The University of Hartford has received official notice of its reaccreditation by NECHE, the New England Commission for Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.), our regional accreditors. The University has been continuously accredited since 1961.
Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Commission indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.
President Gregory Woodward, Provost Fred Sweitzer, and NECHE Reaccreditation Steering Committee co-chairs Kathleen Neal and Laura Pence explained the following in an email to UHart faculty and staff:
"As is typical in accreditation reviews, NECHE has identified areas for us to work on as we strive for continuous improvement. As requested, we will emphasize our progress on the UHart Start strategic plan, enrollment and financial sustainability, and learning outcomes assessment in our fall 2023 report and fall 2026 interim report, which will be followed by a site visit. Strong efforts are already underway in these important areas and we look forward to making significant progress over the next few years as we continue to realize the vision and initiatives outlined in UHart Start.
"Although it has been off the radar for most of us since our successful fall site visit, the NECHE reaccreditation process was a three-and-a-half year effort that engaged faculty, staff, students, administrators, and regents across campus. It was a true community effort with numerous individuals—a representative mix of faculty and staff with valuable student input—contributing by attending meetings, seeking out data, providing data, being interviewed, writing reports, and wrestling with the key themes of where our institution should focus in the next few years.
"As the process went on, others provided support through supplying feedback and editing on drafts, formatting the final report, planning the site team visit, and meeting with the site team members when they arrived. Nearly all this process coincided with coping with the COVID pandemic, which piled one huge challenge on another.
"Our successful reaccreditation is a reflection on all the individuals here at the University who show up and who give their best time, knowledge, thoughtfulness, organization, diplomacy, and enthusiasm to everything that we do. Please take a moment to celebrate this triumph for all of us."