Sedalia, Missouri – Nov. 8, 2023 – State Fair Community College recently received notice from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that the college successfully completed the Open Pathway Assurances Review with no recommended monitoring. This achievement is significant in the college’s ongoing accreditation status as fewer than 50% of higher education institutions reviewed by HLC are passed with no interim monitoring required. The HLC is an institutional accreditation agency that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities that are based in the United States.
The HLC assurances review is a component of maintaining accreditation and determines if a college is providing quality educational programs and services to its students. The review consists of answering a set of rigorous questions regarding core components and providing documented evidence that supports the answers. Core components include student learning assessment, systematic and integrated planning, budget and resource management, and connections with the communities served.
The HLC review team recognized SFCC for its outstanding assessment work, strategic planning, budget processes, and positive rapport with the communities it serves. The team commented on the college’s strong evidence for the availability of funds for faculty to pursue advanced degrees; for partnerships with the local healthcare industry to assist in recruitment and retention, and for providing the Daum Escape program that introduces visual thinking strategies to elementary students and other educators. It also praised SFCC for becoming a National Coalition of Certifications Center (NC3) Leadership School that provides free testing and certificates to students enrolled in NC3 aligned programs and for providing free counseling and emotional support to students and employees through a partnership with Central Methodist University’s counseling program.
“Responding to HLC’s questions took a tremendous amount of work by our faculty and staff,” said SFCC President Dr. Brent Bates. “A team of more than 75 employees were involved, and I thank all of them for their outstanding work.
“Also, I want to recognize Darci McFail, our executive director of Institutional Effectiveness, for her tenacious leadership, managing deadlines and overall quality and thoroughness of our responses. Not only do I appreciate the people involved in this process but also all of SFCC’s employees because they bring quality to all the things they do every day for our students and communities, and that is what makes SFCC the great college it is today.”
