Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
Pine Technical College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and has been since 1994. In Feb. 2009, the HLC visited PTC for a comprehensive evaluation.
The Higher Learning Commission is one of six regional accrediting agencies in the United States to provide institutional accreditation. Institutional accreditation evaluates an entire institution and accredits it as a whole. Other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs. Accreditation is voluntary. The Commission accredits approximately 1,100 institutions of higher education in a nineteen-state region. The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
To retain accreditation, PTC must, on an ongoing basis, meet the General Institutional Requirements and demonstrate it satisfies five criteria for accreditation. The General Institutional Requirements cover 24 specific points in seven areas: Mission, Authorization, Governance, Faculty, Educational Program, Finances, and Public Information.
The accredited organization must:
-be a degree-granting institution with a mission statement, formally adopted by the governing board and made public, declaring that
it is an institution of higher education.
-have legal status to grant degrees and legal documents to confirm its status: for-profit, not-for-profit, or public.
-be governed by a governing board that includes members of the public and is sufficiently autonomous to assure institutional
integrity.
The organization's educational program must:
-confer degrees and have students enrolled in degree programs.
-be compatible with the organization's mission in degrees offered and in admission policies and practices.
-provide students access to learning programs and support for degree programs.
Faculty must:
-possess degrees appropriate to the level of instruction they offer.
-play a significant role in developing and evaluating the institution's instructional programs.
Financially, the college must:
-undergo a biennial audit
-demonstrate appropriate allocation of resources
-demonstrate fiscal viability
The college must also assure:
-its catalog and/or other official documents include certain types of information.
-the college's standing with accrediting bodies is accurately disclosed to the public.
-it makes available on request information that accurately describes its financial condition.
The organization also must demonstrate it satisfies five Criteria for Accreditation. To assist those involved in making judgments about affiliation, the Commission provides a list of typical areas of institutional activity or concern that form a "Pattern of Evidence" related direclty to the satisfaction of each of the five criteria. These indicators illustrate characteristic varieties of evidence an institution might present in building its case and the Commission's processes weigh in making a decision.
The 2008 Self-Study and 2009 HLC Evaluation
In 2008, PTC launched a comprehensive self-study, addressing the Commission's requirements and criteria for accreditation in preparation for the HLC's visit in Feb. 2009. The HLC Evaluation Team visited PTC to gather evidence that the self-study was comprehensive and accurate. The team recommended to the Commission a continuing status for the college that followed a review process, and the Commission itself took final action and re-accredited Pine Technical College in 2009. The Commission will visit Pine Technical College again in 2019.
For more information about PTC's 2008 self-study, see the Pine Technical College Institutional Profile.
