard.
At Oklahoma Christian, the HLC review team will be meeting with many groups on campus, including the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff members, and other groups such as the Student Government Association (SGA). In addition to these conversations, the team will also walk around campus and talk with students. Today there is an open forum held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Williams-Branch Center for Biblical Studies (WBC) room 124. There are chapel credits available for any students attending.
The HLC team will then convene off campus but locally on Wednesday, April 1, and consolidate their findings about the university. More information may be requested from the university during this process. The assessment will also include a several hundred-page public document the university compiles on how the university meets the requirements for accreditation.
In a few weeks, a response will be sent to Oklahoma Christian about how the university should continue to improve in certain areas. These suggestions will come with plans of action, which the university may instate.
The Talon visited with Dr. Virginia Smith, the Associate Provost for Student Success and the Accreditation Liaison Officer, and she had the following to say.
What does accreditation mean to the typical Oklahoma Christian student?
“It is really important, not only to Oklahoma Christian but also to your future. Attending a university with accreditation guarantees that your degree is of the highest rigor and quality. Accreditation will make a huge difference when you enter the job market. Accreditation means that the university has put in the hard work to make sure that you receive the very best education possible as Oklahoma Christian educates, mentors and inspires learners to fulfill their God-given potential,” Smith said.
How important is accreditation to an institution like Oklahoma Christian?
“Accreditation basically puts a ‘stamp of approval’ on all credentials (degrees and other) that the university awards. Students and their parents want degrees from accredited institutions to facilitate entry into graduate studies or the job market,” Smith said.
How will Oklahoma Christian be better as a result of the work put into the visit?
“Every accreditation process is like having the opportunity to learn from a consultant. And learning helps Oklahoma Christian to grow as we learn to lean into our mission to educate, mentor and inspire learners to fulfill their God-given potential,” Smith said.
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