Central Michigan University

CMU prof elected to Higher Learning Commission board

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Topics in this story: College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, Education and schools, People, Psychology

Tim Hartshorne

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Media Contact(s):

Heather Smith
989-774-1702

Program Contact(s):

Tim Hartshorne
989-774-6479

Central Michigan University psychology professor Tim Hartshorne will play a significant role in higher education accreditation as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools' Higher Learning Commission board of trustees.

As one of six regional institutional accreditors in the U.S., the HLC works to assure the quality of educational opportunities at degree-granting educational institutions in the North Central region, which consists of 19 states.

Hartshorne's four-year term on the board of trustees will begin Sept. 1. As a member of the board of trustees, he will be involved in policy matters related to accreditation, with priorities including public information and disclosure, process evaluation, assessment of student learning, and relations with the U.S. Department of Education.

CMU President Michael Rao, who nominated Hartshorne for the position and served on the nomination committee, said, "The CMU community is extremely pleased and proud that Professor Hartshorne has been selected to serve on the HLC board of trustees. His extensive experience and ongoing dedication to the betterment of higher education make him supremely qualified to help shape the accreditation process for institutions across the region."

As an institutional accrediting agency, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools evaluates an entire educational organization in terms of its mission and the agency's standards or criteria and accredits an organization as a whole. Along with assessing formal educational activities, evaluation also is done on governance and administration, financial stability, admissions and student services, institutional resources, student learning, institutional effectiveness, and relationships with internal and external constituencies.

"Accreditation is essential for higher education institutions," said Hartshorne. "The Higher Learning Commission board is in place to set policies that direct how accreditation operates, determine whether the criteria makes sense, deal with appeals, and much more."

Hartshorne is an expert on grief, the CHARGE Syndrome, severe developmental disabilities and child disability, especially children and youth who are deaf-blind. He has been a CMU faculty member for 19 years and has held many leadership roles and committee positions at CMU throughout that time. Currently, he serves as chairperson of the CMU Academic Senate executive board and serves on the Faculty Trustees Liaison Committee and Institutional Strategic Planning Committee.