By: UAS Whalesong

Accreditation Basics

_{What is Accreditation?}

• Accreditation is a voluntary process of recognizing educational institutions for performance, integrity, and quality
• Accrediting associations are not associated with local, state, or the federal government.
• Accreditation allows an institution eligibility to participate in the Higher Education Act.
• UAS has been accredited by NWCCU since 1983

_{What is the Accreditation Process?}

• The process requires institutions to continually examine their own goals, operations, and achievements.
  • This is demonstrated through comprehensive reports and peer evaluation site visits.
• The focus is on the institution as a total operating unit, examining an institution’s mission, objectives, student support services, library and information resources, and finances and facilities.
  • The process does not review any particular program in great detail, but reviews them as part of the entire institution.

_{What is the Accreditation Cycle?}

• Currently NWCCU operates on a 7 Year Cycle?
  • UAS Accreditation Webpage
  • Annual Reports: Basic institutional data for monitoring institutional trends and changes.
  • Year 3, Mid-Cycle: report & site visit completed to determine readiness for the year seven review (UAS site visit was virtual)
  • Year 6, Policies, Regulations, and Financial Review (PRFR) report: review elements of governance, resources, and capacity
  • Year 7, Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE), followed by an evaluation committee site visit. UAS is in year 7 of the Accreditation process.

NWCCU Site Visit Basics

_{Site Visit Dates}

• Ketchikan Campus: Monday, April 13th
  • NWCCU Peer Evaluation Team Chair
• Juneau Campus: Wednesday, April 15th – Friday, April 17th

_{Open Forums}

All forums will be held in Egan 112 and through zoom

• Student Forum
  • Thursday, April 16th: 11:00 am – 11:50 am
  • *Note – only faculty are allowed to attend this session
• Faculty Forum
  • Wednesday, April 15th: 2:10 pm – 3:00 pm
  • *Note – only faculty are allowed to attend this session
• Staff Forum
  • Thursday, April 16th: 9:00 am – 9:50 am
  • Note* – supervisors are not allowed to attend this session

Purpose of Visit

• Evaluate how well we are fulfilling our mission, supporting student success, and engaging in continuous improvement.
• allows peer reviewers to validate the evidence in our reports:
  • Policies, Regulations, and Financial Review (PRFR)
  • Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness(EIE)
• Engage in conversation with faculty, staff, and students about our work.

UAS Mission

The University of Alaska Southeast is a student-centered university that provides instruction in
liberal arts, professional, and technical fields. On the homelands of the Tlingit, Haida, and
Tsimshian peoples, we serve the coastal environments, cultures, economies, and communities
of Alaska through interdisciplinary education, workforce development, and scholarship,
research, and creative activity.

Student Forum
Possible Questions
Choosing UAS:

• What brought you to UAS?
• What other schools did you consider and why did you choose this one?
  Advising & Academic Progress:
• Where do you get your information about course selection and your progress to your
  goal?
• Do you feel like the information you receive is timely and accurate?
• How easy is it to understand what courses you need to graduate?
• Have you experienced any barriers to progressing in your program?
  Student Support & Resources:
• Do you know where to go for help with
  ○ Academic support (tutoring, etc.)
  ○ Career exploration or planning?
  ○ Personal counseling?
• What resources at the institution are most important for your progress and your
  success?
  Student Experience & Learning (also Access/Flexibility)
  
• How would you describe your experience in your classes at UAS?
• Do your courses help you learn what you need for your life goals?
• Have you had opportunities for hands-on, experiential, or real-world learning?
• Are course formats (in-person, synchronous, asynchronous) meeting your needs?
• How easy is it for you to access courses, especially if you are balancing work, family, or
  distance?
  
  Belonging/Environment at UAS:
  Do you feel like you belong at UAS?
  Do you feel respected and supported by faculty and staff?
  How does UAS support students from different backgrounds and communities?

Policies, Process & Student Rights:

• If you have concerns about a faculty, student, or staff member, do you know how to
  address those? Do you know the institution’s processes for complaints or grievances?
• If you could make recommendations to college leadership that would make the institution
  better, what would you recommend?