“The HLC Open Pathway for Reaffirmation of Accreditation requires the institution to undertake a major Quality Initiative designed to suit its present concerns or aspirations. The Quality Initiative takes place between years 5 and 9 of the 10-year Open Pathway Cycle. A Quality Initiative may be designed to begin and be completed during this time or it may continue an initiative already in progress or achieve a key milestone in the work of a longer initiative. The Quality Initiative is intended to allow institutions to take risks, aim high, and if so be it, learn from only partial success or even failure.”
The Higher Learning Commission
Quality Initiative Proposal Approved by HLC
The final proposal for our Quality Initiative, Strengthening Advising to Promote Student Success (Box), was submitted to HLC on May 7th, 2025. HLC approved the proposal on May 29th with no modifications required.
UIS Quality Initiative Timeline
The University of Illinois Springfield's Quality Initiative (QI) is due to the Higher Learning Commission by June 1, 2027.
| Timeline | stage | details |
|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | QI Planning Begins | Institutional Effectiveness distributed a survey to the UIS community soliciting suggestions on areas that should be considered for the quality initiative over the next few years. A total of 434 responses were received (78 faculty/instructors, 138 staff/administrators, 124 undergraduate students, and 94 graduate students). |
| November 2024 | QI Topic Refinement | Faculty, staff, and students participated in seven focus groups to share their ideas on a topic for the HLC Quality Initiative. A total of 32 people volunteered to participate (4 faculty, 13 staff, 10 graduate students, and 5 undergraduate students). Ideas could also be submitted through the Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness website. One idea was received from a staff member through the online form. |
| December 2024 | QI Topic Refinement | Feedback obtained from the Spring survey, November focus groups, and the website submission analyzed. |
| January 2025 | QI Topic Selection & QI Steering Committee Formed | Topic of strengthening and enhancing advising for students finalized and QI Steering Committee confirmed. |
| February 2025 | QI Steering Committee First Meeting | Steering Committee met to discuss scope of initiative and possible sub-components. |
| April 2025 | Proposal Drafted | The QI Steering Committee invited UIS faculty, staff, and students to provide feedback on the QI proposal. Feedback synthesized and edits made to proposal, and proposal draft submitted to University leadership for final approval. |
| May 2025 | Proposal Approved | The final proposal for our Quality Initiative, Strengthening Advising to Promote Student Success (Box), was submitted to HLC on May 7th, 2025. HLC approved the proposal on May 29th with no modifications required. |
| September 2025 | NACADA/QI Steering Committee Charge Meeting | A merged QI Steering Committee and NACADA report action group met to discuss the NACADA report findings and the approved QI proposal plans. Eight recommendations were shared. The steering committee identified four task groups to address the NACADA recommendations and QI plans. Guiding principles of the steering committee were also shared. |
Quality Initiative Steering Committee
- Michael Roth, Associate Provost for Student Success and Undergraduate Education (co-chair)
- Shipra Gupta, Associate Professor and Chair, Management, Marketing, and Operations (co-chair)
- Jennifer Berry, Senior Academic Advisor, Computer Science
- Ryan Bye, Executive Director of Strategy and Partnership, Student Affairs
- Allysa Finder, Associate Academic Advisor, CLASS
- Michele Gribbins, Associate Provost for Institutional Research & Effectiveness
- Nicole Hager, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Compliance
- Rose Harmon, Academic Advisor, Computer Science
- Craig McFarland, Senior Academic Advisor, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
- Daniel Platt, Assistant Professor, Legal Studies
- Stephen Schnebly, Associate Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Tarah Sweeting-Trotter, Director, Center for Academic Success and Advising
- Cortney Trencevski, Academic Advisor, CHST and CAP Honors
- Brian Clevenger, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention Management (ex-officio)
- Anne-Marie Hanson, Associate Dean, CHST (ex-officio)
- Kenneth Owen, Associate Dean, CLASS (ex-officio)
- Lea Smith, Director of Records and Registration/Registrar (ex-officio)
- Anne Strahle, Interim Associate Dean, CPAE (ex-officio)
- Jorge Villegas, Associate Dean, College of Business and Management (ex-officio)
Deans' Memos of Support
Because our Quality Initiative is a campus-wide endeavor, the Steering Committee asked each college dean to draft memos indicating their support for our project and commitment to improving advising UIS. Click the links below to read each college dean's memo.