We're not allowed to share the results of the site visit until after the NCA issues its final decision about our affiliated status. However, we believe that the visit went well. From my perspective, I'm pleased that the meetings went smoothly, and that we, as hosts, were able to provide our guests with the information they sought while also introducing them to many of the people who help make the university what it is. The chair of the site team sends us a draft report, which will include a recommendation to the NCA Commission on Institutions of Higher Education in regard to the university's affiliated status. That final action is communicated to the university.
Institutions have the ability to appeal actions that deny or withdraw accreditation or candidacy.
Of greatest interest to us is the advice we hope to gain from the site team's report. It is our hope that the report will contain suggestions about new directions we might pursue or ways in which our current course might be enhanced. The site team chair has nine weeks after the visit to produce a draft, and the university has two weeks to respond to that draft and select a review process. The date for UW-Madison's next review will be set by the Commission when it issues its final action. However, that decision is up to the Commission, and in light of new technologies that may make such extensive, time-consuming visits obsolete, we can't really anticipate what this process will be like in ten years.