What is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)?

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). NCA is one of six accrediting agencies in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Whereas some agencies grant accreditation for individual programs—APA accreditation for Clinical Psy.D. programs for instance—HLC evaluates and accredits institutions as a whole. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, HLC accredits approximately 1,100 higher education institutions in a 19-state region.

Why is accreditation important?

HLC accreditation is a formal recognition that The Chicago School has met standards of quality. Accreditation lends respect to our school’s credits and degrees, helps facilitate transfers of credits, and affords our access to financial aid and federal funding opportunities.

What is The Chicago School’s history with HLC accreditation?

The Chicago School first received HLC accreditation in 1984. Since then, the school has conducted self-studies in coordination with HLC visits. Each of these visits has reaffirmed accreditation. Prior to 2007, the most recent comprehensive evaluation was conducted in April 2001.

How does HLC decide who gets accreditation?

HLC has defined five criteria that schools must meet in order to earn accreditation. 

• Mission and Integrity – “The organization operates with integrity to ensure that fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, staff, and students.”
• 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.”
• Student Learning and Effective Teaching – “The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.”
• 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.”
• Engagement and Service – “As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.”

What is the self-study process?

The self-study is at the heart of The Chicago School’s bid for HLC accreditation because it represents our opportunity to look inward, engage our community, and collect evidence that we are meeting the HLC Criteria for Accreditation. The Chicago School’s self-study began in spring 2005 with the appointment of a self-study coordinator by President Horowitz. Broad goals for the self-study were then established, and a steering committee was selected to plan and implement the internal examination. Each steering committee member was responsible for leading a subcommittee of at least five members to collect evidence in support of the HLC criteria. Subcommittees were chosen from volunteers and nominations to ensure broad departmental representation.

What were the broad goals that we hoped to accomplish through our self-study?

The request for a broadened scope of accreditation includes three areas: new programs, new sites, and distance education. We are seeking the Commission’s approval to offer new degree programs related to psychology and other behavioral sciences without prior commission approval. This request is based in part upon the effectiveness of our established processes for developing and implementing new programs. Second, we are seeking approval to offer our existing programs in a fully online format. This request is based upon our current expertise in offering online courses and blended programs that incorporate both on-ground and online learning, on our services and support functions in place for distant students, and on our desire to serve a growing adult student population with need for greater flexibility and application in academic programming. Third, we are seeking approval to offer our degree programs at sites other than our Chicago campus with prior notification to the Commission. This will allow us to increase our outreach to both traditional and non traditional students and to our community partners with programs requiring traditional, face to face instruction. Students at these community sites will be supported by the services and processes currently in place for all on campus and blended students. 

In most circumstances, we will still be required to seek the approval of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and our Board of Trustees.   In all cases, a broadened scope of accreditation is in alignment with our mission documents and our strategic planning priorities.

How did The Chicago School structure its self-study?

Whereas it is customary for a school to structure its self-study around the five criteria, we opted to organize our self-study around four HLC cross-cutting themes:

• Future-Oriented
• Learning-Focused
• Distinctive
• Connected

Under this organization, each subcommittee fully examined each criterion through the prism of their particular theme. The steering committee then discussed each subcommittee’s reports at length, providing opportunities for rich discussion and spirited debate by the subcommittees as well as the steering committee.

If one of the four themes was “Learning-Focused,” how does The Chicago School assess student learning?

The Chicago School is committed to a competency-based model of student learning. To ensure that we provide our students with an excellent education, each program regularly identifies learning expectations, measures learning outcomes, and uses assessment results to improve student learning in the future. The model is outlined in the school’s Plan for Assessing Student Learning Outcomes. This assessment system evaluates how successfully the school is realizing its mission. We define the outcomes for achieving the mission with four institutional learning goals: Scholarship, Diversity, Professional Behavior, and Professional Practice. Each program’s curriculum is clearly aligned to the mission of the school through a set of program competencies that determine the learning outcomes for the program, as well as for each individual course, and demonstrate the program’s contribution to the four institutional learning goals derived from the school’s mission.

How did our mission shape the self-study?

Like all colleges and universities, The Chicago School has a mission statement.  The school has enhanced and clarified its mission over time by assembling a set of statements that provide additional focus for the school. These statements are collectively referred to as the Mission Documents. The Mission Documents have afforded us a powerful avenue through which we clearly communicate to constituents—both internal and external—our fundamental purpose and values. They have been developed over time in response to institutional priorities and strategic developments and to amplify foundational values. They include the following:

• Vision Statement
• Mission
• Values
• Philosophy
• Student Focused-Learning
• Commitment to Diversity

In October of 2006, the chairman and president presented a resolution to the Board of Trustees asking for a reaffirmation of our mission and a re-endorsement of the existing statements as the school’s Mission Documents. The resolution was passed.

Our Seven Key Commitments are:

• Commitment to becoming the school of choice in professional psychology
• Commitment to quality education
• Commitment to the integration of theory and professional practice
• Commitment to innovation
• Commitment to service
• Commitment to community
• Commitment to diversity

The Chicago School often speaks about its “commitment to diversity.” How was this demonstrated in the self-study?

Because it is so deeply rooted in our mission, our commitment to diversity was a critical topic of discussion throughout the self-study. The following evidence was presented at length in the “Future-Oriented” and “Distinctive” sections of the final report.

• Our mission documents address diversity within the community. The mission states that we “embrace the diverse communities of our society.”
• Our mission documents affirm our commitment to honor the dignity and worth of individuals in our commitment-to-diversity statement, which indicates that we are “committed…to building an environment of mutual respect and inclusion.”
• Our mission documents define diversity as one of our four institutional learning goals.
• We note in our mission documents that we will revise our approach to learning in the classroom to ensure a high-quality educational experience, indicating that we understand the needs of diverse learners and learning styles. 
• Our diversity efforts include the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Studies, the Multicultural and Diversity Affairs Committee, training sites that serve diverse communities, and the inclusion of diversity in the curriculum and co-curriculum, amply demonstrating that we are preparing our students to live in a global society.

How does the school plan for new initiatives?
 
The Chicago School plans new initiatives on several levels. Currently, we are completing the first year of a five year strategic plan that was launched in the fall of 2006. This plan, School of Choice: Realizing Our Mission Through Innovation and Quality, was created after a one-year full community process in which three, cross-representational working committees examined various growth and improvement plans for the school. The recommendations from the committees were harmonized and approved by the Board of Trustees. Annually, the board sets institutional goals that support the strategic plan and operationalize its key priorities. Collectively, these living documents serve set the guiding vision for the institution and the bases upon which new initiatives are evaluated.
 
New academic programs can be proposed by any Chicago School constituent, and there is an established document and process by which these are articulated and reviewed. For example, the School Psychology program was proposed by a trustee of the board, the Applied Behavioral Analysis specialization was originally designed by a member of the Clinical Psy.D. faculty, and the Business Psy.D. was suggested by the M.A. I/O advisory board. The school emphasizes innovation and societal/professional demands in the creation of new programs, and this is clearly reflected in our collection of very distinctive educational programs that are designed to uniquely prepare students and to meet market needs. For example, the School Psychology program was created in anticipation of a significant shortage in school psychologists, and the ABA specialization responds to the increasing prevalence of autism and other developmental disorders. Regardless of where ideas for new initiatives originate, they undergo an intensive review process that involves internal as well as external experts.
 
Finally, The Chicago School strives to create a culture of creativity in which new ideas are welcomed and explored. Successful initiatives have been raised by students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, and trustees of the board. All Chicago School constituents are encouraged to raise their ideas and participate in the subsequent analysis, development, implementation, and evaluation of effectiveness.

What do four rings in The Chicago School’s logo represent?

Our logo symbolizes our values: Education; Innovation; Service; and Community.