HLC Criterion Committees—The Mission

Across campus, committees are hard at work on gathering evidence and writing Assurance Arguments as part of USI’s current Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation process. These groups—consisting of University representatives from a variety of departments and offices around campus—have been assigned one of four criteria to address specifically for the self-study portion of the accreditation.

In this installment of USI Today’s series about the University’s accreditation process, the first criterion of the self-study will be addressed and committee co-chairs Dr. Monica O’Neil, Director of Service Learning, Affiliated Faculty of Gender Studies and Lecturer in Art and Design, and Dr. Wes Durham, Professor of Communication Studies, Director of Bachelor of Professional Studies and Chair of the Communication and Media Department, will talk about their committee’s current work.

The Mission

The first criterion of the HLC accreditation self-study is reviewing the University’s mission, and showing how that mission is clear and articulated publicly.

“Our committee is focusing on three particular parts of USI’s mission—how the mission aligns with educational programs, how it aligns with our enrollment profile and the scope of operation,” says O’Neil. “We’re also working on how the mission aligns with the public good and how the mission aligns with diversity of society.” Review USI’s mission and vision.

This goal is being accomplished by committee members gathering needed evidence that addresses each of the areas of focus. With that evidence in hand, O’Neil and Durham have drafted an Assurance Argument for criterion one, which is a document that elaborates how USI is fulfilling the focus areas under the University’s mission.

“From my understanding, each committee will have different processes based on their criteria,” added Durham. “Currently our Assurance Argument draft is back out to the committee for review by March 2. Monica and I will take their feedback and comments, and make any tweaks needed. Then at that point, it moves into the hands of Dr. Darrin Sorrels and USI’s HLC liaison group.”

Both O’Neil and Durham referenced the University’s website as a well-established resource. “Our criterion is a little different than the others. What we were able to do, in a lot of cases, was use readily available, publicly available information that the University provides on the website for our Assurance Argument,” said Durham.

“Since our criterion is the mission, the first thing we have to prove is that the University’s mission is publicly articulated. Which it is,” added O’Neil. “But I also looked in the USI Factbook (currently being updated) to give the HLC representatives an idea of what our enrollment demographics look like. I also looked at the most recent public budget, which was 2024-25.”

This information, while something many USI employees are familiar with, helps O’Neil and Durham set the stage in the Assurance Argument for the other areas they must prove, such as impact on the community and the diversity of society. Those important data points come from student and employee accomplishments and projects.

“We are, in a way, trying to tell the story of USI,” said O’Neil. “It’s for accreditation, but we have to really paint a picture of who and what USI is and who we serve.”

When working through the examples and information committee members provided for the Assurance Argument, both co-chairs said they saw how the work USI does is not just centralized but comes from all over campus. Examples the committee pulled together included projects from the USI Engineers in Action chapter and offerings from Outreach and Engagement, which show not just USI’s work in providing public good but also in diversifying society.

“There are so many examples that are just as impactful,” Durham added, stating the committee was rich in examples to provide HLC. “What struck me through this process is seeing how USI doesn’t just talk the talk, we actually do walk the walk.”

Staying Informed

A driving theme that University leadership and those working on the HLC accreditation are sharing with fellow USI employees is simple: stay informed!  “It’s important to be aware of this process and the fact that in 2027, we will have HLC reviewers on campus, who may meet with employees and ask them questions about USI,” said O’Neil.

While committees are working on the self-study portion for the current stage of accreditation, campus will welcome experienced HLC external peer reviewers for a mock campus visit in September. Employees can also expect to see information about upcoming town hall meetings, where USI HLC liaison officers and committee co-chairs can share updated information and answer questions.

If you have more questions about what HLC is or the process of accreditation, please reach out to Dr. Darrin Sorrells, HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer and Teaching Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Sport, by email at ddsorrells@usi.edu or by extension 5174.

To read the first story in this series, “USI’s HLC Accreditation work in full swing,” visit the USI Today webpage.

The next story in this USI Today series will address the second criterion committee, which is looking at USI’s integrity in terms of ethical and responsible conduct.