Iowa State is preparing to prove it is a reputable institution in order to retain state funding and recruit new students.

The Higher Learning Commission Self-Study Steering Committee is revising a self-study it compiled in preparation for its reaccreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission, scheduled for March 27 to 29.

A university’s accreditation is an assurance from an external evaluator that proves the academic vitality of the institution, said David Holger, leader of the steering committee and associate provost for academic programs.

“The accreditation of an institution by one of the regional accreditation agencies is the accepted way in the United States to prove you are a reputable institution,” he said.

Holger said new student recruitment would suffer should Iowa State lose its accreditation.

“If we are reaccredited, it won’t be a very big splash,” he said. “The impact on student recruitment would be if we are not reaccredited, which nobody expects to happen. To say you are not regionally accredited would make students not want to come.”

Mark Chidister, assistant to the president for budget planning and analysis, said students look to a university’s accreditation to prove its academics are reputable.

“I think you will find students who are looking for a university to attend want to find an accredited university,” he said. “It is critical to the university that our accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission continues.”

Attending an accredited university allows students to benefit from federal aid programs and having courses that easily transfer among other institutions.

“If you take courses at an accredited university, it is likely they will transfer,” Holger said.

Federal and state financial aid programs are applicable only at accredited institutions, he said.

“Most financial aid for students that doesn’t derive directly from the institution itself normally requires it to be an accredited institution,” Holger said. “It is probably one of the reasons why it is what everybody does.”

Although the College of Veterinary Medicine was reduced to partial accreditation in 2003 because of facility and faculty inconsistencies, he said it is unlikely the university as a whole will suffer a similar outcome from its accreditation visit.

“It is probably likely because the Vet Med situation is very different,” Holger said. “It is a targeted professional accreditation and does examine the university as a whole.”

The university’s ultimate goal during the reaccreditation process is to find areas for improvement, Chidister said.

“While ultimately, we want to continue accreditation, the focus is to continue to improve the quality of the institution,” he said.

Budget cuts and faculty salary disparities are areas for improvement, although they will not keep the university from retaining its accreditation, Holger said.

“Granted, we have felt a lot of pain in the last several years and students have felt that in tuition increases, but we feel the financial stability of this institution is not in trouble,” he said.

Reduced state funding could happen should Iowa State lose its accreditation status, although Holger said it is unlikely.

“It would probably have some negative consequences if we weren’t, but even that is pretty speculative,” he said.