News Releases

College Prepares for Fall Accreditation Visit

Alma College is seeking comments from the public in preparation for a periodic evaluation by its regional accrediting agency.

The College will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit Nov. 2-4, 2009, by a team representing The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Alma College has been accredited at the bachelor’s degree level by the commission since 1916. Accreditation is voluntary.

For the past 18 months, Alma College has been engaged in a process of self-study, addressing the Commission’s requirements and criteria for accreditation. The evaluation team will visit the College to gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate. Following its review, the team will make a recommendation to the Commission regarding continuing status for Alma College. The Commission itself will take the action regarding accreditation status. The Higher Learning Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The public is invited to submit comments regarding the College to: Public Comment on Alma College, The Higher Learning Commission, 330 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL, 60602.

Comments should address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs. Comments should include the name, address and telephone number of the person providing the comments. The Commission does not treat comments as confidential.

Written, signed comments must be received by Oct. 2, 2009.

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Alma College was born on Oct. 14, 1886. George F. Hunting was appointed the College’s first president and professor of moral and mental science. The College’s founding was made possible by Ammi W. Wright, a lumberman, businessman and civic leader who gave 30 acres of land and more than $300,000 to found and sustain the institution in its early years.

 

Faculty Profile

Dr. Jeffrey Cordell

Dr. Jeffrey Cordell
Departments: English

Jeffrey Cordell, assistant professor of English at Alma College, uses literature to visit other worlds. While the possibility of multiple worlds and universes has always fascinated him, initially he planned to access these worlds in a very different way, he says.

“I really wanted to be a physicist,” he says. “Though it seems like a huge jump, science and English actually have much more in common than people might think because both allow you to observe detail in a deeper way.”