Gateway receives another 10 years of accreditation

Gateway Technical College has been granted another 10 years of regional accreditation -- through 2020 -- from The Higher Learning Commission, a national independent organization which evaluates the quality of higher education institutions.

Tthe commission also extended its approval to two of Gateway’s fully online programs, IT Web Developer/Administrator and Graphic Communications.

“Regional accreditation is extremely important to our college community,” said John Thibodeau, associate vice president of Student Learning. “Continued accreditation allows our students to access federal financial aid and helps them transfer their credits to continue their education.”

The team of evaluators that visited the college highlighted Gateway;s strengths after its visit to the college:

• Gateway has exemplary support from the community.
• Gateway has highly respected leadership and has positioned the college so it is a major asset to the community.
• Gateway is committed to sustainability and is a leader in learning on a global scale.
• Gateway responds to community needs and offers resources to meet the needs of community.
• The college facilities, in general, and the technology centers, in particular, are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment which facilitates effective teaching and learning.

“We are pleased and encouraged by the report to continue to provide educational and workforce training opportunities to our students and the communities we serve,” said Gateway President Bryan Albrecht. “It is gratifying to see this independent commission validate our educational environment, innovation and work to provide the technology and tools to train tomorrow’s workers.”

The accreditation was given without any stipulations. The commission, however, did ask for two progress reports, on Student Services and on measuring students’ learning in general education, due in January of 2012. The accreditation was made after a two-year  self-examination of Gateway’s programs and services as well as a visit by Higher Learning Commission members.

The HLC, founded in 1895 as one six regional institutional accrediting organizations in the U.S., accredits degree-granting programs in a 20-state region.