Naropa Accreditation Self-Study is Complete,
University Prepares for Higher Learning Commission Visit

BOULDER, Colo. (March 4, 2010)—Founded in 1974, Naropa University (then the Naropa Institute) began as a 10-week summer program. The university received its first accreditation in 1986 and a renewal in 2000, and this year will undergo a review for continued accreditation. Over the past three decades, Naropa has grown from a two-year college into a university that includes three campuses, eleven undergraduate majors and sixteen graduate degree programs.

Now the university is preparing for its third accreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), scheduled for March 8-10, 2010. The HLC will meet with constituents from every part of the Naropa community to evaluate how the university is functioning. In addition to assessing the university, the HLC will meet with members and leaders from Boulder to ask about how Naropa interacts with the community.

In 2008, a self-study team consisting of faculty and staff members, senior leaders, students and trustees began a collaborative effort to evaluate how well the university is accomplishing its mission. The results of their efforts have recently been compiled into a comprehensive self-study report. The 235-page self-study document can be viewed in its entirety at www.naropa.edu/about/accreditation.cfm.

John Davis, PhD, professor and self-study coordinator, said this of Naropa’s accreditation self-study effort. “Naropa's unique mission calls for promoting both students' inner development and their service the world. This self-study revealed a comprehensive picture of Naropa as a mature institution with the capacity to fulfill this unique mission, to address its challenges, and to continue to grow.”

This report follows the implementation of the university’s new strategic plan, “Deliver Distinction with Excellence.” The plan called for the university to increase its student support, offer more courses, and create additional facilities to better serve a growing student population. To view an outline of the strategic plan, visit http://www.naropa.edu/strategicplan/index.cfm.  

For a more in-depth history of Naropa University, visit http://www.naropa.edu/about/history.cfm

Naropa University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.

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