Emporia State’s accreditation has been reaffirmed at the highest level by the Higher Learning Commission according to communication sent out by Provost Brent Thomas. ESU’s next accreditation will take place in 10 years during the 2034-35 academic year.
The HLC visited campus last fall to assess the University’s compliance with accreditation criteria and reaffirmed ESU’s accreditation in January. The criteria are based on various factors, including the University’s engagement in the continuous improvement of its programs and adherence to HLC policies and practices.
According to Thomas, the HLC peer review team responsible for evaluating ESU “recognized the challenges the university faced and the innovative actions that were implemented.” The team highlighted ESU’s response to declining enrollment, financial responsibility, “strategic decision-making” and improvements for students such as free parking.
ESU will undergo an assurance review during the 2028-29 academic year before the comprehensive evaluation for accreditation in 2034-35.
“Reaffirmation of our status through our regional accreditor … at this level demonstrates that the university is delivering the highest quality academic and student experience as well as affirms ESU’s operating excellence,” Thomas told The Bulletin. ESU’s reaccreditation also ensures students have access to federal aid, such as Pell Grants, which are generally not available to students at unaccredited institutions.
As part of the HLC’s reaffirmation of ESU’s accreditation, the University is now able to move out of the commission’s standard pathway and into the open pathway. The open pathway provides the University an opportunity to focus on an improvement project, the progress of which would be evaluated by the HLC.
Thomas says that the University has not yet chosen an improvement project to pursue, but will be looking to better understand their options within the pathway at the HLC Conference this month by attending conference sessions and meeting with individuals from universities who have utilized the open pathway.
“As we look to the future, there are many different improvement projects that we could pursue,” he said. “We could choose a project that is focused on increased student success, broader engagement with the community that we serve, or many other exciting possibilities.”
Thomas says that ESU will move forward with identifying how ESU can “continue to raise the bar.”
“We should all be proud of this accomplishment and take a few moments to celebrate the success of our recent evaluation by the HLC,” he said. “Students should feel good knowing they are attending a great institution. However, we will quickly begin to move forward to determine how ESU can continue to raise the bar.”
