Prepare for HLC Visit
The HLC site visit team will be at UND on April 22-23, 2024, as part of the University’s 10-year reaffirmation process.
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Reaffirmation is extremely important to the future of UND because accreditation ensures quality courses, administration and resources. Learn how to be prepared for the upcoming HLC visit.
About HLC Visit
Five open forums will be held on April 22 and 23 in connection with the Higher Learning Commission’s site visit to the University of North Dakota, a visit that is an important part of the University’s reaffirmation of accreditation.
These forums will be open to students, staff and faculty and will provide an opportunity to give feedback and discuss each criterion covered in UND’s written Assurance Argument. The document, a narrative in which the institution explains how it meets the HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation, was submitted to the HLC in March.
Participation in these sessions will help the site visit team learn more about the University and help with the final steps of the once-every-10-years reaffirmation process.
Visit Schedule
Each session will be focused on one of the five criteria. The schedule is listed below. The site visit team requests in-person attendance at these events. However, remote participation will be available for those off-campus.
Also listed on the schedule are drop-in sessions. For the HLC site visit team, these two sessions essentially are office hours and will be open for anyone on campus to stop by and visit. Members of the campus community are invited to introduce themselves and ask questions of the team, as well as talk about UND.
Monday, April 22
10:30 – 11:45 a.m. – Drop-in session for UND community
1 – 1:50 p.m. – Open Forum Session: Criterion 2 “Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct”
2 – 2:50 p.m. – Open Forum Session: Criterion 3 “Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources and Support”
3 – 3:50 p.m. – Open Forum Session: Criterion 5 “Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning”
Tuesday, April 23
9 – 9:50 a.m. – Open Forum Session: Criterion 1 “Mission”
10 – 10:50 a.m. – Drop-in session for UND community
10 – 10:50 a.m. – Open Forum Session: Criterion 4 “Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement”
Site Visit Team Members
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Assistant Provost and Director of Assessment
University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
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Professor, Faculty Fellow for Academic Planning and Improvement
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN
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Assistant Vice President & Dean of Students
Illinois State University, Normal, IL
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Dean, School of Education and Human Services
Oakland University, Rochester, MI
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Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management
Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
Criteria
UND will be assessed on five criteria, as evidenced through UND’s Assurance Argument submitted to the HLC in March.
How to Prepare
Below are key points for each criterion to help you prepare for conversations with the HLC site visit team.
The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.
- UND’s mission is: “To provide exceptional educational experiences that enrich the lives of North Dakotans and the global community through excellence in teaching, innovative research, and meaningful engagement.” It is articulated publicly, operationalized throughout the institution and demonstrates our commitment to the citizens of North Dakota.
- UND launched its new UND LEADS (Learning, Equity, Affinity, Discovery, Service) Strategic Plan in January 2023, demonstrating our educational role is to serve our students.
- The UND LEADS Strategic Plan impacts UND’s work by recognizing the importance of enhancing student success by fostering cross-cultural interaction, improving retention and completion rates, and enhancing learning and understanding in the academic realm.
The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.
- UND adheres to more than 150 North Dakota State Board of Higher Education policies and all applicable federal policies directly related to the responsible acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge by our faculty, staff and students.
- UND is committed to best practices, in policy and in implementation, related to academic and research honesty and integrity.
The institution provides quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered.
- UND employs approximately 2,800 staff members, including more than 700 full-time instructional faculty, and hundreds of part-time staff members serving in both administrative and instructional roles. UND has a 17-to-1 student to instructional faculty ratio.
- Our dedicated faculty and staff members provide services and instruction to our students, conduct original research, and serve the Grand Forks community as well as the State of North Dakota — ensuring that UND provides our students with effective, high-quality educational programs and services.
- UND provides student support services and support for student learning. Examples of this student support are numerous, and include: UNIV 101 courses, academic advising, the Recruitment/Retention of American Indians into Nursing program, the International Center, Veteran & Military Services, the University Counseling Center, the Wellness Center, One-Stop Student Services, Career Services, TRIO Programs, New Student Orientation, the Writing Center, and the Math Active Learning Lab (MALL) to name just a few.
- UND assures that our academic instructors are current in their disciplines, adept in their teaching roles and supports their professional development through the Teaching Transformation & Development Academy (TTaDA).
- TTaDA provides a wide array of services for faculty, graduate teaching assistants and staff, including training related to diversity and inclusion, book group discussions, both live and recorded training sessions, tutorials, assistance with course design for all delivery methods, and learning and development experiences.
- TTaDA’s programming also focuses on supporting the UND community as we navigate contemporary pedagogical issues in higher education, such as educating the UND community about the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence.
The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.
- UND conducts ongoing assessment of student learning as part of our commitment to our students’ educational outcomes. A major part of this process includes annual assessment reporting, including assessment of student learning and achievement of learning goals in both academic and cocurricular programs.
- UND engages in a systematic program review process, known as Academic Program Review (APR). This process occurs over a five-year cycle for all UND programs, including both graduate and undergraduate programs. The APR process demonstrates our commitment to the quality and continuous improvement of our educational programs and student success, as well as provides insight into how curriculum, scholarly activity and service advance the University’s mission to serve the state and global community.
- UND strives to improve retention, persistence and completion rates across all our degree and certificate programs. UND accomplishes this by providing services such as academic advising and tutoring, career services, writing assistance, and assistance with library research for our students – whether they are on campus or online.
The institution’s resources, structures, and processes are sufficient to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.
- UND allocates appropriate resources to align with our mission and priorities and has a robust resource base that supports our educational offerings and plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future.
- This is evidenced by the support from the State of North Dakota (more than $100M annually), our Moody’s bond rating (A1 and Aa3), and the fiscally responsible Model for Incentive-Based Resource Allocation (MIRA) budget model.