ZWEMER VIEWMarks of Excellence

DOUG BURG

The 2015–16 academic year was full of many great accomplishments by Northwestern students, faculty and staff. However, perhaps none was more important institutionally than five successful reaccreditations. Four of our five professional programs hosted accreditation site visits, and we had the Higher Learning Commission on campus for our 10-year institutional reaccreditation in November.

In the fall, the departments of nursing and business successfully attained reaccreditation. This spring we also received successful accreditation reports for our education and social work programs. All four of these programs are graduating students who are highly sought after by employers and graduate schools. Each program has also received strong recognition for their excellence recently across Iowa, regionally and nationally.

In addition to these successful departmental accreditations, Northwestern College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Every 10 years, colleges and universities must submit a comprehensive self-study that demonstrates the institution has met the accrediting body’s standards of core components, of which there are 25 criteria.

A work group compiled our self-study report over the past two years, and a team from the HLC was on campus for two days reviewing that work in November. The site visit team makes a recommendation to the HLC, which then makes its final decision regarding reaccreditation. This spring we were notified that we met all criteria with no concerns. The HLC process was a complete success, with the next review slated for 2025–26!

In this era of heightened accountability for colleges and universities, this is no small accomplishment. It speaks to the quality of our faculty and staff to receive such strong affirmation. The colleagues I am privileged to work with every day take their roles as Christian educators very seriously. We are fully devoted to living out our mission as a Christian academic community engaging students in courageous and faithful learning and living that empowers students to follow Christ and pursue God’s redeeming work in the world.

Praise God we have been fully accredited for another decade of service! Our world is desperate for the leadership and service of the courageous and faithful graduates Northwestern College develops. Thank you for partnering with us in this noble mission of Christian higher education.