Notre Dame College Self-Study Report

Notre Dame College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1931. A comprehensive visit by the Commission is scheduled for March 26 through March 28, 2007. The visiting team will evaluate governance and administration, financial stability, admissions and student personnel services, resources, student academic achievement, organizational effectiveness, and relationships with outside constituencies.

Accreditation provides assurance to the public that quality standards in these areas have been met. Preparation for the visit requires a Self-Study Report written by the College providing commitment to and evidence of quality, integrity, innovation, diversity, inclusiveness, service, collaboration and learning. This Report and many of the auxiliary materials are available here for public review. No doubt you've seen the brightly colored emblem used by the steering committee for Notre Dame College’s reaccreditation effort around the campus. The emblem is used to call attention to the self-study draft report, the invitation to respond to it, and the location of accreditation material on the intranet. As the College prepares for the Higher Learning Commission's visit in March 2007, the emblem will become even more visible.

Self-Study EmblemThe design of the emblem, which was created by Christopher Smith Advertising, uses the language of the College’s mission and four symbols representing its key elements. Around the outside are words from the mission: Notre Dame College, a Catholic institution in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame, educates a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility.

The four illustrations bounded by these words also represent the College and its mission. The first is the tower of the Administration Building, the striking neo-Gothic structure prominent on campus. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol used by the Sisters of Notre Dame to represent Marian service, To Jesus through Mary. The continents and oceans remind us of global responsibility. And, the book refers to knowledge and academic success through serious study and learning.

The tag line of the emblem is a slightly modified version of Dr. Andrew Roth's vision for the College shared during his inauguration speech: Becoming the finest, small, Catholic, liberal arts college in the Great Lakes region.

The first criterion of the self-study report is that an accredited college or university must live its mission. Since the mission is the foundation for all other criteria, it is especially meaningful that the emblem is representative of our mission.

Continue to look for this emblem. It identifies those activities and processes that help Notre Dame College meet the Higher Learning Commission’s criteria for accreditation and make the vision a reality.