Invitation to Accreditation Open Forums: April 28 and 29

Dear members of the Northwestern community, 

As you may know, Northwestern is currently undergoing its 10-year review for reaffirmation of accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The review will culminate in an on-site visit to the Evanston campus April 28 and 29 by a team of HLC peer reviewers. 

Faculty, students and staff are invited to meet with the peer review team during a series of open forums to be held Monday, April 28, and Tuesday, April 29. A list of the open forums, including their dates, times and locations, can be found on the Office of the Provost website.   

Northwestern has recently submitted to the HLC a report, the institution’s “assurance argument” that aims to demonstrate how Northwestern meets all five HLC criteria for accreditation. During the upcoming site visit, the peer review team will validate claims made in the materials submitted and seek to deepen their understanding of Northwestern through engaging with faculty, students and staff. I encourage all members of the University community to consider participating in these sessions. You can find the assurance argument and other materials to help you prepare for participation in the site visit on the Office of the Provost website. 

We look forward to welcoming the HLC peer review team to Evanston and using this opportunity to reflect on and showcase Northwestern’s ongoing efforts to foster excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of our students. 

Thank you for your participation in this process. 

Sincerely, 

Kathleen Hagerty 
Provost 
First Chicago Professor of Finance