Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent site visit. The evaluation team is preparing a report on the site visit, which will be shared on this site when it is final.
The University of Alaska Anchorage is in the process of renewing our institutional accreditation with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. This renewal is done through reaffirmation of accreditation on a regular cycle. This accreditation includes UAA and our community campuses in Kenai, Kodiak, and Mat-Su.
UAA has volunteered, along with three other institutions in the region, to serve as a pilot institution in the development of new accreditation process. This new process will focus on UAA's mission fulfillment, with an emphasis on how all units contribute together to the core themes of our mission, rather than looking at units as separate entities. The new process will still result in a self study, developed through shorter focused "chapters" submitted in March and September 2009, and March and September 2010.
An evaluation team visited UAA in Fall 2009 to assess how UAA applies its resources and capacities toward mission fulfillment, as outlined in the self review report submitted in September 2009. While on campus, the team met with campus leadership, held open forums for faculty, staff, students, and community advisors, and visited the Kenai Peninsula College campus. Another visit is planned as the culmination of this pilot process from October 4-6, 2010.
To help evaluate the extent to which we are achieving our mission, NWCCU requires institutions to select several core themes, representing different facets of the mission. The Chancellor's Cabinet, in consultation with the Accreditation Steering Committee, aligned the core themes with the five UAA 2017 Strategic Plan priorities:
Each of our administrative and academic units contributes to at least one of these core themes. Think about how your unit (and/or governance or other leadership group) contributes to our fulfillment of these core themes!
| Timeline for Reports & Other Milestones |
| 3/1/09 | Chapter 1: Mission, Core Themes, Goals, and Expectations | Submitted |
| 6/15/09 | Revisions to Chapter 1 on Mission, Core Themes, and Expectations | Submitted |
| 9/1/09 | Chapter 2* on Resources and Capacity | Submitted |
| 9/30/09-
10/2/09 | Site Visit on Chapters 1 and 2 (including a visit to Kenai Peninsula College) | Completed |
| 3/1/10 | Chapter 3* (Planning and Implementation) and Chapter 4* (Effectiveness and Improvement) | **Next!** |
| 9/1/10 | Chapter 5* on MissionFulfillment, Adaptation, and Sustainability | |
| 10/4/10-
10/6/10 | Site Visit on cumulative report (Chapters 1-5) (may also visit one or more community campus) | |
| *Note: Each submission builds on previous chapter(s) and is presented as a cumulative document with any updates since the last submission. |
Current Status
UAA submitted the Year Three report on September 1st. This report included an update to Chapter 1 (Mission, Core Themes, and Expectations), and Chapter 2, which described UAA’s Resources and Capacities to achieve our mission. An evaluation team visited campus to assess how UAA applies its resources and capacities toward mission fulfillment.
The site visit evaluation team will prepare a draft report in the next couple weeks. UAA will have the opportunity to correct any mistakes in the draft, which will then be submitted to the NWCCU. When the final site visit report is received, it will be posted on this site.
Contact information for the Accreditation Leadership Team
Megan Carlson, Academic Affairs, 786-1054
Bogdan Hoanca, Faculty Co-Chair, Computer Information Systems, 786-4140
Susan Kalina, Faculty Co-Chair, Russian & International Studies, 786-4031
Tom Miller, Academic Affairs, 786-1053
Accreditation Steering Committee Roster
Accreditation Documents
