Performance Excellence and Accreditation | Western Technical College

Western Technical College

Performance Excellence and Accreditation

Western uses a leadership and performance excellence model that integrates the mission, vision, and values; the strategic goals measured through Key Results; the Malcolm Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence; and the Higher Learning Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation. The College incorporates cycles of Plan, Do, Check, Adjust (PDCA) as the foundation for performance excellence efforts. Using the Baldrige framework to increase organizational learning has improved Western’s ability to function more effectively as a system. The Key Results are used to track performance relative to strategic goals. This has strengthened Western’s ability to collect, analyze, and share data to make informed decisions. Identifying key college processes related to the achievement of strategic goals has fostered a college-wide awareness of process management.

Western Technical College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Aligning the re-accreditation process with Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and performance excellence efforts has enhanced Western’s ability to develop programs and services designed to help students learn and succeed. Western is committed to ongoing organizational learning and improvement to meet the evolving needs of all students. A number of Western’s academic programs also hold accreditations from national professional organizations.

What does it mean to be an accredited college?

  • Quality: Accreditation means that a college meets standards of quality for administration, faculty, curriculum, library, financial management, and student services.
  • Financial Aid: Students can only obtain federal financial assistance if their college has appropriate accreditation from an organization recognized by the United States Department of Education.
  • Transfer Credits: If students want to transfer college credits to continue their education, accreditation is an important factor when a college is deciding whether to accept transfer credits from the student’s previous school.

Criteria for Accreditation

HLC's Criteria

Criterion 1. Mission

The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.

  • 1.A. Mission Alignment
    The institution’s educational programs, enrollment profile and scope of operations align with its publicly articulated mission.
  • 1.B. Mission and Public Good
    The institution’s operation of the academic enterprise demonstrates its commitment to serving the public good.
  • 1.C. Mission and Diversity of Society
    The institution provides opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within its mission and for the constituencies it serves.

Criterion 2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

In fulfilling its mission, the institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.

  • 2.A. Integrity
    Actions taken by the institution’s governing board, administration, faculty and staff demonstrate adherence to established policies and procedures.
  • 2.B. Transparency
    The institution presents itself accurately and completely to students and the public with respect to its educational programs and any claims it makes related to the educational experience.
  • 2.C. Board Governance
    In discharging its fiduciary duties, the institution’s governing board is free from undue external influence and empowered to act in the best interests of the institution, including the students it serves.
  • 2.D. Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression
    The institution supports academic freedom and freedom of expression in the pursuit of knowledge as integral to high-quality teaching, learning and research.
  • 2.E. Knowledge Acquisition, Discovery and Application
    The institution adheres to policies and procedures that ensure responsible acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge.

Criterion 3. Teaching and Learning for Student Success

The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. The rigor and quality of each educational program is consistent regardless of modality, location or other differentiating factors.

  • 3.A. Educational Programs
    The institution maintains learning goals and outcomes that reflect a level of rigor commensurate with college-level work, including by program level and the content of each of its educational programs.
  • 3.B. Exercise of Intellectual Inquiry
    The institution’s educational programs engage students in collecting, analyzing and communicating information; in practicing modes of intellectual inquiry or creative work; and in developing skills adaptable to changing environments.
  • 3.C. Sufficiency of Faculty and Staff
    The institution has the faculty and staff needed for effective, high-quality programs and student services.
  • 3.D. Support for Student Learning and Resources for Teaching
    The institution provides student support services that address the needs of its student populations, as well as the teaching resources and infrastructure necessary for student success.
  • 3.E. Assessment of Student Learning
    The institution improves the quality of educational programs based on its assessment of student learning.
  • 3.F. Program Review
    The institution improves its curriculum based on periodic program review.
  • 3.G. Student Success Outcomes
    The institution’s student success outcomes demonstrate continuous improvement, taking into account the student populations it serves and benchmarks that reference peer institutions.

Criterion 4. Sustainability: Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning

The institution’s resources, structures, policies, procedures and planning enable it to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational programs, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

  • 4.A. Effective Administrative Structures
    The institution’s administrative structures are effective and facilitate collaborative processes such as shared governance; data-informed decision making; and engagement with internal and external constituencies as appropriate.
  • 4.B. Resource Base and Sustainability
    The institution’s financial and personnel resources effectively support its current operations. The institution’s financial management balances short-term needs with long-term commitments and ensures its ongoing sustainability.
  • 4.C. Planning for Quality Improvement
    The institution engages in systematic strategic planning for quality improvement. It relies on data, integrating its insights from enrollment forecasts, financial capacity, student learning assessment, institutional operations and the external environment.

Statement of Affiliation

Reaffirmation of Accreditation

2024 Reaffirmation of Accreditation

2015 Reaffirmation of Accreditation

2011 AQIP Systems Portfolio – Baldrige Pilot

2008 Reaffirmation of Accreditation

2007 AQIP Quality Highlights and System Portfolio

Program Accreditation

Western Technical College is one of 16 Wisconsin technical colleges that make up the Wisconsin Technical College System. Western is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Western is also a member of the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Technical Education Association, and the American Vocational Association.

View our program accreditation listing

Distance Education Authorization

NC-SARAWestern Technical College has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. SARA is an agreement among member states, districts, and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs.

Visit our State Authorization page or www.nc-sara.org to learn more.