(Above) Ozarka President, Dr. Richard Dawe (standing) introduces the HLC Evaluation Team during the debriefing on Wednesday morning. Left to right sitting: Dr. Dr. Linda L. Avant, Dr. William G. Giddings, Dr. Linda G. Johnson, and Dr. Cia Verschelden.
Ozarka College has been recommended for continued accreditation through 2020 by a visiting team of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The recommendation was announced November 17 at an open forum debrief to all employees in Melbourne.
An evaluation team of higher education professionals assembled by the HLC from institutions similar to Ozarka visited the College November 15-17 and announced their recommendations to faculty, staff and administration Wednesday morning prior to their departure.
Ozarka College underwent the comprehensive visit by HLC as the culmination of the past several years of preparation and the development of an extensive institutional self-study report based on five criteria that the HLC considers priorities for accreditation.
The team met with college staff, faculty and administration; as well as the Board of Trustees, community members and students in an effort to gather evidence that Ozarka’s self-study report was thorough and accurate.
The HLC team was led by Dr. William G. Giddings, President of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa. Dr. Giddings praised Ozarka for the hospitality and organization during their team visit and commended the College for their clear desire to serve its students and community, and upholding its mission of providing life changing experiences through education.
Along with Dr. Giddings the HLC team consisted of Dr. Cia Verschelden, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas; Dr. Linda G. Johnson, AQIP Liaison/HLC/Assessment Coordinator, Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Dr. Linda L. Avant, Executive Vice President, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology-Okmulgee, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
Ozarka College has been accredited by HLC as a college since 1996. Its accreditation is at the Associate’s degree level. A committee from HLC will review the self-study and the visiting team recommendations to officially determine accreditation in late winter, and a formal report will follow.
