Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

GCC gets reaccreditation update

IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College reported Monday that formal notification reaffirming its accreditation status has been received from the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission.

GCC has been continually accredited since 1949. A Higher Learning Commission evaluation team visited GCC in April and met with faculty, staff, various committees, trustees and community members. The Institutional Actions Council concurred with the evaluation team's findings that GCC met all the expectations of accreditation.

"This is a direct result of a lot of hard work throughout our institution to comply with all the standards set by the HLC.

We are all proud of the institutional recognition of our continued good work." Maria Sokol, GCC accreditation liaison.

Comments in the evaluation report include: "The college is focusing on continuous improvement in assisting students in the learning process. The assessment goals are aligned with the mission of the College, its educational and degree offerings and student, program, course and general education outcomes. The institution has defined goals for student retention, persistence and completion that are ambitious, but attainable and appropriate to its mission, student populations, and educational offerings."

"The result is very positive, which I consider an institutional success, demonstrating the commitment of many throughout the process. I believe this will help to maintain focus and carry forward momentum as we prepare for the upcoming 2022 visit," said George McNulty, GCC president. "With student-success at the forefront, our community can continue to grow and evolve."

This reaffirmation of accreditation will be added to the Institutional Status and Requirements (ISR) Report, along with this information being published to the HLC website. hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/recent-actions.html.

The HLC is an independent organization founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes the state of Michigan along with 18 other states.

For questions regarding the accreditation process, please feel free to contact Sokol, Accreditation Liaison Officer at 906-307-1264 or via email: [email protected].