Miami University officials are moving forward with a plan to accredit all of its colleges together, even as they explore distinguishing the campuses in Hamilton and Middletown from the flagship institution in Oxford.

University President David Hodge announced he planned to make significant changes on the regional campuses starting as early as this year.

He asked a committee to consider a number of possibilities at the regionals, including offering more bachelor’s degrees, hiring faculty separately from the Oxford campus and rebranding the regionals. That committee is also considering accrediting the regional campuses separate from the one in Oxford, a move that has caused concern among some students and professors.

For now, the campuses will stay as one, said Carolyn Hanes, an associate provost for the university.

“On this cycle (of accreditation), I’m including the regionals,” Hanes told the Journal-News. “It covers the entire university.”

An accreditation team from the Higher Learning Commission will visit the campuses in April to sign off on Miami’s latest accreditation application.

College accreditation is important to universities because it ensures the quality of education students get on the campus. The agency typically makes campus visits once every decade.

Hanes said college leaders could still decide in later years to separate the campuses in the accreditation process. The university trustees will decide on that and other final recommended changes in May.

A task force, which last year explored the future of the regional campuses and released a report to the college’s trustees in December, recommended the schools should all stay accredited together.

“We had some concerns about the administrative burden that might come along with separate accreditation,” said Moira Casey, a professor who sat on the task force. “We didn’t really see (separate accreditation) as necessary.”

No matter how the schools are accredited in the future, students will still have the chance to complete four-year degrees on the Oxford, Middletown and Hamilton campuses in years to come said Mike Pratt, the dean of the regional campuses.

“Students are going to have greater choices to finish four-year degrees on the regional campuses, but they’ll still have the option to go to Oxford,” Pratt said. “I think we all think that’s important.”

The regional campuses were separately accredited from 1971 to 1985. The university has invited the public to submit comments about Miami University to the accreditation team.

To give feedback about Miami University to the accreditation agency submit comments to:

Third party Comment on Miami University

The Higher Learning Commission

230 South LaSalle St. Suit 7-500

Chicago, Illinois 60604-1411

or

visit www.ncahlc.org.