Staff at Barton Community College went into the winter holiday celebrating the recent comprehensive site visit from the Higher Learning Commission and the report that followed. Barton is on track for renewal of its 10-year accreditation from the HLC in 2023, according to Myrna Perkins, the college’s chief accreditation officer.

Perkins said she had heard several comments from people who heard about the visit or were asked to be involved in it.

“The community is excited about this visit and we need to share our celebration with them,” she told the board of trustees at a Dec. 13 meeting.

On Nov. 17, Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman and Perkins received the HLC Team's draft report. “We responded that we saw no errors and accepted what the team had written,” Perkins said. “On Nov. 29 we received the HLC Team's final report. We accepted it without comment. The team deemed Barton met all criteria for accreditation (and) recommends continued accreditation status for Barton.”

The team will meet with the Institutional Actions Council in January to share the recommendation, which is the final step of the process.

Reasons to celebrate

Perkins said several themes arose from the report. It was “very apparent to the team” that Barton emphasizes community partnerships and collaboration, she said. Team members were impressed with the BCC mission statement and how the college’s core priorities and strategic goals are ingrained in the institution. For example, the goals are posted on every board meeting agenda.

In 2021, when Todd Mobray took over for Charles Perkins as director of institutional effectiveness, the college’s accreditation committee pivoted under new leadership as work on the mission and guiding policies were updated. “The team really noticed the work that had been done on that,” Myrna Perkins said. In fact, “the team’s report was the most complimentary response I have ever read. Overall, it shed a positive light on Barton.”

The report called for no sanctions or special monitoring. It did offer several suggestions, “some subtle and some more direct,” she said. In the coming year, “We’ll review and discuss in detail the final report and prepare an action plan.”

HLC presentations

When the HLC holds its annual conference in the spring, three Barton employees will be making presentations. Stephanie Joiner and Lea Miller will present on academic integrity. Mathematics instructor Jo Harrington, who serves as coordinator of the college’s assessment institute, will also be making a presentation. Harrington also has been recommended as a candidate to serve as an HLC Academy mentor.

“To be recommended is an honor and reflects well on Barton,” Perkins said. The college goes beyond the minimum for meeting accreditation criteria and is being sought out as a role model, she said.

In January, it will be time to consider new appointments to the BCC accreditation committee as some members prepare to retire or leave the committee.

Also in 2023, “we must let HLC know if we will continue with the Open Pathway or go to the Standard,” Perkins said, noting there are pros and cons to both.

There are two pathways to accreditation through the HLC. Both are on a 10-year cycle. While both options are focused on quality assurance and institutional improvement, the Open Pathway is unique in that its improvement component, the Quality Initiative, affords institutions the opportunity to pursue improvement projects that meet their current needs and aspirations, according to HLC.