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Learning Through the Accreditation Process

Over the last year, Antioch has been in a process called Self-Study. It’s an internal review of the programs and services of the college and one of the many things needed to achieve accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, the group that grants accreditation. This self- study gave the college a chance to identify the strong points of the institution and examine where it still needs work. Now the college is gearing up for a site visit from the Higher Learning Commission. The college won’t learn if it have accreditation from this visit, or even if it is a candidate for accreditation, but it’s still a major step in this complex and multi-year process.

What do you know about accreditation? Accreditation is a voluntary process taken on by colleges and universities to show a high level of quality. Now, a college doesn’t necessarily need accreditation to give diplomas, it just needs authorization. Antioch College is already authorized by the Ohio Board of Regents to give bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. Then why does Antioch want accreditation? It is a measure of quality, and it can make the road to graduate school a lot easier.  But here’s the biggest piece; if it’s accredited, Antioch can get financial aid and grants from the government.

This month on the Word we’ll hear a conversation between Antioch Word producer Hideo Higashibaba and Jennifer Jolls, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness at Antioch College. Jolls has been spearheading the self study process and preparing the community for the visit.

All who wish to read the Self-Study report are encouraged to do so. The Executive Summary of the report can be found at antiochcollege.org. The visit is scheduled for November 11th to the 13th and after the visit the status of the college in the accreditation process will not be made public until June 2014. For more information about the self study and the accreditation process please contact Jennifer Jolls at jjolls@antiochcollege.org.

The Antioch Word is a monthly podcast for the Antioch College community, about Antioch College. It is written and produced by Antioch College students working at WYSO and is released monthly. The theme music for the Antioch Word was written, produced, and performed by Seth Kaplan.