University of Utah Administrators Awarded NWCCU Fellowship for Advancing Accreditation Excellence

The University of Utah is proud to announce that Mark St. Andre, associate dean of Undergraduate Studies, and Paula Spencer, program review administrator in the Graduate School, have received the Fulfillment and Sustainability Fellowship from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The NWCCU is the accrediting body for the University of Utah. 

Accreditation is a process that universities and colleges go through periodically to ensure that they are providing quality education. Accreditation helps ensure that the university is providing the excellent education the university promises and is achieving its institutional mission. The NWCCU sets the accreditation criteria for the university. The accreditation process is carried out both by the university itself, in an internal review, and by external peer evaluators. 

The purpose of this Fellowship is to improve the quality and efficiency of the university’s internal review process. St. Andre and Spencer will focus on improving the coordination between the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Graduate School.  

The Fellowship includes an extensive curriculum, covering processes associated with accreditation such as assessing student learning and quality improvement. Additionally, St. Andre and Spencer will be conducting visits to two peer institutions and will attend a seminar in June at the University of Puget Sound. Ultimately, St. Andre and Spencer will produce a final project through the Fellowship, aimed at improving one aspect of the University's accreditation process.   

Mark St. Andre said that “We hope collaboration through this experience will result in the refinement of an evidence-based approach that equitably advances student success and achievement while avoiding undue burdens on participants.” 

 

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