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NCA team approves UA accreditation

University committee still awaiting final report of

After a nearly two-year preparation process for reaccredidation, the University of Arizona has received a positive evaluation - although officials are still waiting for the final report.

"I was very pleased with the dialogue we received both internally and externally," said UA President Peter Likins.

The UA undergoes an institutional accreditation process every 10 years, held by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. During the week of Feb. 14, an NCA evaluation team visited the campus to report on the accomplishments and areas of improvement for the school.

The evaluation team - which consisted of 15 deans and administrators from all over the country - sent a draft to the university a few weeks ago, to which the self-study report committee made corrections.

The revised report was returned to the evaluation team, who submitted it to the NCA. A final draft will be sent to the university within the next few weeks, Likins said.

He added that although the process is not yet complete, things are going very well.

Betty Atwater, associate head of the physiology department, chaired the self-study committee with Randy Richardson, assistant vice president for undergraduate education. The committee completed the report which proves that the UA meets the five basic criteria for accreditation.

"Most of the report was quite complimentary, and we were approved for the next 10 years," Atwater said.

Work for the self-study report began in March 1998 and was written to support the UA's vision of becoming a student-centered research university, Atwater said.

"The report was a recap of what the team saw when they were here, and some recommendations on how to become a better school," said John Lopez, senior research specialist with the Office of Academic Planning. "They (the team) said we have made positive advancement since the last accreditation, especially in the area of undergraduate education."

Atwater said the only suggestion the NCA team made was in the area of assessment of student learning.

"We have made some progress, but they want an updated report in five years to see more improvements," Atwater said.

Atwater added that Likins will comment on the final report over the summer and will then make it available to the public.

Maya Schechter can be reached at Maya.Schechter@wildcat.arizona.edu.