HLC Coordinating Committee leads successful completion of Year 4 Assurance Review
Dear Colleagues and Students,
I’m happy to report that MSUM received confirmation in August from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that the university successfully completed its Year 4 Assurance Review with no recommended monitoring.
This four-year review is a critical milestone in MSUM’s regional accreditation. A team of our peers from 5 other regional institutions completed an extensive evaluation of MSUM’s academic and operational activities. Commission reviewers reported that all of HLC’s five Criteria for Accreditation have been met. The Year 4 Assurance Argument shows that we remain on track for re-accreditation in 2027-2028.
The HLC first accredited Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1916.
HLC Coordinating Committee
Dozens of faculty and staff from across the university devoted time, energy and resources to ensure a successful outcome by gathering supporting evidence, which is a significant part of the report. This evidence demonstrates MSUM’s adherence to the HLC accreditation criteria across our academic, financial, and operational functions.
While it is impossible to list all the contributors to this immense effort, I would like to acknowledge Ellen Fagerstrom, Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Accreditation Liaison Officer, for leading the HLC Coordinating Committee and Richard Lahti, former Assessment Coordinator, who served on many subcommittees of the HLCCC, including before becoming a member of the HLCCC. I would like to recognize the HLC Coordinating Team for their grit, humility and heart for their leadership in working with contributors and crafting the final work on the 35,000-word report.
Year 4 Assurance Review Team
- Ellen Fagerstrom, Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Accreditation Liaison Officer
- Robert Nava, AVP Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies
- Brenda Amenson-Hill, VP Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
- Karen Lester, Comptroller
- Joshua Behl, Dean of College of Business, Analytics, and Communication
- Earnest Lamb, Dean of College of Arts and Humanities
- Heather Phillips, Director of Housing and Residential Life
- Tom Reburn, Director of Undergraduate Admissions
- Nicole Anderson, Project Manager
- Keri DeSutter, College of Education and Human Services
- Brittney Goodman, Library
- Richard Lahti, College of Science, Health, and the Environment
- Dan Heckaman, associate VP Finance and Administration and Campus Information Officer
- Jason Anderson, School of Communication and Journalism
- Juan Cabanela, Physics and Astronomy
Arrick Jackson
Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs