HLC Accreditation

HLC Accreditation

What is Accreditation?

Welcome to the GateWay Community College website, dedicated to the reaffirmation of accreditation by the college's accrediting body -- the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Accreditation is a review process used in higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and educational programs for quality assurance and institutional improvement.

In 2019-2020 GateWay submitted an assurance argument, supported by detailed artifacts or evidentiary documents, to the HLC. In December 2019, the college also hosted HLC representatives as they engaged in a campus visit to verify claims and validate our continued accreditation. Starting in 2020, GateWay was awarded full 10-year Higher Learning Commission accreditation. 

Our next step is our Year 4 assurance review that will happens October 2, 2023. 

Additional Accreditations

Several programs at GateWay have individual accrediting bodies. For information on all programs that are individually accredited visit gatewaycc.edu/accreditation.

Important Information

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Timeline

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Criteria

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Assurance Argument

 

 

Accreditation scrutinizes institutions for quality assurance and institutional improvement. The US Department of Education (USDE) relies on this process to ensure federal student aid funds are being used toward quality courses and programs. Only those institutions that are accredited by a USDE-recognized accrediting organization are eligible to receive federal financial assistance for its students.

Along with enabling students to receive federal financial assistance for their education, accreditation also:

• Allows for credits earned at GateWay to be transferred to other higher education institutions.
• Confirms the rigor and quality of GateWay courses to ensure that students are receiving a quality education.

GateWay participates in what is known as the HLC Open Pathway, which requires multiple touch points in each 10-year cycle.

To learn more about the Open Pathway to Accreditation, visit the Process tab on this page.

In 2019-20, GateWay engaged in the process of reaffirming accreditation with the HLC via the Open Pathway. This process separates the continued accreditation process into two components: the Assurance Review and the Quality Initiative (defined below).

Assurance Review: The assurance review process requires the college to provide an Assurance Argument that addresses how the institution meets HLC’s criteria for accreditation.. This Assurance Argument is supported by an Evidence File demonstrating the institution’s compliance. Two assurance reviews take place in each 10-year cycle; one in Year 4 and the other in Year 10. The Year 4 review is completed electronically through the Assurance System and does not require a visit. The Year 10 review includes a campus visit.

An Assurance Argument is organized by Criteria and Core Components. For each Criterion, the institution offers:

• Criterion Introduction
• An articulation of how each Core Component within the Criterion is met, including a statement of future plans
• A statement regarding any additional ways in which the institution fulfills the Criterion
• Links to materials stored in the institution’s Evidence File

The Evidence File is an electronic filing cabinet where all documents that support statements made in the Assurance Argument are maintained.

Quality Initiative: Between Years 5 - 9 of the 10-year cycle, the institution proposes and completes a Quality Initiative as an institutional improvement project. 

The goals of the Open Pathway are:

1) To enhance institutional value by opening the improvement aspect of accreditation so that institutions may choose Quality Initiatives to suit their current circumstances.

2) To reduce the reporting burden on institutions by using as much information and data as possible from existing institutional processes and collecting them in electronic form as they naturally occur over time.

3) To enhance rigor by checking institutional data annually (Institutional Update) and conducting an Assurance Review twice in the 10-year cycle.

4) To integrate, as much as possible, all HLC processes and HLC requests for data into the reaffirmation of each accreditation cycle.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of the six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the United States.

The Commission is governed by a Board of Trustees, elected by the membership and administered by a president selected by and accountable to that Board. The charge to the president is to ensure that through its structure and personnel, the Commission delivers useful and cost-effective services.

Actions on affiliated institutions, including receiving or reaffirming accreditation, are taken by decision-making bodies comprised of institutional representatives and public members. 

To serve the common good, HLC creates and maintains relationships with the federal government and other organizations with communities dependent on the quality of higher learning received in accredited colleges and universities. The federal government has a distinct interest in the role of accreditation in assuring quality in higher education for the students who benefit from federal financial aid programs. As a U.S. Department of Education (USDE) gatekeeper agency, HLC agrees to fulfill specific federally defined responsibilities within the accreditation process.

HLC Student Guide

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of the six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC grants accreditation to degree-granting postsecondary educational institutions in the United States. HLC is an institutional accreditor, accrediting the institution as a whole and not individual programs.

The Commission is governed by a Board of Trustees, elected by the membership and administered by a president selected by and accountable to that Board. The charge to the president is to ensure that through its structure and personnel, the Commission delivers useful and cost-effective services.

Actions on affiliated institutions, including receiving or reaffirming accreditation, are taken by decision-making bodies composed of institutional representatives and public members.

To serve the common good, HLC creates and maintains relationships with the U.S. federal government and other organizations within communities dependent on the quality of higher learning received in accredited colleges and universities. The U.S. federal government has a distinct interest in the role of accreditation in assuring quality in higher education for the students who benefit from federal financial aid programs. As a U.S. Department of Education (USDE) gatekeeper agency, HLC agrees to fulfill specific federally defined responsibilities within the accreditation process.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

During spring 2022 , Criterion teams were formed and charged with identifying evidence that demonstrates how GWCC meets Accreditation Criteria.  Teams are working to identify where there was a change since 2019 and/or a lack of evidence and will be working to collect existing evidence from the appropriate departments through summer 2023. .

Updating the assurance argument narrative will begin in July 2022 and writing will continue through summer 2023. Beginning in late summer 2023, the HLC core team will link the evidence to the draft assurance arguments.  In addition, Criterion teams and all GateWay employees will be asked to review drafts of the five assurance arguments and provide feedback to the college’s HLC core team. 

Faculty and staff will be asked to assist with addressing any evidence gaps identified.

For complete updates and to view the HLC timeline please click here.  

The Higher Learning Commission sets forth five criteria which impacts the college community as a whole.  GateWay employees may be responsible for components within any of the five criteria.  It is important that all employees familiarize themselves with the HLC re-accreditation process including components and sub-components describing the five Criteria.  

While Teaching and Learning is an integral component of all criteria, it is most evident in Criterion 3 and Criterion 4.  Faculty and instructors are primarily responsible for ensuring quality of the teaching and learning environments in their classrooms and programs.Depending on job duties, staff will impact one or more of the five criteria.  Click here for a listing of the HLC Criteria. 

 

The year 4 assurance review is scheduled for October 2023 and consists of a team of peer reviewers looking at our assurance filing (narrative) and evidence files. There will not be an in-person visit.

The college periodically undergoes Multi-Location Site Visits. This is due to the large number of off-campus locations available at GWCC in which a GWCC student can complete 50% or more of a certificate/degree program without coming to the Washington Campus.  For example, there is a Multi-Location Visit scheduled for March, 2023 visiting 3 satellite locations.  These types of reviews are separate from the Year 4 Assurance Argument.

Similarly, when new or expanded program or degree offerings occur, there may also be a separate HLC approval process for the new degree and/or program. The extent of the change involved in the new or expanded program determines whether a site visit occurs in conjunction with the HLC review.  An example of this type of process was the visit in fall 2022 by a team of peer reviewers assessing the Bachelor or Applied Science in  Nuclear Medicine Technology and Computed Tomography. These types of reviews are also separate from the Year 4 Assurance Review.

Any evidence that you believe aligns with and demonstrates how GWCC meets  a specific criterion. Consider any new or changes to programming in your area since our last re-accreditation in 2020. 

If you are not sure, reach out to an HLC Criterion team lead.

Criterion 1. Mission

  • Kristin Gubser

  • Terese Brown

Criterion 2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

  • Dr. Ryan Aiello

  • Dr. Lora Timmons

  • Xaxiri Yamane

Criterion 3. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

  • Shala Dveirin

  • Matt Jolly

  • Herb Wildey

Criterion 4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement

  • Tracey Shartz

  • Shannon McGrath

Criterion 5. Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning

  • Dr. Kelly Greene

  • Ceci Villa

Following the 2020 visit, GateWay is following the HLC Open Pathways model, which is designed so that colleges are continuously focused on accreditation criteria.  Under this model, there will be a Year 4 Assurance Argument submission and virtual review (2023-2024); a quality initiative to begin by Year 7 (2026-2027), and a face-to-face visit (2029-2030).

No.  If there is a specific area where a team recommends improvement or requires a follow-up report, that will be based on a specific component or criteria.

Be knowledgeable about the college, your department, and our students.  Understand the vision, mission, and value of GateWay and how you and your area support the mission of student success.

Notify the appropriate Criterion Team Leads. The HLC criterion teams are currently collecting evidence and as part of that process will be looking to identify where we have gaps in processes, systems, and evidence.  Once the gaps are identified, we will determine how to bridge and address the gap.  Key stakeholders from across the college will be engaged in the work to address gaps and missing evidence. The Criterion Team Leads are:

Criterion 1. Mission

  • Kristin Gubser

  • Terese Brown

Criterion 2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

  • Dr. Ryan Aiello

  • Dr. Lora Timmons

  • Xaxiri Yamane

Criterion 3. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

  • Shala Dveirin

  • Matt Jolly

  • Herb Wildey

Criterion 4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement

  • Tracey Shartz

  • Shannon McGrath

Criterion 5. Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning

  • Dr. Kelly Greene

  • Ceci Villa

The criteria is, in part, determined based on regulations that govern the practices of Higher Education Institutions.  They work closely with the U.S. Department of Education as well as other federal agencies to ensure that policies and practices are established and in the best interest of the student.  Many of the criteria can also be linked to best practices in the teaching and learning environment and also feedback from students, industry, and the community help inform HLC criteria.

Individual program accreditation assesses at the program level for a specific industry, whereas the Higher Learning Commission assesses the organization as a whole, its policies, practices, and programming.  HLC accreditation is the entity that makes it possible for us to issue Federal Financial Aid and issue transferable certificates and degrees.

Yes.  Because many of the clock-hour programs are eligible for Federal Financial Aid, the Higher Learning Commission is required to provide some degree of review.

HLC Accreditation is the credential which authorizes GateWay to 1) offer federal financial aid; 2) offer credit that is transferable to other community colleges and universities; and 3) offer certificates and degrees.  

As employees, we take pride in providing quality education and services to GateWay students and our community.  The accreditation process is an opportunity for all employees to showcase the accomplishments of individual units and the college as a community.

At GateWay, approximately 47% of course offerings are taught by adjunct faculty.  The role of adjunct faculty is critical in relation to Criteria Four: Teaching and Learning - Evaluation and Improvement which aligns with the assessment of student learning in the classroom.  Adjunct faculty can support the accreditation process by fostering an environment that continuously assesses and strengthens student learning in their classrooms.