Countdown to Accreditation: Powered by OS-You

Oregon State University is in year seven of its reaccreditation cycle with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), one of the institutional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation affirms the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of our institution and reflects the confidence placed in OSU by students, partners, and the broader public.

As part of the accreditation process, OSU prepares a comprehensive report and welcomes peer evaluators to campus. The Year Seven site visit will take place in early April, beginning on Tuesday, April 7, at OSU–Cascades, and continuing on the Corvallis campus from Wednesday, April 8 through Friday, April 10. A range of opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to engage with the visiting team are planned, with several key forums highlighted below.

Additional details about the visit schedule and forums are posted on the Accreditation webpage and updated regularly. For now, you can expect the following:

Wednesday, April 8

  • Academic Faculty Forum, 2:00 p.m., LINC 100 
  • Student Forum, 3:00 p.m., LINC 228 

Thursday, April 9 

  • Staff and Professional Faculty Forum, 9:00 a.m., LaSells Stewart Center, Construction and Engineering Hall 

Friday, April 10 

  • Exit Meeting, late morning, PRAx (details forthcoming) 

 

Powered by YOU

OSU’s reaccreditation engagement theme, Powered by YOU, reflects a core belief: accreditation is not a standalone exercise—it is the cumulative result of the everyday work happening across the institution. Faculty, staff, and students all contribute through teaching, advising, research, assessment, support services, and learning. To highlight this collective impact, we gathered reflections from 45 colleagues across the university that showcase how individual contributions strengthen institutional quality. You can view Mas Subramanian's, OSU University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry, trading card below and learn more about colleagues’ contributions on their trading cards.

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OSU Accreditation trading card of Mas Subramanian

How do you support student success?
I support student success by engaging them in hands-on, cutting-edge research, guiding them from experimental design to analysis. This process fosters critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and research collaboration while offering mentorship and career guidance beyond the classroom and laboratory.
Where at OSU do you feel you have the greatest impact?
Through my involvement in curriculum development and cutting-edge research initiatives, I help shape OSU’s academic framework. Collaborating with colleagues on cross-disciplinary projects, I influence institutional strategies to enhance student success and foster innovative research environments.
Why are you proud to be part of OSU?
I’m proud to be part of OSU for its commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary research collaboration, and global impact. The university fosters a dynamic, inclusive environment where groundbreaking research thrives, empowering both students and faculty to address pressing global challenges.
 

What to Expect

During the visit, peer evaluators will host forums with faculty, staff, and students. All members of the OSU community are welcome to participate in the forum corresponding to their role. We hope faculty, staff, and students see themselves as contributors to accreditation through their everyday work. 

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Diagram illustrating student learning assessment process through annual program assessments and Core Education program. It features concentric circles labeled Course, Program Requirements, Programs, and Core Ed, highlighting assessment frequencies from course level to university level within a 7-year accreditation cycle.

For academic faculty, discussions will likely focus on student learning, assessment, and achievement. Forums for teaching faculty will likely be asked about course learning outcomes - particularly within Core Education. Department chairs and program directors will likely focus on annual program assessments that they complete, and college leadership will likely focus on the Academic Unit Assessment at the college level. As shown in the graphic, these efforts are interconnected and collectively demonstrate OSU’s commitment to continuous improvement.

Please visit the accreditation website for more information about the university accreditation cycle and to find copies of submitted reports. If you have additional questions, please email [email protected] and someone will be happy to assist.

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