HLC has formally approved Cincinnati State’s reaccreditation for 10 years

Cincinnati State has been notified by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that the College’s institutional accreditation was reaffirmed in July 2024 by the HLC’s Institutional Actions Council. The next Reaffirmation of Accreditation will take place during the 2033-2034 academic year.

President Monica Posey said, “This is a major institutional accomplishment that was achieved because of the hard work and dedication of employees and students from across the College, as well as our community partners.”

She added, “I am proud to report that Cincinnati State stands out as one of Ohio’s best community colleges, especially in terms of our quality and our impact.”

Provost Robbin Hoopes said the College has moved to the HLC’s “Open Pathway” process for maintaining accreditation.

“The Open Pathway process requires regular interactions and reports to HLC during the 10 years of our current accreditation period,” Provost Hoopes said. “We will need to complete several specific activities during the next 10 years in order to maintain our accreditation status.”

• In Year 4, the College must submit an Assurance Argument report. The 96-page Assurance Argument document submitted this year describes the College’s processes, procedures, and activities that ensure the College meets HLC accreditation criteria, and provides supporting examples and evidence.
• In Years 5-9, the College must propose and then report on a Quality Initiative project that addresses an institutional improvement effort. According to HLC, a Quality Initiative “may continue a project that is already in progress or achieve a key milestone in the work of a longer initiative. The Quality Initiative is intended to allow institutions to take risks, aim high, and learn from only partial success or even failure.”
• In Year 10, a Comprehensive Evaluation and Peer Review (site visit) will take place.

Provost Hoopes and Associate Provost Denise Rohr thanked everyone who contributed to the College’s reaccreditation efforts, especially the Criterion Team members who worked on locating and organizing evidence for the College’s Assurance Argument, and then created the first draft of the report that was submitted to HLC.

The Steering Committee for reaccreditation work was led by Associate Provost Rohr and included faculty member Jen Martin, Library Director Crissy Ross, and Dean Geoffrey Woolf.

Provost Hoopes also thanked Library Specialist Margaret Breidenbaugh for creating a “Living Assurance Argument” catalog to keep track of the evidence, including the source, the date, and how each item demonstrated compliance with an HLC criterion. “This resource will help us tremendously as we continue tracking evidence of College achievements over the next 10 years,” Provost Hoopes said.

In addition, Provost Hoopes noted the work of Dean Woolf, who made key contributions to College processes for assessment of learning outcomes.

“Geoff worked with Denise and I to develop and refine our program self-study and assessment procedures, including educating faculty and academic administrators about these processes, leading the steps that initiated a permanent Learning Outcomes and Assessment Committee, and helping to provide annual feedback on self-studies for every program chair,” Provost Hoopes said.

Background: What is HLC?

The Higher Learning Commission is one of the seven independent accrediting organizations that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

HLC validates the quality of higher education institutions by evaluating multiple aspects of the college or university, including academic offerings, governance and administration, mission, finances, and resources.

Institutions that HLC accredits are evaluated using a set of standards that institutions must meet to receive and/or maintain accredited status.