EVOLVE 2025: Value Goals and Action Steps

HLC will continue to strengthen its value to members, ensuring the importance of accreditation and quality assurance. It will also address HLC's role in impacting public perception about the value of higher education and its lifelong return on investment (ROI).

Goal 1: Evaluate HLC Policies and Processes

Reconcile and address gaps between the diversity of HLC member institutions and existing HLC policies and processes intended to serve them.

Timeline

2021–2023, then ongoing

Activities

• To help improve HLC's service to its members, institutional representatives and peer reviewers have been invited to complete a survey on their day-to-day experiences with HLC processes, programs and resources. HLC intended to make this an annual survey to help drive organizational improvement efforts.
• Before the end of 2021, HLC will launch Canopy, a new, web-based dashboard for member institutions and peer reviewers to manage the details of their interactions with HLC. The launch will align with the new database for HLC's internal use (Radix). After three years and numerous process and procedural refinements conveyed by staff members, the result of this project is an essential value-add for all HLC stakeholders.
• HLC recently reorganized the Accreditation section of its website menu to make it easier for visitors to find information about its processes and requirements. The changes were based on feedback from institutional representatives and peer reviewers and are meant to meet the needs of both experienced users and those who are new to accreditation.

Goal 2: Increase Value of HLC Membership

Foster an infrastructure and ethos that serves member institutions by strengthening ongoing efforts to increase value of membership. HLC seeks to improve member benefits by providing cost-conscious support, self-service features linked to HLC processes, and consistent, clear and timely responses in all interactions with member institutions.

Timeline

2021–2023, then ongoing

Activities

• HLC has launched a pilot project looking at differential accreditation and the potential added value it may provide for member institutions.
• HLC is exploring a partnership with National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) to provide members resources on finance.
• HLC pivoted to provide the 2021 Annual Conference virtually, reaching more than 4,600 attendees!

Goal 3: Improve Understanding of Student Success

Foster a more complete understanding of student success (particularly from a learner perspective) to focus all stakeholders on the workforce, civic, social and other benefits of higher education.

Timeline

2021–2025

Action Steps

• Look after students' interests through HLC's consumer protection policies and ongoing interactions with institutions (student guide, student opinion survey, complaints, etc.).
• Communicate an understanding of HLC's focus on student learning and achievement. Share findings from HLC's Quality Awareness Initiatives and EVOLVE Outcomes Committee through such mechanisms as the Leaflet newsletter.
• Embed student intent in discussions of student success/retention methodologies and HLC's institutional accountability measures.
• Actively promote an understanding of and sensitivity to equity principles in HLC's interactions with institutions.

Goal 4: Increase Awareness of Role of Accreditation

Reinforce the value of higher education by upholding, safeguarding and promoting widespread understanding about the role of accreditation in measuring quality and encouraging institutional improvement.

Timeline

2022–2024, then ongoing

Action Steps

• Ensure rigor and consistency in peer review.
• Work with other higher education agencies to identify gaps that may exist in HLC's training offerings. Explore potential collaborations and include any identified gaps into future trainings.
• Foster the ability to create and support various communities of practice (e.g., student success, assessment, civic engagement, higher education research, etc.).
• In order to further clarify the knowledge of the general public about quality in higher education, develop appropriate materials for a variety of audiences.
• Leverage existing committees (e.g., the Assessment Task Force) and other ongoing process/policy review teams to identify opportunities for HLC to demonstrate and communicate the value of accreditation.