January 18, 2023
Story by Maggie Harris
At its meeting on Jan.Ìý10, the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approved continuing the accreditation of Â鶹¹ÙÍø without concern.
This approval comes following a site visit from a peer review team this past October. A team of five reviewers from as many states visited the Â鶹¹ÙÍø County campus to review Â鶹¹ÙÍø operations and met with members of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø administration, staff, faculty and students.
“Â鶹¹ÙÍø continues to excel as an institution,†the review team stated in its final report. “The College’s mission is embodied in numerous learning opportunities provided for its students and community members.â€
Barton Chief Accreditation Officer Myrna Perkins led Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s preparations for this institution-wide initiative.
“The Â鶹¹ÙÍø family’s engagement in this visit brought the Â鶹¹ÙÍø story to life,†she said. “We put ‘community’ in community college, and they thought that was top-notch.â€
Perkins said that Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s reaffirmation is critical because it allows participation in federal financial aid programs and helps ensure courses meet the accreditations standards of quality, which allows students to transfer earned credits to other institutions more easily.
The final step in the reaffirmation process requires Â鶹¹ÙÍø to report its choice of accreditation pathwayÌýto HLC for the next reaffirmation, which will be held during the 2032-2033 academic year. The college’s accreditation committee will submit a recommendation for approval by the Board of Trustees at the Jan.Ìý24 meeting.
For more information, contact Chief Accreditation Officer Myrna Perkins at perkinsm@bartonccc.edu or (620) 792-9201