What is accreditation?

Accreditation verifies that an institution meets specific criteria and offers quality education. In the United States, institutions voluntarily request accreditation from one of six regional associations. The regional association that accredits Raymond Walters College is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA). The Higher Learning Commission evaluates an entire institution to determine how well the institution fulfills its mission and meets the Commission's five criteria. The RWC self study and the subsequent evaluation by the HLC will cover admissions, student services, educational activities, student learning, governance, administration, financial stability, institutional resources, and relationships with internal and external constituencies.

What is the Higher Learning Commission?

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is a private organization with legal authority to perform the accrediting activities of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The North Central Association is a non-profit, voluntary, membership organization that was founded in 1895 to provide leadership to educational institutions. The Association is one of six regional institutional accrediting associations in the United States. Through its Commissions, it accredits educational institutions in the 19-state North Central region.

The mission of the Higher Learning Commission is

1. to establish requirements and criteria for the accreditation of institutions of higher education and accredit institutions found to meet those requirements and criteria;
2. to strengthen educational and institutional quality through its assistance to its affiliated institutions, its evaluation processes and its programs, publications, and research;
3. to advocate and exercise self-regulation in higher education through effective peer review; and
4. to provide the public with accurate information concerning the relationship of affiliated institutions with the Commission.

The Higher Learning Commission may be contacted at www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org or (800) 621-7440.

What is RWC's accreditation history?

When Raymond Walters College was established in 1967 as a regional campus of the University of Cincinnati, it came under the umbrella of the University of Cincinnati North Central Association accreditation. In 1969, Raymond Walters College achieved independent North Central Association accreditation. The second comprehensive visit occurred in 1979, followed by a Focused Visit in 1983-84. Raymond Walters College has been continuously accredited since that time. The most recent comprehensive visit occurred in 1998-99 and resulted in a 10-year re-accreditation. The next re-accreditation visit will occur in 2008-2009. For this upcoming accreditation, the college voted to follow the traditional Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality (PEAQ) process for seeking re-accreditation rather than the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) process.

What does accreditation mean to RWC?

Accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools confirms that the college meets the Commission's criteria and requirements and can continue to do so in the future. Accreditation confers status on our courses and degrees, facilitates transfer of credits and financial aid for students, and offers an assurance of quality to the public and to prospective students.

What are the criteria on which the college will be judged?

The broad criteria are listed below. For a full listing of criteria plus specific required core components please follow the HLC Criteria link.

1. Mission and Integrity. The organization operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff, and students.
2. Preparing for the Future. The organization's allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.
3. Student Learning and Effective Teaching. The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.
4. Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge. The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.
5. Engagement and Service. As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.

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