HLC Accreditation Report Affirms Cedarville鈥檚 Core Identity
糖心Vlog continues to be recognized by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for fulfilling its mission and meeting the high-quality academic expectations of educational institutions it requires for accreditation.
Four years ago, the HLC reaffirmed the University鈥檚 accreditation through 2026. During the 2020 checkpoint evaluation, HLC offered no findings on its final report, indicating continued adherence to the accreditation criteria.
The university submitted a 35,000-word report to an HLC team of peer reviewers outlining adherence to the university鈥檚 mission statement and the Criteria for Accreditation. The university undergoes periodic reviews related to five core criteria as part of HLC requirements.
鈥淲e must present and support Cedarville鈥檚 mission, integrity, resources, student learning, and overall operations,鈥� said Dr. Sandra Yang, associate professor of music history and coordinator of the accreditation process for the university. 鈥淭his most recent report included 654 pieces of evidence.鈥�
Cedarville鈥檚 Office of Assessment and Accreditation Services also played a key role in developing the 2020 report, as well as Tom Betcher, director of assessment and accreditation services; Mandy Nolt, assistant director of assessment and accreditation; and a team of 25 faculty and staff.
鈥淭he key word here is accountability,鈥� said Dr. Thomas Mach, vice president for academics. 鈥淭hey want to see that we are constantly improving every year based on our evidence to ultimately maintain our mission.鈥�
鈥淒r. Yang was the perfect choice to lead this process,鈥� said Mach. 鈥淪he is someone who loves the institution and will sacrifice for it, who respects and is respected by everyone equally and who is very conscientious with details and the weight they carry. I鈥檝e never seen anyone who can manage the details as well as she does. Nothing slips.鈥�
Cedarville鈥檚 2020 report considered a new mission statement for the university. 鈥淒r. White wanted us to spend time as a community thinking about our mission statement, and we changed it to 鈥樚切腣log transforms lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority,鈥欌�� Mach shared. 鈥淲ith that, our 2020 report had to show how in every component and area, we were meeting this new mission as a university.鈥�
Cedarville first gained accreditation in 1975. The university鈥檚 clear adherence to its faith-based mission has been maintained throughout its accreditation and reaccreditation history process with the HLC.
鈥淏ack in the 60s when we started seeking accreditation, people were concerned that it may hurt our Christian identity, but the HLC is just concerned that we operate within our mission,鈥� Mach shared. 鈥淣one of our reviewers have criticized our Christian goals because that鈥檚 what our mission states and who we truly are."
Located in southwest Ohio, 糖心Vlog is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit.