Reaccreditation is a process most universities must undergo every few years. New Mexico State University last went through the process in 1998.

However, the self-study currently being prepared for reaccreditation from the Higher Learning Commission is about more than ensuring the university meets several standards in areas of teaching and student learning.

“This will be a working document, a guide,” NMSU Executive Vice President and Provost Bill Flores said during opening statements at a Leadership Summit. “We are writing this, not for the HLC, but for NMSU. It’s part of our efforts to make NMSU better for the students.”

The summit, which took place Aug. 10-11, 2006, was designed to gather suggestions for the university’s Foundations of Excellence initiative. The effort is a comprehensive, guided self-study and improvement process that enhances the ability to realize goals for learning, success and persistence for first-year students.

NMSU President Michael Martin broke down the self-study process into four steps – where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, where we’re going and how we’re going to get there. He added that the self-study is even more important because the student body is “more diverse than ever before.”

“Whether it’s the 18-year-old student with high test scores or the 36-year-old mother of three who is coming back to get her degree,” he says, “it is our job to provide front doors to students to maximize their success.”

Flores says the university is not in danger of not receiving reaccreditation. However, that doesn’t make the work any less important.

“This will help us identify our strengths and weaknesses, which only serves to make us a better institution,” he says.

The information and opinions from the summit, along with the results from a department head survey, will be compiled and presented during another summit in February.

A final report will then be written and submitted to the HLC, which will make an on-site visit April 28-30, 2008.