UH Mānoa earns maximum 10-year reaccreditation

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: Jul 7, 2011

The Western Association of Schools and College (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities has reaccredited the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa for a full 10 years—the longest reaccreditation period granted. WASC praised UH Mānoa, the flagship campus of the 10-campus UH system, for the tremendous strides it has made through the reaccreditation process that began in 2006.
 
Said Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw, “Earning the maximum 10-year reaccreditation is definitely a ‘chicken-skin’ Mānoa Moment and a wonderful affirmation of our university’s high quality. The hard work of so many folks went into this accomplishment—the commitment and creativity of our faculty, staff, students, administrators, alumni, friends and so many across the community have been impressive. Hundreds of folks devoted time and energy to generating the ideas, consulting with groups, writing the reports and meeting with the visiting WASC teams. Everyone should be proud of their contributions. Achieving this major milestone is truly exciting—mahalo nui loa to all!” 
 
The WASC three-stage reaccreditation process began five years ago with the submission of an Institutional Proposal that set forth Mānoa’s three themes and six objectives for the process. A Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR) was conducted in December 2009 followed by an Educational Effectiveness Review (EER) in March 2011.
 
Mānoa was commended by the Visiting Team and WASC for its student success initiatives, for “routinely collecting, analyzing, and interpreting extensive data on retention and graduation, disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, residency, and other variables,” and for a “solid start” on the development of a new strategic plan. 
 
Special note was made of Mānoa’s academic program review process that the team called “a total success,” “well articulated,” “highly developed . . . linked to WASC standards, and broadly supported as worthwhile by the faculty.” Also praised was “faculty ownership of the assessment effort.”  
 
The EER Team noted that the EER Report and visit “accurately reflected the incredible distance the campus has come in reaching its goals.”
 
Said Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Reed Dasenbrock, “Mānoa being reaccredited for the longest possible period—something that only a very few institutions in the WASC region have received—should be a signal that we have a great university here in Hawai‘i. This is an institution for higher education that the citizens of the state should be proud of.”
 
The next scheduled comprehensive review visit at UH Mānoa is slated for Spring 2021, with an Interim Report to be due in March 2015.
 
A copy of the WASC letter may be downloaded at http://manoa.hawaii.edu/wasc/.