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In a rare achievement for a higher education institution, 51�Թ������ܿƴ� once again received no recommendations — and four commendations — following its Year-Seven Accreditation Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities .

During a three-day visit in early April, NWCCU's peer evaluation team reviewed the university’s alignment with accreditation standards and how it fulfills its mission as an institution. The team engaged with students, faculty, and staff during scheduled open forum sessions, visited classrooms, and spoke with campus leaders and regents.

On the final day of the visit, university leadership and administration gathered in the Student Union to receive the results. Chris Heavey, 51�Թ������ܿƴ� interim president, who represented the university as officer in charge during the evaluation, opened the meeting by thanking the evaluators for their careful review of the university’s academic programs and complex systems. 

Heavey wrapped up by expressing gratitude to the faculty and staff for making the university a transformative place to learn and grow.

“Thank you to everyone on campus who makes this university run. We all understand firsthand the incredible complexity of an institution our size, with more than 200 degree programs, over 30,000 students, and the many moving parts that come with being a comprehensive and innovative research university,” Heavey said. “You make it all possible.”

With that, the evaluators shared the results of their review. 

“We all found 51�Թ������ܿƴ� to be a wonderful institution with its beautiful campus, culture, and people,” said the chair of the peer evaluation team. “Accreditation reflects, articulates, and brings together all the work you do across the institution every day.”

51�Թ������ܿƴ� garnered commendations for:

• A commitment to student success evident throughout the institution
• Collaborative efforts in student success and retention that have resulted in noteworthy increases in graduation rates
• Great strides in developing a data infrastructure that supports evidence-based decision making
• A well-vetted and well-supported process for transitioning programs to fully online formats  

Finally, the evaluators shared their recommendations — or in this case, the lack of recommendations. “Now we read the recommendations,” the peer evaluation chair said. “You don’t have any.”

The room erupted in applause as colleagues congratulated one another. 

The results of the accreditation evaluation, Heavey noted, are a reflection of 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s strategic goals, intentionally refined systems, and the hard work to create a thriving campus culture where student learning and continuous improvement take center stage.

A Decade of Progress: Strengthening the Academic Infrastructure

Two consecutive seven-year accreditation reviews without recommendations is a rare achievement, as evidenced by on NWCCU member institutions.

"What this rare result reflects about the institution is that we've built a very strong team over the last 10 years dedicated to serving students well,” Heavey said. “That commitment exists at every level, from curriculum design and delivery to data analysis that supports both targeted interventions and effective resource allocation. I'm extremely proud of the work the entire academic enterprise is doing every day."

Before becoming interim president, Heavey served in multiple leadership roles, including executive vice president and provost, senior vice provost, and vice provost for undergraduate education. He was involved in developing several strategic plans in collaboration with campus leaders and teams across the university that emphasized student success and achievement as central pillars of their goals. 

“It’s been a privilege to be involved at many different levels in shaping our student success efforts, including forming the teams and guiding activities. In one of my earlier roles, I had the opportunity to review our academic assessment structure, which is how we evaluate student learning to improve instruction and outcomes,” Heavey said.

“I worked closely with Lindsay Couzens to revamp the system we had in place. That work was then carried forward as she became associate vice provost for academic effectiveness. The team she built ensured those efforts spread across the entire academic enterprise, reaching all departments and programs.

"Since coming on board as senior vice provost for Academic Affairs, Kate Korgan has also been a key leader in advancing our efforts."

Couzens was instrumental in the accreditation process and the preparations for the NWCCU site visit. As a three-time 51�Թ������ܿƴ� graduate and a part of the university administration since 2012, she has a unique perspective on the institution’s growth and the evolution of its academic standards. 

Couzens and her team strengthened assessment practices, supported data-informed decision making, and worked collaboratively with faculty and departments to align program outcomes with institutional goals. Her efforts, along with those of her team, helped ensure that continuous improvement is a shared campus value.

“Accreditation is truly a collaborative process, and one in which we hold up a mirror to our institution,” Couzens said. “We owe the success of this site visit to everyone across campus who shared examples with the writing committee and peer evaluators, showing how our community fulfills the university’s mission.”

The peer evaluation report noted the number of examples included in the self-study. Couzens said this level of engagement reflects the dedication of 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s students, staff, faculty, and leadership to the important work of transforming students’ lives.

“I’m especially grateful for my team, who have worked incredibly hard to continue to streamline our processes and work with academic and co-curricular units to navigate program design, assessment, program review, survey design, accreditation, and compliance,” Couzens added.

Building a Data-Driven Campus Culture

The Office of Decision Support is a behind-the-scenes powerhouse that over time has helped cultivate a data-centered culture for academic progress and transform insight into action.

Skip Crooker, vice provost for Decision Support, led the development of accessible, user-friendly data dashboards and reports for , the university’s central business intelligence tool. He facilitated training sessions on dashboard use and query development to empower faculty and staff with the skills needed to access and apply data relevant to their units. 

“The ability to track, analyze, and act on data in real time has changed how we approach academic performance on campus,” Crooker said. “This proactive approach has strengthened our ability to meet external benchmarks like those from NWCCU.”

Accreditation standards call for institutions to regularly review student data and measure program success based on improvements in student outcomes, according to Crooker. His team developed the 51�Թ������ܿƴ� Analytics dashboard to pull data needed to evaluate what’s working, make informed adjustments, and expand strategies that support student success.

Crooker added that collaboration and cooperation with campus leaders from various units have been vital in building 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s data infrastructure to what it is today. 

“Since launching 51�Թ������ܿƴ� Analytics, the dashboards built in the system are a reflection of the partnerships between ODS, the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Admissions, the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Undergraduate Education, and the Graduate College,” Crooker said. “I also need to mention President Heavey’s commitment to building a data culture at 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. His push to make our data transparent and available across campus to our staff has been a guiding principle.”

This shift toward data-driven decision-making helped refine initiatives, guide long-term goals, and improve student outcomes while also identifying areas for improvement and responding more effectively to NWCCU standards and expectations with greater precision. 

The Road Ahead

Looking forward to the next NWCCU seven-year cycle, Heavey said, university leaders are prepared to build on recent successes by ensuring the university remains at the forefront of delivering a high-quality, student-centered education that drives achievement and opportunity.

In the last year, 51�Թ������ܿƴ� achieved several milestones. From shattering enrollment records to retaining its Carnegie R1 status for the third consecutive cycle, the university continues to advance its core mission and commitment to serving its students, faculty, and staff.

For additional information about the NWCCU accreditation process, visit the Office of Academic Assessment website.