Katie Armes
Review staff writer
The Evaluation Committee from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which will decide if Linfield’s accreditation by the NWCCU should be reaffirmed, will conclude its three-day visit and submit its initial impressions of Linfield today.
The committee members were chosen by the NWCCU based on the available pool of trained accreditors and suggestions from Linfield, Barbara Seidman, co-chair of the Accreditation Steering Committee, said. Each member examined a particular aspect of the college in order to prepare its report.
“They will give us some initial impressions about commendations and recommendations regarding what areas they want to see change,” Dan Preston, dean of enrollment services and co-chair of the Steering Committee, said.
Linfield must maintain NWCCU accreditation for its students to receive financial aid from the federal
government.
“If we’re not accredited, we can’t get students because they can’t get federal loans,” Susan Barnes Whyte, library director and member of the Steering Committee, said.
Accreditation is also a factor in maintaining the reputation of the college.
“If we are not accredited or if we are on probation, it casts some public scrutiny on our claims to excellence,” Seidman said.
The Evaluation Committee met with more than 35 faculty members about their departments or committees during its visit. On Oct. 22, an open meeting for faculty was held, and on Oct. 23, an open staff and student meeting took place.
Although the committee stated its initial findings, the NWCCU will officially vote to accept or deny the Evaluation Committee’s report and the reaffirmation of Linfield’s accreditation in January.
The accreditation process began with a self-study completed by the Accreditation Steering Committee, which is comprised of 15 Linfield faculty, administrators and trustees. The study was organized into the same nine standards the Evaluation Committee examines: institutional mission, education program, students, faculty, library/information resources, governance and administration, finance, physical resources and institutional integrity. Work on the 500-page study began in August 2006.
“I don’t think that the accreditation committee expects us to be perfect,” Preston said. “There is an expectation that we be honest. If we found that we weren’t squeaky clean, we ‘fessed up.”
An evaluation committee visits every school accredited by the NWCCU once every 10 years. In addition to interviews with students and staff and the self-study, the committee will also look at the professional work of professors, financial reports, other accreditations held by Linfield, exhibits referenced within the self-study and portfolios compiled by academic departments to form its report.
