Academic Affairs
Accreditation Site visit at SOU
On October 24-26, SOU will undergo a comprehensive evaluation for the renewal of our accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
Reaffirmation of our accreditation is essential to the continuing operation of Southern Oregon University, and it certifies our good standing among the nation's institutions of higher learning.
During our site visit, SOU will host ten evaluators from universities across the west (assisted by one NWCCU executive) who will visit individuals and groups at SOU to evaluate how we meet the standards set by NWCCU.
What is accreditation
Regional accreditation of postsecondary institutions is a voluntary, non-governmental, self-regulatory process of quality assurance and institutional improvement. It recognizes higher education institutions for performance, integrity, and quality to merit the confidence of the educational community and the public. Accreditation by a postsecondary regional accrediting agency also qualifies institutions and enrolled students for access to federal funds to support teaching, research, and student financial aid.
What is the NWCCU
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), based in Redmond, Wash., is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the regional authority on educational quality and institutional effectiveness of higher education institutions in the seven-state Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. It fulfills its mission by establishing accreditation criteria and evaluation procedures by which institutions are reviewed.
The Commission oversees regional accreditation for 160 institutions. Its decision-making body consists of up to twenty-six Commissioners who represent the public and the diversity of higher education institutions within the Northwest region.
Preparation
Over the past two years, many members of the campus community have assumed leadership roles in service to the institution to prepare for this site visit. Additionally, many members of our campus community have been involved in the preparation of unit self-evaluations which, in turn, formed the foundation for this report and for preparation for this visit.
Many voices will be heard
Several opportunities have been scheduled for the campus to provide input to our accreditation evaluators. In addition to requests from evaluators to meet with individuals and small groups in specific units, we have scheduled separate open meetings for the evaluators to meet students, faculty members, and staff and learn more about SOU.
At the conclusion of the week, there will be a public announcement of the results of the site visit. A summary of these campus community events follows.
Wednesday, Oct. 24
- 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Open forum for students (Hannon Library, Meese Room, Room 305)
- 2:45 p.m. - 4 p.m.: Open forum for faculty members (Hannon Library, Meese Room, Room 305)
Thursday, Oct. 25
- 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.: Open forum for staff and administrators (Hannon Library, Meese Room, Room 305)
Friday, Oct. 26
- 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.: Public announcement of site visit findings (SU Rogue River Room)
We hope that many member of the SOU campus community will take the opportunity to participate in the open meetings to enable us to complete this important step of our accreditation renewal.
