To support its ongoing accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) recently participated in a four-year assurance review process. The Higher Learning Commission is the largest institutional accreditor in the United States. Continued accreditation is important as it assures students that the college is eligible to award federal financial aid. Accreditation also serves an important role in facilitating the transfer of college coursework from one institution to another, as it informs receiving institutions that the college has met a set of standards that help ensure a quality education. Dakota College at Bottineau was first accredited in 1971 and the most recent approval marks 50 years of continued accreditation for the college.

Documentation to demonstrate how DCB meets all eighteen core components of the five accreditation criteria was collected and submitted. A team of peer reviewers produced a report, which was accepted by HLC last week. As anticipated, the college easily met all eighteen components with no concerns. Accreditation Liaison Officer (AL), Dr. Lexi Kvasnicka-Gates assures the college’s commitment, “DCB’s (accreditation) success is a testament to work that all faculty and staff engage in, day-in and day-out, to ensure our students receive a high-quality education. The DCB community truly embraces the campus mission of providing a quality education in a caring environment, and our peer reviewers saw this within our Assurance Argument.”
This milestone was achieved just two years after DCB addressed previous concerns regarding faculty credentialing, institutional effectiveness, and assessment of cocurricular activities. Dr. Carmen Simone, DCB Campus Dean/CEO is pleased with the outcome, “The faculty and staff at DCB have done an outstanding job with our accreditation and this hard work has been validated by HLC. I am particularly proud of Dr. Lexi Kvasnicka-Gates, who serves as our accreditation liaison officer (ALO) and who supported our team members in continuous improvement efforts. We are a quality institution because of their commitment to teaching and learning.”

Over the next several years, DCB will participate in a Quality Initiative, which is part of the ten-year accreditation cycle. The next regularly scheduled site visit by HLC reviewers will happen during the 2029-2030 academic year.