The University of Colorado at Boulder received high marks from a team of higher education leaders who visited the campus in April as part of a comprehensive evaluation for the campus聮 continued accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).
In a report recently received by Chancellor Richard L. Byyny, the NCA team recommended full reaccreditation of the Boulder campus, citing "a superior record of meeting the Criteria for Accreditation."
"I am delighted with the outcome of the NCA reaccreditation process," Byyny said. "From the beginning, we have viewed this evaluation as an opportunity for institutional improvement. Therefore, I have asked campus leaders to study the report closely for possible action items that would make the Boulder campus a better place for teaching, learning and discovery."
In the NCA report, CU-Boulder was described as a "state and national resource that should be a continuing source of pride to the citizens of Colorado." The NCA team commended the campus for its quality and breadth of academic programs, the quality of the first-year student experience, its outstanding faculty, campus contributions as an economic engine for the state, and its model of shared faculty governance.
However, the report expressed deep concerns about the campus聮 ability to maintain its high quality in the face of serious constraints in the level of state support. The team noted CU-Boulder is at risk of losing increasing numbers of outstanding faculty to other institutions, unless new resources are identified.
Throughout the report, the NCA evaluators provided a number of suggestions for possible consideration by the campus to improve quality and outcomes, ranging from changes in administrative duties to improvements in the student degree auditing system.
Also, the team noted four concerns "of a chronic nature" that need to be addressed in the coming decade. Concerns included: diversity planning; effects of restricted state funding on faculty recruitment and retention; physical plant and related city/university relations; and assessment.
Byyny said the campus already has undertaken a study of assessment programs aimed at improving quality and consistency. A progress report on assessment improvements will be provided to the NCA in 2003, he said.
An executive summary prepared by Byyny聮s office may be viewed on the Web at . Copies of the full NCA report are available for review at the Reserve Desk of Norlin Library.