About
Governors State University has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1975.
The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation occurred during the 2020-2021 academic year. The site visit took place on December 14, 2020. The 2020 HLC Reaffirmation Action Letter is viewable via the link below. Please see our statement of accreditation status page on the HLC web site for more information.
Information about the HLC can be found at the following links:
Most Recent Higher Learning Commission Visit
February 26 - 27, 2024
Preparation Materials for HLC Visit
HLC Training Video for Spring 2024
Documents for the HLC Panel Visit
Academic Assessment
Building on the institution’s interim report on Assessment (June 2022), since the 2020 HLC reaccreditation visit, we have made progress on developing “an infrastructure for systematic documentation of assessment activities for degree and certificate programs that are not nationally accredited.” The majority of the programs within the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) do not have a national accrediting body. Our first step was to create and fill the position of Assessment Coordinator for the college, which was accomplished in late 2020. The position was vacated about a year later. After a search, Lannaea Alexander was hired as the current Assessment Coordinator for CAS in June 2022.
As the Assessment Coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences, Ms. Alexander works closely with the dean and two division chairs to lead program faculty in yearly program assessment of student learning. For AY 22-23, CAS developed and completed the following targeted initiatives:
- Each program needed to confirm and document Program Learning Outcomes
- Each program needed to create or update a Program Curriculum Map
- Each program needed to create or update a 5-year Program Assessment Plan
- Each program needed to create a pathway toward assessing at least 1 program goal each academic year
First, templates were created to present faculty and program coordinators with a format for developing curriculum maps. Programs that already had previous drafts of curriculum maps either updated the past document or created it using the template. Updated curriculum maps were shared with the Assessment Coordinator by Week 8 of the academic calendar.
Next, an Assessment Plan template was created and shared. The Assessment Coordinator conducted meetings with program coordinators to assist in developing a plan for the evaluation of the program goals. The assessment plan was built to follow the hierarchy of the curriculum map and designed to assess the mastery of each program’s PLOs. Emphasis was placed on the undergraduate goals, noting that the same process would be applied to graduate classes as program coordinators and faculty became more versed in the new assessment structure. Updated assessment plans were shared with the Assessment Coordinator by Week 15 of the academic calendar.
Once the plans were produced, training began on the web-based assessment tool, Watermark’s Outcomes Assessments Projects, which was used to facilitate the program assessment process. “Outcomes Assessment Projects (OAP) is a streamlined outcomes-based assessment tool that allows institutions to collect student work products from a variety of courses and disciplines and score such artifacts using standard rubrics.” The assessment coordinator uploaded rubrics and program learning outcomes, then created each program’s assessment project according to the assessment plan developed. From there, evaluators of the assessment projects participated in training on how to conduct evaluations using the OAP online tool. After evaluators were instructed, evaluation of the term’s projects was completed. The same process of creating the assessment project, uploading the rubrics and program learning outcomes and training evaluators was repeated for the spring term as well. The assessment coordinator was also responsible for scheduling evaluations and ensuring that assessment projects were scored, and results were shared with program coordinators.
After setting up the assessment projects, the assessment coordinator developed a template to record the findings of the assessment and document the insight and information that was gained through the evaluations. This “Assessment Findings Report” detailed any maintenance, changes, or improvements that would be implemented based on the assessment results. Program coordinators met with faculty to discern the actions necessary to improve the effectiveness of the program.
This new, more formalized assessment structure resulted in a 20% increase in the completion of CAS program-level assessments over the course of one academic year (AY22-23). Based on this implementation, CAS has determined its assessment process is scalable, “feasible, sustainable and effective for determining the effectiveness of assurance of learning for each program.” For the current academic year and each year moving forward, each program reviews its key assessment documents (PLO’s, Curricular Map, and Assessment Plan) and either reaffirms or updates them. Each program has again been charged with completing and documenting a formal assessment of at least one program learning outcome during the AY23-24 year. Ms. Alexander continues to provide guidance, support, and training for faculty as they move through the annual process. She also leads our efforts to centrally and transparently document assessment efforts and findings. During the Spring 2024 All College Meeting, Ms. Alexander led a workshop on assessment for the entire college. As part of our work to develop and embed a culture of assessment in the College, both division chairs and a variety of faculty were invited to attend HLC’s annual conference with the dean.
The College of Business (COB) proudly received a full extension of the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation in November 2022 - a distinction shared by just 6% of business schools across the world. AACSB accreditation matters to COB as it opens a doorway to being recognized worldwide by top employers and other universities, diversifying the student body, hiring and retaining the best researchers and professors and improving the quality of business programs offered.
Maintaining this accreditation requires that COB be assessed by a visiting Peer Review Team (PRT) on a five-year cycle, on nine different standards. These nine AACSB 2020 standards broadly fall under the heads of Strategic Management and Innovation, Learner Success and Thought Leadership, Engagement and Learner Impact.
One of the standards pertaining to learner success (Standard 5) is called Assurance of Learning (AoL). Meeting the AoL standard involves demonstrating that COB uses well-documented assurance of learning (AoL) processes that include direct and indirect measures for ensuring the quality of all degree programs offered at the school. The goal of adopting AoL processes is making continuous curricular and process improvements a habit.
Assurance of Learning is planned, managed, and executed by faculty with the support of staff and administrators. AoL involves assessment of COB programs to demonstrate that it is delivering on learning goals associated with each program. COB currently has 7 programs that are within the scope of AoL assessment for AACSB accreditation – 3 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs. Undergraduate programs are in business administration (which has three variants – Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration - BAAD, Bachelor of Arts in Business and Applied Sciences - BAAS and Bachelor of Arts in Manufacturing Management - BAAM); in Economics (Bachelor of Arts in Economics - B.A. Econ) and in accounting (Bachelor of Science in Accounting - B.S. Acctg). Graduate programs are in business administration (M.B.A.) which is offered in face to face and online format along with a 5-Year MBA admission track designed for motivated and hard-working undergraduate students who want to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration degree in 5 years. Other graduate level programs are in human resource management (Master of Science in Human Resource Management – M.S. HRM), in business analytics (Mater of Science in Business Analytics – M.S. B.A.) and in accounting (Master of Science in Accounting – M.S. Acctg.).
Each program arrives at program competency goals (PCGs) through an inclusive process of shared governance involving all faculty teaching in the programs, program coordinators, and supported by chairs and deans. PCGs are developed appropriate to the level of rigor associated with the program – graduate programs have more stringent PCGs relative to undergraduate programs. PCGs are measured through objectives, and an effort is made to attain align COB’s mission to PCGs and PCGs to course and module level objectives. Program objectives are assessed twice in a loop over a five-year cycle. An initial assessment identifies competency gaps, relevant faculty identify and implement interventions, after which a second assessment is done to determine the extent to which competency gaps have been closed. The assessment cycle differs by nature of required interventions.
For instance, PCGs for the undergraduate program in business administration include functional business knowledge, effective business communications, ethics and values and global business issues. The PCG of functional business knowledge in the Business Administration (BSAD) and Business and Applied Science (BAAS) programs, is measured using a standardized exam (CompXM). This exam is administered to students in the capstone MGMT- 4900 course. The exam measures the extent of students’ knowledge across all business functions. This serves as the initial assessment or first loop. Faculty review the data obtained from the exam, determine competency gaps, and design and implement interventions. In a subsequent semester, performance of students on the standardized exam is evaluated once again determine the extent to which the identified gaps have been closed. This second assessment closes the loop.
Another example is the graduate level human resources management program (M.S.HRM). PCGs for this program include human resource expertise, values driven leadership, effective communication, and global and cultural acumen. The PCG of human resource expertise is assessed in the capstone course MGMT 8910 - Integrative Human Resource Management Strategies. Students are assigned an HR Homework Assignment that involves writing a 300-word essay type proposal for improving the integration of HR Functions at an organization described in a case study. Student responses or course artifacts are collected and assessed by HR faculty using a MS HRM human resource expertise rubric. The rubric assesses student responses on a 4-point scale on multiple dimensions that align with PCG related objectives. For instance, dimensions on the human resource expertise rubric include: applying HR knowledge from a strategic perspective; forming multi-faceted solutions by considering a broad range of constituents; analyzing data using information technology resources to gather information about HR decisions; analyzing data using information technology resources to develop HR solutions and analyzing data using information technology resources to evaluate HR decisions. A performance target is set that at least 80% of learners will perform at level 3 or above on the rubric. An initial assessment is used to identify competency gaps. If present, gaps are addressed through an intervention in the subsequent semester. This is followed by a second assessment that close the loop. If ever a performance target is met, then, in the spirit of continuous improvement, the old PCG or objective is replaced by a newer one for the next 5 year cycle of assessment.
The College of Education and Human Development includes five initial licensure programs (Early Childhood, B.A., M.A., and Post-Bac Certificate; Elementary, B.A.; and Special Education, M.A.), two advanced endorsements (Educational Administration, Principal Leadership, M.A. and Interdisciplinary Leadership - Superintendent, Ed.D.), and one school support personnel licensure program (School Psychology, Ed.S.) accredited by the Counsel for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This accreditation extends to initial licensure programs in secondary education (English, B.A., Post-Bac Certificate; Biology, B.S., Post-Bac Certificate; Chemistry, B.S., Post-Bac Certificate; Mathematics, B.A., M.A., Post-Bac Certificate; Social Science, B.A., Post-Bac Certificate) housed in the College of Arts and Sciences. This seal of approval identifies quality in educator preparation founded in evidence-based analysis and continuous improvement.
CAEP recognizes the existing accreditations for School Counselor licensure program in Counseling (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, CACREP) in the College of Education and Human Development, and School Social Work (Council on Social Work Education, CSWE) and Communications Disorders Speech Language Pathology (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, ASHA) in the College of Health and Human Services. Maintaining accreditation requires a self-study report and site visit on a seven-year cycle. The next CAEP Self-Study Report will be submitted in July 2024 with a site visit in April 2025.
All initial, advanced, endorsement, and school support personnel licensure programs track, measure, and analyze data gathered with rubrics and forms in Student Learning and Licensure (SLL). Programs' assessments are aligned to Illinois Administrative Code licensure requirements and CAEP standards (impact on student learning, completer and employer satisfaction, partnerships with stakeholders, dispositions). CEHD programs accredited by CAEP also align assessments to their national professional association standards:
- Early Childhood - National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators
- Elementary - Counsel for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
- Special Education - Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)'s Professional Preparation Standards
- Principal - National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Program Recognition Standards
- School Psychology - National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
On a consistent basis, further disaggregation by race and ethnicity and other measures provides the capability to identify achievement gaps and necessary supports for CEHD students seeking educator licensure. For example, the CAEP Standard 1 requires initial licensure assessment based on the ten Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards. The CAEP InTASC Progressions Chart designed by the assessment coordinator captures early, mid, and final program data disaggregated by race and ethnicity with percentages of students meeting the InTASC standards. Beyond the early, mid, and final points, candidates' progression through their licensure programs include regular dispositions assessments, grades checks, and approval for clinicals by advisors, program coordinators, and the office of educator preparation, accreditation, and assessment.
Monthly meetings of the Educator Preparation Provider Unit are used to disseminate legislative updates to coordinators of all licensure, endorsement, and school support personnel programs housed in three different colleges. This time is used to analyze licensure exam data and identify necessary curriculum changes responsive to new legislation. Each monthly meeting of the Division of Education and Leadership includes discussion to address areas such as trends in disaggregated licensure testing data, field experience and clinical observation instruments, disposition metrics, and stakeholder feedback. Additionally, individual program coordinators meet monthly with all faculty within the program to further investigate data findings, update curriculum, and discuss students' progress.
Other programs in the College of Education and Human Development follow a similarly rigorous process of reviewing student learning outcomes. With student learning outcomes aligned to program rubrics in Student Learning and Licensure, a standards report provides detailed data about students' performance measured against expectations at early, mid, and final courses in the program. Overlap in courses and faculty among licensure and non-licensure programs in Division of Psychology and Counseling provide opportunities for faculty to be well-versed in assessment with the support of Center for Teaching and Learning Watermark Assessment Resources and the office of educator preparation, accreditation, and assessment.
Regular reports identify the end of an assessment cycle. Annual reports are submitted to CAEP, federal, and state agencies each spring. Additionally, all degree programs measure student learning outcomes using program rubrics with annual internal departmental reports. The Governors State University Academic Program Review Committee requires cyclical submissions of all degree and certificate programs. New programs and programs identified for priority review (low enrollment or other criteria) submit reports after three years of implementation. All other programs submit five-year reports. This internal review ensures program coordinators and faculty are regularly assessing program performance on metrics beyond students' mastery of learning outcomes, including alignment to the university mission and vision, comparison to programs at other institutions, analysis of program costs, and consistent program improvement.
Governors State University’s (GovState) College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) views assessment of student learning as a continuous and systematic process that is faculty led and administratively supported. These efforts span seven academic departments affecting 15 degree programs. Since GovState’s last December 2020 Comprehensive Evaluation and subsequent June 2022 Interim Report on assessment, CHHS has advanced its efforts to maintain an effective and approachable assessment model across all CHHS departments and programs. Selected highlights from these efforts follow below.
Ten of CHHS’ 15 degree programs maintain individual programmatic accreditations requiring the oversight and maintenance of specific assessment requirements. For example, the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, maintains a program assessment plan governed by the program’s accreditor, The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) outlining direct and indirect measures for student success to include NPTE licensure exam pass rates (95.6% average pass rate over the past two years) and overall graduation rates (95% average over the past two years). In addition, 100% of the program’s students scored at or above entry level on the PT Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI), a measure used to evaluate student performance during their clinical experiences.
GovState’s Nursing bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs maintain a Systematic Plan of Evaluation as required by its accreditor, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). This detailed plan outlines the programs’ student learning outcomes, methods of assessment, expected levels of achievement, and the data collection/assessment frequency process. As an example, nursing students must “display professional leadership skills exhibiting ethical, moral, and legal behavior”. GovState’s nursing programs assess these skills in a variety of courses (NURS 8103, 8210, 8350, 8649, and 8949) with a target set to 80% or more of students will achieve a grade of 85% or higher on the signature assignments for ethics in each of the named classes. The signature assignments consist of ethics projects, a needs assessment paper, and a capstone project. Data are collected each semester the courses are offered and communicated by faculty to the department via a “Course Instructor Course Summary Sheet”, summarized by the Program Coordinator, then reviewed in Evaluation Committee meetings each Fall and Spring. Signature assignment results are reviewed, and the data are used to inform curricular improvements as a part of the programs’ continuous improvement efforts.
The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program within CHHS’ Department of Health Administration and Informatics is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Management Education (CAHME) which outlines a series of 22 competencies within six domains that each graduate must be able to know and apply. GovState’s MHA assessment model measures student mastery of these competencies through an initial student self-rating (pre-test at beginning of program), four signature assignments during pre-candidacy, a competency for candidacy assessment at mid-point, four signature assignments during candidacy, a field experience project assessment, a preceptor assessment, and a post-program assessment. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from these assessments are used to inform curricular quality and program improvements.
Academic Program Review
Purpose and Guiding Principles
The Academic Program Review Process at Governors State University is an institutional initiative of continuous improvement and effectiveness. It is a process that consists of a cyclical review whereby units examine strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. It requires units to examine goals, the results of assessment activities, standards, and objectives in relation to the University’s mission and the development plan of the program. The process provides the basis for the development of long-range planning, the creation of future priorities while ensuring the University meets standards and guidelines set by each unit’s respective field, standards set by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) pursuant to state law (110 ILCS 205/7), and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Academic program review process is completed annually by the Academic Program Review Committee (APRC), a sub-committee of faculty senate. As part of the process, the Board of Trustees at Governors State University, must review and approve a summary report of the recommendations offered by the Academic Program Review Committee (APRC) and the Office of the Provost regarding the standings of each program under review. In conjunction with the Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, the university ensures academic quality by engaging academic units in a process of quality improvement.
Academic Program Review Resources
Program Review Schedules
Site Visit Team
Dr. Deborah R. Huntley, Chair
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Saginaw Valley State University
- University Center, Michigan
Deborah R. Huntley joined the SVSU faculty in fall 1998 after 15 years as a research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She teaches the physical chemistry curriculum, a two semester lecture and laboratory sequence. She also teaches introductory chemistry to both majors and non-majors. Her research interests focus broadly on material science, and particularly on surface processes. Her predominant expertise is in surface chemistry, especially mechanisms of catalytic reactions.
Dr. Cari Leigh Keller, Reviewer
- Dean, Graduate College/Executive Director of Planning & Assessment
- Northeastern State University
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Dr. Cari Keller has worked at NSU for over 25 years. She currently serves as the Dean of the Graduate College and Executive Director of Planning and Assessment at Northeastern State University. Prior to these appointments, she served as the Assistant Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.
Dr. Keller also serves as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, and as a master review for Quality Matters.
Dr. Anthony Ochuko Adah, Reviewer
- Professor
- Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Moorhead, Minnesota
Pan-Atlantic University will receive Anthony Adah, Professor of Film Studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead, as its first Fulbright scholar from January to July 2021.
Professor Anthony Adah will be curating the film archives of the Nollywood Studies Centre and teaching some courses at the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University. The Fulbright scholarship was awarded to eight Nigerians, and Pan-Atlantic University is the only private University to receive a Fulbright scholar this year. Fulbright is a prestigious scholarship led by the United States government to promote international education and cultural exchange.
Dr. Charles Hill, Reviewer
- Associate Vice Chancellor, Curricular Affairs
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Experienced Director of Learning with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Budgeting, Instructional Design, Curriculum Development, Administration, and Writing. Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Jose Edmilsonn da Silva, Reviewer
- AVP for Student Access and Success/Dean of Students
- University of North Texas at Dallas
- Dallas, Texas
Dr. Jose E. da Silva is an experienced higher education practitioner with a demonstrated history of increasing access and student success. Dr. da Silva has worked in four different state community college systems: Illinois, Washington, Texas, and Florida.
As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. da Silva has a passion for serving underrepresented student populations. He presently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Access and Success at UNT Dallas. In previous roles, he has also served as served as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Kankakee Community College and Walla Walla Community College, the Director of the Bowie Campus at North Central Texas College, as well as Assistant Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity at the University of North Texas. He also filled various roles at Tallahassee Community College, including Director of Judicial Affairs and Director of Student Activities.
Dr. da Silva holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Texas. He also earned a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration with a focus on Student Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Florida State University. He is a community college graduate earning an associate degree from Tallahassee Community College in Florida.
References and University Communications
General Resources
- Accredited Programs
- File
- File
- Better Together - Institutional Strategic Framework (ISF) 2030
- File
- File
Assurance Argument Commutations
Institutional Plans
- File
- File
- File
Program Outcomes by College
University Communications