Accreditation

SVCC's Accreditation History

The College first received institutional accreditation in March 1972, and has maintained continued accreditation ever since. It will apply to renew accreditation in 2012.

View the HLC report for SVCC

Sauk Valley Community College is accredited by

Higher Learning Commission of the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504
(800) 621-7440
www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org

Understanding Accreditation

In the United States, colleges and universities voluntarily seek institutional accreditation from nongovernmental bodies. Sauk maintains institutional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) which evaluates the entire college against the HLC's criteria.

The Current Accreditation Process

Sauk is accredited through the HLC's Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality, which focuses on a comprehensive examination of institutional effectiveness that is conducted every ten years.

Self-Study

Each institution engages in a self-study process for approximately two years and prepares a formal report of its findings relative to the HLC's criteria for accreditation. Sauk began its self-study in the fall of 2009 and the formal report will be submitted to the HLC during the summer of 2011.

Public Comments

Comments from the institution's constituents are sought toward the end of the process. During the late spring or early summer of 2011, Sauk will solicit comments from the public and request that those comments be sent directly to the HLC.

Team Visit

The HLC sends an evaluation team to visit the campus to verify the report's conclusions, and then submit its own summary report along with accreditation recommendations to the HLC. The HLC team will be on the Sauk campus September 19 - 21, 2011.

Final Decision and Action

HLC committees and Board will review the self-study report, and the visiting team's report and recommendations before making a final accreditation decision.

Criteria for Accreditation

Criterion One: Mission and Integrity

The organization operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff, and students.

Criterion Two: Preparing for the Future

The organization's allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

Criterion Three: Student Learning and Effective Teaching

The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.

Criterion Four: Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge

The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

Criterion Five: Engagement and Service

As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.

Source: the Higher Learning Commission web site which can be accessed by clicking on the mark of affiliation, above

The New Accreditation Process

Following the 2011 accreditation visit, Sauk will maintain accreditation through the HLC's new process, Pathways, which is comprised of two major components conducted over a ten year cycle. The assurance component includes the collection and analysis of institutional information to assure that the institution continues to meet accreditation criteria and federal requirements. The improvement component allows the institution to develop and implement substantial institutional improvement.

Documents related to Sauk's accreditation…

• 2006 Focused Visit Report
• 2011 Self-Study Report
• What You Need to Know - Self-Study Public Summary (.pdf)

Inquiries and comments regarding Sauk's accreditation may be directed to:

Thomas Gospodarczyk
Dean of Institutional Research and Planning
Phone: 815-288-5511, ext 402
E-mail: gospodt@svcc.edu