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STEUBENVILLE -- Eastern Gateway Community College President Michael Geoghegan said Monday afternoon the college's "assurance argument," a 41,000-word online response to the Higher Learning Commission's decision two years ago to put the school on probationary status, would be submitted before the midnight deadline.
Geoghegan said the submission includes a 9,000-word introduction and 200 exhibits, all of it supporting EGCC's assertion that it meets HLC President Barbara Gellman-Dansey's 10-page checklist of issues that EGCC must address to regain full accreditation:
— Ensure the college has the faculty and staff needed for effective, high-quality programs and student services.
— Provides support for student learning and resources for effective teaching.
— Engages in ongoing assessment of student learning as part of its commitment to the educational outcomes of its students.
— Pursues educational improvement through goals and strategies that improve retention, persistence and completion rates in its degree and certificate programs.
— Ensures the quality of its educational offerings.
HLC also had found that the college met, but with concerns, requirements that it provide opportunities for civic engagement; establish and follow policies to ensure fair and ethical behavior on the part of its governing board, administration, faculty and staff; present itself "clearly and completely" to its students and to the public; demonstrates that it is effective and enables the institution to fulfill its mission through its administrative structures and collaborative processes; the institution's resource base supports its educational offerings and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future; and engages in systematic and integrated planning and improvement.
"They had a couple concerns in 2020," Geoghegan said. "One was whether we can keep up with our growth … and they were concerned about capacity. The other thing was whether our procedures were documented, which were done, and whether we're assessing our work--assessing our teaching and learning, making sure it's effective, that we're driven by data."
"There's been a tremendously collaborative effort among faculty, staff and administrators," Geoghegan said. "We've worked really hard since November 2021. We're feeling really good about this, and the evidence is there--everything we're saying in the assurance agreement is supported by the facts, so we're very pleased."
Geoghegan said the next step will be for HLC to do a site visit in April. Then, in November, the HLC board of trustees will determine whether EGCC has demonstrated it's in compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation and its probationary status should be lifted.
"When you prepare for one of these things it takes a lot of work, I don't care what college or university you're at," he said. "Everyone has their regular tasks and duties, so it takes a lot of focus, a lot of communication and a lot of transparency."
He said it's been a "total college effort."
"But the procedures we're putting in place are going to stay in place, the committees and new offices we set up," he said. "It's going to be built into our day-to-day work--because in 2026, we've got another (site) visit."