Progress Report for September 19, 2013

The Reaffirmation Initiative

• Marquette University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an agent of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Marquette University voluntarily goes through the peer reaffirmation process that includes preparation of a self-study followed by a campus visit every 10 years. The next campus visit and review will take place September 30 – October 2, 2013.
• The present reaffirmation initiative has been conceptualized as a means to tell Marquette's story and in doing so to document, using evidence, the ways in which we meet and exceed stated criteria. This is also a moment to reflect on what we do and how we do it in order to identify areas where we can grow, excel and lead. As such, the theme for the present initiative is Reflect - Affirm - Inspire.

Third Quarter 2013 Goals

Three goals were established for the third quarter of 2013. Each is listed along with a progress report.

Finalize and deliver self-study to HLC and the site visit team.

The self-study report was completed and sent to the Higher Learning Commission and members of the site visit team on August 5, 2013 eight weeks prior to the visit as required. Seventeen additional documents were also sent. The final self-study report may be found on the Marquette Univeristy accreditation website (http://www.marquette.edu/accreditation/) for easy access by all stakeholders internal and external to the university. In addition, 200 copies were printed for distribution to members of the university Board of Trustees and university leaders.

Develop self-study executive summary.

An accreditation Briefing Document was created with two goals in mind. The first was to thank the Marquette community for their collective work on the reaffirmation initiative and to provide a "Frequently Asked Questions" section that address various aspects of accreditation and the site visit. A second goal was to provide a summary of the evidence provided and the strengths, challenges and opportunities identified in the self-study report. Fifteen- hundred copies of the Briefing Document were printed and distributed to campus constituents.

Prepare campus for review team visit.

Reaffirmation chair, Dr. Meyer, and co-chair Dr. Peters, will visit with multiple academic and non-academic areas to review self-study findings, distribute materials, and remind constituents about the site visit and HLC team expectations. In all, more than 40 presentations are scheduled which will include approximately 1,200 members of the Marquette community.

Fourth Quarter 2013 Goals

• Debrief site-visit and begin planning for transition to the Open Pathway.
• Provide written response to draft site visit team report.