Dear colleagues,

Las week, the key discussion topics were program reviews and HLC accreditation. I want to thank our Institutional Effectiveness team for their active engagement in these important activities: Ms. Barbara Gamillo, Dr. Sarah Daughtrey, Dr. Ryan Goss, Ms. Kerry Forsythe, Ms. Laura Grant, and Ms. Carley Casey.

In addition to preparing for fall course offerings, our department heads spend their summers managing behind-the-scenes work related to program reviews. Although program review tasks are the least visible, they are among the most important tasks in academic administration.

As a prior department head and dean, and having undergone multiple accreditation cycles in engineering, I understand the importance of continually self-evaluating our mission and curricula so they remain relevant to the dynamic workplace our graduates face. Accreditation is a recognition that our institution meets a general standard of quality. This is as important to us as it is to our graduates who need that recognition and who represent our standards of learning at the workplace.

The Higher Learning Commission is our accreditor, and we must meet five broad criteria:

1. Mission
2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
3. Teaching and Learing: Quality, Resources, and Support
4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement
5. Institutional Effectiveness, Resources, and Planning 

Academic Program Review (APR), which are conducted by our Office of Institutional Effectiveness, address these criteria. Our team is keen on reducing duplication of efforts on campus and is exploring ways to simplify the APRs. This year's APRs integrate key processes, including the Annual Departmental Assessments, which demonstrate program quality, stakeholder involvement, and continuous improvement; General Education (Gen Ed) assessment and recrertification efforts aimed at holistic student development; College Annual reports tracking program success metrics; and consistent public communication and continued compliance with state and federal regulations.

Our internal self-assessments and reviews should not be viewed merely as accreditation requirements; they allow us to continually ensure our programs align with our mission and contribute to student success. After all, we are producing lifelong learners, and APR is our way of demonstrating to students and communities that we constantly strive for higher levels of teaching and learning. There is always a "higher." We are an Institute of Highest Higher Education. We are NMSU.

Lakshmi N. Reddi
Interim Provost
New Mexico State University