Colorado State University Granted Continued Accreditation

Colorado State University has been granted continued accreditation for 10 years by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association, the agency responsible for providing institutional accreditation throughout the North-Central region of the United States.

"The University owes a great debt of gratitude to the many individuals who have worked so hard in preparing the self-study and in hosting the site visit team," said Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley. "The efforts which have been invested in the accreditation process have provided not only for our continued accreditation, which is an important outcome, but have also helped set the stage for development of our future plans as an institution."

Led by self-study co-coordinators Bob Jones and Alicia Cook, for 18 months beginning fall 2002 Colorado State was actively engaged in a detailed process of self-study, addressing HLC’s requirements and criteria for accreditation. Incorporating feedback and comments from university administration, faculty, students and staff, a self-study committee created a 430-page self-study accreditation report.

The university then underwent a comprehensive accreditation evaluation in February 2004 when an HLC-appointed team of educators visited campus to assess and evaluate all aspects of the university. The accreditation team gathered comprehensive evidence to ensure that the self-study was thorough and accurate and recommended to the HLC a continuing accreditation status for the university. Following a review process, the commission recently made its final decision to approve Colorado State’s continued accreditation for the full 10-year period.

The final self-study report includes details about the accreditation process, goals, timelines, university committees involved, HLC and other background information. Additional information is available on the university’s Advancing the Quality of Learning Web site at www.accreditation.colostate.edu.

Colorado State has been accredited by the HLC since 1925 and is accredited to offer all levels of higher education degrees through the doctoral degree level. To ensure academic excellence and fiscal stability, this accreditation requires an institutional review every 10 years.

The HLC, part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, is one of six accrediting agencies in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Accreditation through the HLC is voluntary. Institutional accreditation evaluates the entire university institution and accredits it as a whole. Other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs.

The commission, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, accredits approximately 950 institutions of higher education in the 19 state region of Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

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