Chapter 8
Request for Re-Accreditation

 

8 Request for Re-Accreditation

Throughout its discussion, this Self-Study Report has incorporated Core Values established by the SVSU Self-Study Steering Committee, values carried out in the review of institutional effectiveness prerequisite to the application for institutional re-accreditation. The self-study was conceived as part of an ongoing process to measure how effectively the university accomplishes its mission and vision. It is based on patterns of evidence that inform university planning and practice, with the understanding that every person associated with Saginaw Valley State University is a stakeholder in the self-study process. This Self-Study Report reflects the work of those multiple stakeholders.

Through this self-study process, the work of this institution has been evaluated in the context of the Higher Learning Commission's General Institutional Requirements and Criteria for Accreditation. The Self-Study Report demonstrates that Saginaw Valley State University meets all the General Institutional Requirements; the report additionally provides patterns of evidence that address all the Criteria for Accreditation. As previously noted, this review has been carried out in the context of the university strategic plan, Next Steps 2000-2005, around which this self-study has been organized.

This self-study has also been guided by the core values of the Higher Learning Commission, which are reflected in the University's Mission and Vision statements. This Self-Study Report affirms that Saginaw Valley State University provides quality education for the region and community it serves, producing value for the region, state, and society by preparing highly qualified graduates who contribute to the betterment of a culturally diverse world.

Saginaw Valley State University demonstrates integrity in its relationships within the university and with the wider community it serves by remaining true to its mission as a regional state university, providing academic and professional programs and services for its students at the highest levels of quality and value.

Even as Saginaw Valley State University remains an institution of opportunity for the region it serves, it is also increasingly becoming an institution of choice through the development of innovative programs that incorporate new technologies and strategies, to facilitate a greater range of teaching/learning approaches and educational possibilities for its stakeholders.

As the university has matured, it also better reflects the diversity of the region that supports it, even as it reaches out to the international community through numerous exchange programs. The university has affirmed its commitment to increasing the diversity of its faculty, staff, and student body through outreach programs, recruiting strategies, hiring practices, and curriculum. It enhances the inclusiveness of the campus culture through a variety of initiatives that unite the campus and the local community.

The university's commitment to providing intellectual and cultural opportunities for the people of the East-Central Region of Michigan is demonstrated through collaboration with local schools, governments, and business, and is reciprocated by the community through financial support, service on university-community boards, and participation in university-sponsored events. These demonstrate community support for the university. Recognition that Saginaw Valley State University has become a cultural and intellectual center for the region is further attested to by the number of SVSU graduates who have risen to key positions in economic, political, cultural, and civic leadership.

Just as the Higher Learning Commission is committed to "serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning," so too is Saginaw Valley State University committed to the higher learning purposes for which it was founded 40 years ago. That convergence of Mission and Vision and the patterns of evidence provided in this Self-Study Report demonstrate that SVSU meets all requirements of the Higher Learning Commission for continued accreditation.

Request for Continuing Accreditation

Having demonstrated a level of quality and excellence requisite for an institution of higher education, Saginaw Valley State University respectfully requests continued accreditation for another ten years from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.