Update on HLC evaluation and site visit

Dear colleagues:

As you are aware, the university has been preparing for the Higher Learning Commission’s next comprehensive evaluation and onsite visit, scheduled for March 11-12, 2024. Over the past year, this preparation has been facilitated by a core team and five criterion teams—we appreciate their efforts to date and their facilitation of an inclusive, transparent and collaborative process to develop an evidence-linked assurance argument, as well as other materials for the comprehensive evaluation. The preparation for institutional accreditation continues to be a university-wide effort, and we thank you for being partners in this endeavor.

The executive cabinet and college deans recently reviewed the assurance argument draft developed over the past eight months. This document includes evidence that demonstrates how UIC—as a diverse, urban, public research university—meets the HLC accreditation criteria and engages in continuous quality improvement across all operations.

In Fall 2023, the core team will provide an opportunity for the campus community to offer feedback regarding the current assurance argument draft, which will be posted in mid-September. Additionally, the criteria teams will provide an overview of the criteria and the current draft through campus presentations.

On Oct. 5-6, a three-person mock site review team will visit campus to share its review of the assurance materials and engage with key campus constituents as another way to prepare for the March 2024 site visit. During the mock site visit, and the actual site visit, the reviewers will also access links to university web pages, both as facilitated by the assurance argument links and at their discretion.

In advance of the mock site visit in October, please continue to review all web content in your units to ensure that all information is accurate and current. We strongly encourage you to complete this review by Sept. 15, 2023. You may also be contacted about the content and accuracy of specific webpages this semester, as criteria teams or review processes identify issues that need addressing. Additionally, the HLC peer reviewers in March will conduct course syllabi and faculty qualifications verifications by requesting a select sample of course syllabi and instructor-of-record credentials. The core team and college administration have been working collaboratively to establish a process that will allow the university to meet these requests.

Thank you again for your support and collaboration throughout the process of preparing for the upcoming visits. Please consult the UIC HLC website for details regarding the timeline and to stay updated on the progress made in preparing for the comprehensive review. You may also contact Ritu Subramony, director of accreditation, with any questions regarding the accreditation process.

Sincerely,

Karen Colley
Provost

Nikos Varelas
Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Effectiveness