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Institutional Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission

Institutional accreditation speaks to the quality and integrity of education at the college level. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is charged with overseeing the accreditation of degree granting, post-secondary, not-for-profit and for-profit institutions. There are five other U.S. regional accreditation bodies. The HLC symbol signifies that Wayne State College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Accreditation serves the public by assuring and continuously improving the quality of higher education.

Wayne State College was first granted accreditation in 1917 as a teachers college from the Higher Learning Commission.  Wayne State College received notice of its continued accreditation on May 13, 2015, with the next Reaffirmation of Accreditation in 2024-2025.  Wayne State College has elected to seek its next reaffirmation of accreditation through the Open Pathway. The Open Pathway separates the continued accreditation process into two components: the Assurance Review and the Quality Initiative.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredits an institution versus any specialized program within an institution (e.g., business, education, music). The institutional accreditation process evaluates the ability of an entire institution to meet its overall mission by evaluating the educational activities of an institution as well as it's governance and administrative structure, financial viability, student support services, human resources, the student learning environment, student learning, institutional effectiveness, and relationships with internal and external constituencies. 

Criteria

To this end, HLC adopted five Criteria for Accreditation and Core Components to inform the Commission's decisions regarding an institution's ability to meet the standards necessary for accreditation. 

These five criteria address:

  1. Mission
  2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
  3. Teaching-Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support
  4. Teaching-Learning: Evaluation and Improvement
  5. Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness

Contact

The Higher Learning Commission is located at:
230 South LaSalle Street
Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
800-621-7440
[email protected]

For specific inquiries about the College’s affiliation with HLC, please contact:

Stephen Brown
Assessment and Accreditation Coordinator
Hahn Administration, Room 205
Phone: 402-375-7197
Email: [email protected]