Part 4. Institutional Summary Form Prepared for Commission Reviews

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Commission on Colleges

Name of Institution: Northern Kentucky University

Name, Title, Phone number, and email address of Accreditation Liaison

Dr. Abdou Ndoye

Assistant Vice Provost for Assessment

SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison

859-572-5379

ndoyea2@nku.edu

Name, Title, Phone number, and email address of Technical Support Person

Dr. Jason Vest

Assistant Provost for Special Projects

Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Northern Kentucky University

859-572-5622

vestj3@nku.edu

IMPORTANT:

Accreditation Activity (check one):

         Submitted at the time of Reaffirmation Orientation

        X Submitted with Compliance Certification for Reaffirmation

         Submitted with Materials for an On-Site Reaffirmation Review

         Submitted with Compliance Certification for Fifth-Year Interim Report

         Submitted with Compliance Certification for Initial Candidacy/Accreditation Review

         Submitted with Merger/Consolidations/Acquisitions

         Submitted with Application for Level Change

Submission date of this completed document:  September 10, 2018

1.   Level of offerings (Check all that apply)

   Diploma or certificate program(s) requiring less than one year beyond Grade 12

   Diploma or certificate program(s) of at least two but fewer than four years of work beyond

      Grade 12

   Associate degree program(s) requiring a minimum of 60 semester hours or the equivalent

      designed for transfer to a baccalaureate institution

   Associate degree program(s) requiring a minimum of 60 semester hours or the equivalent

      not designed for transfer

   Four or five-year baccalaureate degree program(s) requiring a minimum of 120 semester

      hours or the equivalent

   Professional degree program(s)

   Master's degree program(s)

   Work beyond the master's level but not at the doctoral level (such as Specialist in

      Education)

   Doctoral degree program(s)

   Other (Specify)      

2.   Types of Undergraduate Programs (Check all that apply)  

   Occupational certificate or diploma program(s)

   Occupational degree program(s)

   Two-year programs designed for transfer to a baccalaureate institution

   Liberal Arts and General

   Teacher Preparatory

   Professional

         Other (Specify)      

Check the appropriate governance control for the institution:

        Private (check one)

                    Independent, not-for-profit

                        Name of corporation OR

                        Name of religious affiliation and control:       

                    Independent, for-profit *

                        If publicly traded, name of parent company:       

        Public state * (check one)

                    Not part of a state system, institution has own independent board

                    Part of a state system, system board serves as governing board

                    Part of a state system, system board is super governing board, local governing board has delegated authority

                    X Part of a state system, institution has own independent board

*   If an institution is part of a state system or a corporate structure, a description of the system operation must be submitted as part of the Compliance Certification for the decennial review. See Commission policy “Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Subsequent Reports” for additional direction.

Directions:

Please address the following and attach the information to this form.

1.   History and Characteristics

Provide a brief history of the institution, a description of its current mission, an indication of its geographic service area, and a description of the composition of the student population.  Include a description of any unusual or distinctive features of the institution and a description of the admissions policies (open, selective, etc.).  If appropriate, indicate those institutions that are considered peers.  Please limit this section to one-half page.

RESPONSE: 

History and Characteristics

Northern Kentucky University (NKU) is a public comprehensive university nestled on 400 rolling acres in a  major metropolitan area 10 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The youngest and fastest growing of eight public universities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, NKU has experienced tremendous growth and transformation over the past decade and today enrolls more than 14,000 students served by approximately 2,000 faculty and staff with an annual budget of more than $200 million.

The campus has blossomed into an academic, social and cultural hub in Greater Cincinnati, a region comprised of 2.1 million people. In the past academic year, NKU offered 90 bachelor’s degrees, 2 associate degree, one of which is being closed, 24 graduate programs, 30 certificates (19 graduates, 9 undergraduates, and 2 post baccalaureates), a Juris Doctor, and 2 doctoral degrees, and NKU conferred more than 2,900 academic degrees. The University enrolled students from 104 Kentucky counties, 40 states, and 61 countries.

The university transitioned from open enrollment to selective admissions more than a decade ago, with regular admission limited to students with an ACT composite score of 20 and minimum English, mathematics and reading subject scores of 18. However, the University continues to admit a limited number of students based on high school rank and other criteria in line with its commitment to increase the educational attainment levels of the region. More than 50% of the entering class each year continues to be first generation students, close to 80% receive financial aid, and a growing population of minority and international students creates a rich cultural environment.

Students come to NKU for the personalized education that has defined the University since its founding in 1968. Despite its growth, NKU still offers small classes taught by outstanding teacher-scholars who care deeply about the well-being and success of their students. Students continue to work alongside revered professors on undergraduate and graduate research projects that address the challenges facing our communities and our world. When the Carnegie Foundation created a new designation for community engagement, NKU was a part of its inaugural class. The University is a perennial member of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

NKU’s mission is to deliver innovative, student-centered education and engage in impactful scholarly and creative endeavors, all of which will empower our graduates to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives while contributing to the economic, civic and social vitality of the region. The top priority in the 2013-18 strategic plan is improving student learning within a framework of academic programs that are innovative, distinctive, experiential, and transdisciplinary.

2.   List of Degrees

List all degrees currently offered (A. S., B.A., B.S., M.A., Ph.D., for examples) and the majors or concentrations within those degrees, as well as all certificates and diplomas.  For each credential offered, indicate the number of graduates in the academic year previous to submitting this report.  Indicate term dates.

Does the institution offer any credit, non-credit, or pathways English as a Second Language (ESL) programs?  If yes, list the programs.

RESPONSE:

Northern Kentucky University awarded 2,932 degrees and certificates in the 2016-2017 academic year. The Term Dates are based on the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education (CPE) academic calendar which includes summer and ranges from 5/09/2016 to 5/09/2017.

Non-credit and Pathways

NKU has the following pathways

·       Gateway2NKU: /content/www/admissions/transfer/gateway-2-nku/pathways.html

·       Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC2NKU): /content/www/admissions/transfer/jctc2nku.html

·       Maysville Community and Technical College (MCTC2NKU): /content/www/admissions/transfer/MCTC2NKU/pathways.html

·       Ivy Tech Community College (IvyTech2NKU: /content/www/admissions/transfer/IvyTech2NKU/pathways.html

·       Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS2NKU): /content/www/admissions/transfer/kctcs2nku/pathways.html

·       University of Cincinnati - Clermont

NKU has an English as a Second Language (ESL) program:  /content/www/admissions/international/american-english/program-overview.html

3.   Off-Campus Instructional Locations and Branch Campuses

List all approved off-campus instructional locations where 25% or more credit hours toward a degree, diploma, or certificate can be obtained primarily through traditional classroom instruction. Report those locations in accord with the Commission’s definitions and the directions as specified below.

Table 1: Off-campus instructional sites—a site located geographically apart from the main campus at which the institution offers 50 % or more of its credit hours for a diploma, certificate, or degree.  This includes high schools where courses are offered as part of dual enrollment.  For each site, provide the information below. The list should include only those sites reported to and approved by SACSCOC.  Listing unapproved sites below does not constitute reporting them to SACSCOC. In such cases when an institution has initiated an off-campus instructional site as described above without prior approval by SACSCOC, a prospectus for approval should be submitted immediately to SACSCOC.

RESPONSE:

NKU does not offer 50% or more of the credit hours of any program at an off-campus instructional site

Table 2: Off-campus instructional sites at which the institution offers 25-49% of its credit hours for a diploma, certificate, or degree—including high schools where courses are offered as dual enrollment.  Note: institutions are required to notify SACSCOC in advance of initiating coursework at the site.  For each site, provide the information below.

Table 3: Branch campus—an instructional site located geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the institution.  A location is independent of the main campus if the location is (1) permanent in nature, (2) offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential, (3) has its own faculty and administrative or supervisory organization, and (4) has its own budgetary and hiring authority. The list should include only those branch campuses reported to and approved by SACSCOC.  Listing unapproved branch campuses below does not constitute reporting them to SACSCOC.  A prospectus for an unapproved branch campuses should be submitted immediately to SACSCOC.

RESPONSE:

NKU does not have any branch campuses.

4.   Distance and Correspondence Education

Provide an initial date of approval for your institution to offer distance education. Provide a list of credit-bearing educational programs (degrees, certificates, and diplomas) where 50% or more of the credit hours are delivered through distance education modes.  For each educational program, indicate whether the program is delivered using synchronous or asynchronous technology, or both.  For each educational program that uses distance education technology to deliver the program at a specific site (e.g., a synchronous program using interactive videoconferencing), indicate the program offered at each location where students receive the transmitted program.  Please limit this description to one page, if possible.

RESPONSE:

Northern Kentucky University received initial approval to offer distance education in February 2003. The University now offers 50% or more of the credit hours delivered through distance education in the following programs:

5.   Accreditation

(1)   List all agencies that currently accredit the institution and any of its programs and indicate the date of the last review by each.

RESPONSE:

PROGRAM DEGREE APPROVED/ACCREDITING BODY LAST REVIEW DATE

College of Arts and Sciences

College of Business

College of Education and Human Services

College of Health Professions

College of Informatics

College of Law

(2)   If SACS Commission on Colleges is not your primary accreditor for access to USDOE Title IV funding, identify which accrediting agency serves that purpose.

a.     It is SACSCOC

(3)   List any USDOE recognized agency (national and programmatic) that has terminated the institution’s accreditation (include the date, reason, and copy of the letter of termination) or list any agency from which the institution has voluntarily withdrawn (include copy of letter to agency from institution).

a.      None

(4)   Describe any sanctions applied or negative actions taken by any USDOE-recognized accrediting agency (national, programmatic, SACSCOC) during the two years prior to the submission of this report. Include a copy of the letter from the USDOE to the institution.

a.      None

6.   Relationship to the U.S. Department of Education

Indicate any limitations, suspensions, or termination by the U.S. Department of Education concerning student financial aid or other financial aid programs during the previous three years.  Report if on reimbursement or any other exceptional status concerning federal or state financial aid.

a.      None

Document History

Adopted:  September 2004

Revised: March 2011

Revised: January 2014

Revised: January 2018