I want to thank all of you for your work that has continued to move this college forward and the work that we do for students, and especially those who contributed to the actual document and participated in meetings with the accreditation team. Finally a super LOUD shout out to Dr. Tricia Kujawa, assistant vice president, institutional research and effectiveness, for her steady hand and guidance in getting us across the finish line! – Dr. Charlotte Warren, LLCC President

The letter of approval is below:

March 3, 2023
Dr. Charlotte Warren
President
Lincoln Land Community College
5250 Shepherd Rd.
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9256

Dear President Warren:
This letter serves as formal notification and official record of action taken concerning Lincoln Land Community College by the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission at its meeting on February 27-28, 2023. The date of this action constitutes the effective date of the institution’s new status with HLC.

Action. IAC concurred with the evaluation findings and voted to affirm the institution’s eligibility to select the Standard or Open Pathway for reaffirmation of accreditation.

In taking this action, the IAC considered materials from the most recent evaluation and the institutional response (if applicable) to the evaluation findings.

Attached to this letter is information on selecting and declaring a pathway within the timeline provided. The materials include links to information on the Standard and Open Pathways. HLC does not make public an institution’s Pathway determination or selection. Institutions’ Pathway designations will not appear on the Institutional Status and Requirements Report.

If you have any questions about the institution’s transition to a pathway, please contact Tom Bordenkircher, the institution’s staff liaison. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Barbara Gellman-Danley
President

Every three years the college administers a climate survey to capture perceptions of the college environment and inform us on what we are doing well and what could be improved. We will be conducting such a survey, the PACE Climate Survey for Community Colleges, this fall. The survey will open on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and be available through Wednesday, Nov. 23.

We are committed to a constant process of internal review and analysis to guide our quality improvement efforts. One significant way we can work to enhance our campus climate is to listen to and take action on your views regarding its various factors. The PACE reports position us to better understand our campus environment as it relates to institutional structure, supervisory relationships, teamwork and focus on students. It also provides a way for us to assess the effectiveness of our initiatives and measure growth or change over time.

I understand that honest communication can sometimes feel difficult to provide. That is why we work to ensure your anonymity. The Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at North Carolina State University will administer the survey and provide the college aggregated results. So please be candid in answering these questions. Honest and constructive communication is critical in our process of identifying priority areas on which to focus.

You will receive an email invite from Belk Center to participate in the PACE survey next week. When the survey is completed and the data compiled, results will be reviewed by various groups and shared with the campus community.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey. Your input is very much appreciated.

Charlotte Warren, Ph.D.
President, Lincoln Land Community College

News media covering the press conference announcing the $5 million training grant included WICS, WAND, WTAX, State Journal-Register and the City of Springfield Public Access Channel. Dr. Charlotte Warren, president, was interviewed live on WMAY radio later that afternoon.

Nancy Sweet, dean, Workforce Institute, was interviewed by WICS and the City of Springfield Public Access on the Workforce Careers Expo also held yesterday.

What do accreditation, teamwork and Quiznos have in common?
You!

Accreditation is incredibly important, and so is your input! Please make time to read and comment on all or part of the assurance filing between now and Sept. 26 (see files emailed Sept. 6). The individual who submits the best edit/suggestion for the week will be rewarded with a free Quiznos lunch!

What is the assurance filing? It documents how we are meeting identified criteria (and their subcomponents) to reaffirm our accreditation. The criteria:

1. Mission
2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
3. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources and Support
4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement
5. Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning

We will be hosting a peer review team on campus Dec. 5 and 6. They will be here to confirm the information in our assurance filing — so it is important that it be complete and accurate. It takes all of us working together to have a successful HLC visit!

Accredited higher education institutions must have their accreditation reaffirmed every 10 years. For us, reaffirmation is to take place this academic year.

We will host a peer review team on Dec. 5 and 6, and that team will be on campus to confirm what we have claimed in our assurance filing.

For the past three years, various faculty and staff have dedicated time to preparing LLCC’s assurance filing. We must submit it to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on Monday, Nov. 7. Before that happens, I want to provide the campus community time to review our assurance filing.

Between now and Sept. 26, I encourage you to read and comment on all or part of the assurance filing. The three files emailed yesterday guide you through the campuswide review process.

Additional preparation activities are planned for October and November. If invited to take part in these events, please make every effort to participate. It takes all of us working together to have a successful HLC visit.

Dr. Charlotte Warren, president