As Metropolitan State University of Denver closes in on its institutional accreditation deadline this fall, leaders encourage employees to get involved and applaud faculty members’ widespread work to strengthen a critical area: credential tracking.
The Higher Learning Commission will visit campus as part of the review of the University’s eligibility to grant degrees, receive federal funding and other essential institutional functions. The decennial process also examines MSU Denver’s federal compliance, mission alignment, on-campus testimony, institutional effectiveness and other criteria.
The reaccreditation visit will take place Sept. 28 and 29.
The University team overseeing the reaccreditation says employee engagement is critical to the effort and thanks faculty members for closing a gap in reporting credentials.
More opportunities for employees to participate in the open forums include preparatory HLC workshops on:
- Tuesday, Sept. 8, 4-5 p.m. in Administration Building Room 135
- Wednesday, Sept. 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Central Classroom Room 109
- Monday, Sept. 14, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Plaza Building Room 242
What to expect during the visit
Peer reviewers will participate in scheduled meetings with faculty, staff, administrators and students. The visit may also include open forums and follow-up conversations.
Reviewers typically ask thoughtful, direct questions related to employees’ roles and experiences, including questions about decision-making, governance, resource alignment, student success and how areas evaluate and improve their work. They are not looking for rehearsed answers — they are looking for clarity and authenticity.
What employees can do to prepare
Employees do not need to memorize accreditation language or prepare scripted responses. Instead:
- Be familiar with MSU Denver’s strategic plan, mission and CADRE values, and how your work contributes to them.
- Know how your area supports students and contributes to student success. Be prepared to share specific examples.
- Understand how decisions are made and how employees participate in shared governance within your area and across the University.
- Think about how your area evaluates and improves its work. What information, feedback or experience helps identify what is working and what should change?
HLC preparation workshops offered in September will help employees understand what to expect during the visit and how to prepare. Additional information about the peer-review team, workshops and visit will be shared with the University community in the coming weeks.
Office leaders are also encouraged to share and display messaging that can help employees to keep CADRE values top of mind. All can access the Marketing Toolkit with official poster and promotional materials.
Collaborative effort bolsters University standing
Since January, faculty who entered education credentials in Workday contributed to an 87% reduction in missing records, addressing an area for improvement identified during MSU Denver’s 2021 HLC interim visit. The completion rate for tenured, tenure-track and lecturer faculty increased from 76% to 97%, while the rate for affiliate faculty increased from 11% to more than 40% through the spring semester.
“Kudos to our faculty for making sure we were meeting this important step,” said Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Shaun Schafer. “During our interim visit in 2021, the one problem area that peer reviewers identified was in determining the credentials of the faculty members at MSU Denver. This work knocks out a weakness ahead of our next HLC visit.”
After the 2021 visit, the University was required to conduct a credentials audit of all faculty members for the next three semesters, which Schafer described as a “time-consuming process.”
“Let’s not do that again,” Schafer said. “We now have more than 40 percent of the part-time faculty covered in Workday, and heading into the fall semester, the goal is to get as many more of the outstanding folks as possible covered.”
What accreditation is and why it matters
The HLC is the governing body overseeing accreditation of MSU Denver, among thousands of higher education institutions. Accreditation provides external assurance of institutional quality, supports the University’s participation in federal Title IV student aid programs, and empowers MSU Denver to examine how well it fulfills its mission and where it can improve.
MSU Denver follows HLC’s Standard Pathway, a 10-year accreditation cycle that includes a midcycle review and a comprehensive evaluation. HLC evaluates institutions against four Criteria for Accreditation:
- Mission
- Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
- Teaching and Learning for Student Success
- Sustainability: Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning
As part of the 2026 comprehensive evaluation, the University submits an Assurance Argument explaining how it meets HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation, along with an Evidence File supporting those claims. A team of HLC peer reviewers examines those materials before visiting campus Sept. 28-29.
