THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2015
PAGE 3
+
University undergoes accreditation renewal process
LANE COFAS
@alleynahC
A team comprised of representatives, faculty and administrative personnel from universities in the same region visited the University from Feb. 9-11 to review its written executive summary in hopes of the University renewing it's accreditation.
Accreditation is a process that occurs every 10 years at a participating university where a steering committee, appointed by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), visits the school and reviews its written self-study to further confirm that the University is following through with what it claims to have done in the
summary.
This self-study is a 200page document, written by a team of individuals from the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at the University. The document explains how it reaches all five of the criteria and the respective components that are a part of the accreditation process, created by the steering committee. The five criteria include mission; integrity; quality, resources and support; evaluation and improvement; and resources planning and institutional effectiveness.
written by the University.
After reviewing the criteria, the committee writes a report in response to the executive summary
Dr. Craig Schnell is a professor of pharmaceutical science at North Dakota State University and was a chair member for the University's steering committee.
"What we're doing is we are validating the self-study," Schnell said. "We're here to check up and make sure it represents what the institution says."
The individuals who make up the steering committee are chosen based on schedule availability and what kind of members are needed to comprise a whole team and its hierarchy.
committee is appointed which is comprised of administrators, staff and student representatives along with representatives from the Lawrence, Edwards and KUMC campuses. This committee is the group of people visiting a school. Under this committee are four subcommittees comprised of approximately 20 members each.
According to the University's 2015 HLC Accreditation webpage, a steering
Schnell said accreditation benefits not only the University, but it's students, as well.
Attending an accredited university is important for current and potential students. Susan Twombly, steering committee chairperson, said an accredited university means
students are able to receive loans, apply for federal grants and transfer in credits from other schools if they are also accredited.
"Being accredited means a lot for the University," Twombly said. "So in order to receive Title IV, which enables you to get a student loan, the University has to be accredited."
According to the University's website, the accreditation process is as follows: A self-study report is prepared by the University, along with a federal compliance report. There is later an offer for third parties to contribute their thoughts and ideas to the study, and a survey put out for students to participate.
utter these steps, there is a two-and-a-half day visit for a team to visit the University. The team will then write up a report to correct any potential errors that do not line up with what is happening at the University, followed by a final decision by the HLC.
The University has been accredited since Jan. 1, 1913, according to the University's executive summary.
The HLC is one of six nation-wide accreditation organizations. It serves the North-Central region of the country, which includes 19 states. Becoming accredited is optional for any university in the country.
Kansas lawmakers move to protect $280 million for roads
- Edited by Samantha Darling
Democratic state Rep. Barbara Ballard, left, of Lawrence, consults Democratic Rep. Jerry Henry, right, of Atchison during a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee on budget-balancing proposals Thursday. Jan. 29 at the Statehouse in Topeka. Democrats are concerned about a proposal to delay $20 million in aid payments to public schools for four months.
NICHOLAS CLAYTON Associated Press
JOHN HANNA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — A House panel has proposed scaling back the governor's plan to strip $724 million from transportation projects, arguing that such a large cut would delay road repairs and drain a budget too often tapped to help fill gaps in other state spending.
The House Transportation Budget Committee unanimously approved an amendment Thursday that would allow about $444 million to be transferred out of the state's infrastructure budget during fiscal years 2016 and 2017. That's about $280 million less than what Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has proposed.
Kansas transportation officials have said Brownback's plan would cause delays in
resurfacing and maintenance projects.
Republican Rep. Russell Jennings of Lakin said he proposed the budget amendment for two reasons because the state has too often diverted money from infrastructure funding, and that doing so is dishonest to taxpayers because transportation funding mostly comes from taxes specifically approved for road projects or other infrastructure needs.
"If we're taxing for a specific purpose like fuel taxes, or sales tax for highways, then that's where it should be used," he said. "The second is if we don't have enough revenues to support the things that are set as priorities, then we need to take a look at the revenue."
Democratic Rep. Annie Tietze of Topeka added that
infrastructure spending was vital to the state's economy, saying "businesses will want to move here if our highways are high quality. You just can't put off maintenance."
But the panel's chairman, Republican Rep. J. R. Claeys of Salina, said the recommendation was primarily designed to generate discussion in the House Appropriations Committee, which is taking recommendations from various House committees while working on the chamber's version of a state budget proposal.
Claeys said the Appropriations Committee would have to make cuts to other government agencies, notably education, if it were to accept the recommendation.
"I think we jeapordize education funding when we
do things like this and the dollars have to come from somewhere," Claeys said. "The governor's recommendation
protects higher education and K-12 education in the state of Kansas, this maneuver does not."
The amendment will be reviewed Tuesday by the House Appropriations Committee.