November 21, 2019
Dear Colleagues,

The upcoming site visit with our peer review team from the Higher Learning Commission is drawing near. This visit, scheduled for December 2 and 3, will play a critical role in renewing our accreditation – an imperative for our mission of teaching, research and service.

In order to prepare for this important event, I am inviting our entire university community to review our final assurance argument.

I also want to urge as many members of our community as possible to participate in the open forums that will be part of the site visit. The schedule for the open forums is included below. If the HLC Peer Review Team Chair makes any changes to the schedule, the changes will be updated on the UMKC accreditation website.

Open Forum:  Criterion 1 & 2 (Mission & Integrity)
Monday, December 2
9:45-10:30 am, Student Union 401 AD

Open Forum:  Criterion 3 & 4 (Teaching & Learning)
Monday, December 2
2:15-3:00 pm, Student Union 401 AD

Open Forum:  Criterion 5 (Finances & Planning)
Tuesday, December 3
9:30-10:15 am, Student Union 401 AD

The HLC Site Team Chair has requested that a special invitation be sent informing you of two special times for “drop in” visits:

Monday, December 2
10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Administrative Center – Swope Park Room

Tuesday, December 3
8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Administrative Center – Swope Park Room

I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of this process. Accreditation holds our university to a high standard of quality. It provides confirmation that we are living up to our promise to offer students the best educational experience possible. As an accredited university, we are able to attract more research funding and recruit renowned faculty to teach and discover here at UMKC. Finally, our value to the community we serve is dependent upon our accreditation; it is how our constituents certify our position as a leader in learning. More information, including a summary of our assurance argument, study guide and a 5-episode podcast to prepare for the site visit, can be found at our accreditation page.

I want to offer my sincere gratitude to the dedicated faculty and staff who have been working toward this site visit for more than two years. Your work has been vitally important, and done with skill, care and commitment.

Respectfully,

Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Professor of Management