Work on the accreditation report is moving along and we plan to share drafts of specific sections for review and comment through key college committees in late March and April. For example, our Shared Governance Council will likely be asked to review and comment on Criterion two, which we look at in more detail here. Other committees (such as AASC and APR) will also be asked to review sections relevant to their work at the NCTC. As a reminder, we have our ten-year site visit early this fall: Monday, September 30 through Tuesday, October 1, 2019.
Outlining Criterion Two is the primary focus for this month’s newsletter. Criterion Two states: “The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.” The core components for this criteria focus on integrity in our financial, academic, and personnel, and auxiliary functions. Examples of what the HLC looks at here include implementing and following policies and processes that ensure fair behavior; that we clearly represent costs program requirements to students; that, as an institution we demonstrate commitment to ‘freedom of expression and the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning;’ and that our policies and procedures ensure integrity in the use of information resources by faculty, staff, and students. Finally, this criterion includes a look our governance by the Minnesota State Board of Trustees to ensure that their governance is independent and delegates the management of the institution to administration and faculty in the oversight of academics.
This is just a quick overview. To see the details of Criterion Two, visit https://www.hlcommission.org/Policies/criteria-and-core-components.html. To learn more about the HLC, visit https://www.hlcommission.org/.
