College of Western Idaho (CWI) is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities [2] (NWCCU). In October 2023, NWCCU conducted an Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE) accreditation visit at CWI.

Collegewide, NWCCU commended CWI’s collaboration to achieve goals and a well-designed accreditation visit. Additional NWCCU feedback for the visit is outlined below.

Fall 2023 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness Results

Commendations:

• Well-designed and inclusive instructional program and outcomes assessment processes.
• Breadth of student services and the speed needs are addressed; NWCCU highlighted the following exemplary services: Advising, Center for Teaching and Learning, Learning Commons, and Tutoring.
• Welcoming and interactive student spaces and learning environment; well-maintained facilities. 

Recommendations:

#1: Utilize assessment results for planning, resource allocation, and to improve student learning outcomes.
#2: Utilize an inclusive planning process that allocates resources and improves institutional effectiveness.  
#3: Ensure student achievement indicators processes are transparent and used to mitigate equity gaps. 
#4: Utilize an end-to-end part-time faculty evaluation process in alignment with the full-time faculty evaluation process.
#5: Establish clearly defined authority, roles, and responsibilities for the governing board.

The next steps are to submit a NWCCU follow-up report in Spring 2025 and conduct the Mid-cycle Evaluation in Fall 2026. Contact Alexis Malepeai [3], CWI’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, for additional information.