The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has informed Western New Mexico University that the university has been reaccredited for the next 10 years.
The accreditation decision was made following a rigorous peer review, evaluation and site visit, according to WNMU Accreditation Liaison Officer Connie Rooks.
HLC is a private, nonprofit institutional accrediting agency. HLC Accreditation validates the quality of the institution and is essential for the university to continue offering federal financial aid.
Rooks said that the site visit, which occurred in October 2024, went smoothly. “We were really excited about the type of feedback we were getting,” she said. At this visit, a delegation of individuals with extensive experience in higher education came to the campus to speak with students, faculty, staff and administrators.
The path leading to the site visit was rigorous, said Rooks. While the accreditation process is always ongoing during the ten-year cycle, she said, “It is about 18 months before submitting the final report that the really tough work begins: writing a formal report, gathering evidence, and putting it all together.”
“We had a really good team, and all of us worked together to write a report,” explained Rooks. “But we have to have the entire university coming together to do this.” This is in part because the evidence that must be submitted with the report touches on virtually every aspect of the university.
WNMU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jack Crocker said that HLC accreditation ‘is a magnifying glass review of every aspect of the university, from fiscal strength and policies, to integrity and quality of academic programs, to faculty and staff credentials, to student support services, to data-based decision making, to demonstrated and effective assessment practices, in short, an evaluation of everything we do.”
“Reaccreditation is arguably the most important asset that a university has because it represents quality,” said WNMU President Joseph Shepard. “I’m very proud of our faculty and staff who demonstrated such excellence so that our students are provided the necessary tools to enhance their education and succeed in life.”
Crocker noted that the results of the accreditation process reflect that the university is accomplishing its mission. “Western New Mexico University met every standard without any danger of probation, demand for monitoring, or even requests for additional information—an uncommonly clean audit,” he said. “These outstanding results are tangible recognition of the quality of our faculty and staff and the overall excellence of what we do transform students’ lives.”