Some faculty and administrators met in a confidential closed door meeting Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the university with visiting North Central Association accreditors.

Since Sunday evening, administrators and faculty from all over the country have been on campus working with Marquette's accreditation process.

The re-accreditation of the university by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools culminated with a visit on Monday and Tuesday by a nine-member team of consultant-evaluators, according to Vice Provost Thomas Wenzel.

One team of accreditors met with faculty Tuesday in the Alumni Memorial Union to hear their opinions about the university. At the meeting, one of the accreditors suggested the accreditation teams were pleased with Marquette, but wanted to hear faculty opinions on the university.

Several faculty members voiced their concerns about communication within the university. The Tribune was allowed to attend the meeting under the condition that concerned faculty members were not identified by name, department or gender.

"I really think our dean is sensitive to faculty input," one faculty member said. "But communication between faculty and higher-ups in the administration is a real problem."

Another faculty member echoed the same sentiments as the first.

"We really don't get a lot of direction from the Vice Provost of Graduate programs, as far as our school is concerned," the faculty member said. "Our suggestions are rarely heard from the university either. I remember when we petitioned to have (a department within the professor's school) saved, it didn't help matters at all. It was still shut down."

Another concern raised by a faculty member was about the university's ability to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Association standards.

"We are fully complied with the standards of OSHA right now," the faculty member said. "However, he is 67 years old — I'm not sure we have a strong contingency plan if and when he retires."

Director of University Communication Ben Tracy declined to comment on the concerns raised by the faculty members at the meeting. No one from the Office of the Provost could be reached for comment.

As part of the accreditation process, Marquette has been engaged in a process of self-study during the last year and a half that addressed the commission's requirements and criterion for accreditation, according to Wenzel.

Many people from across the campus have been involved in the writing and review of materials presented in the Self-Study report. The report specifically addressed the five criteria for accreditation and presented evidence that showed how Marquette satisfied each criterion, Wenzel said.

Those five criteria include having clear and publicly stated purposes consistent with its mission and appropriate to an institution of higher education; the institution has effectively organized the human, financial and physical resources necessary to accomplish its purposes; the institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes; the institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness; and the institution demonstrates integrity in its practices and relationships, according to the official Web site of the NCA.

The accreditation team will prepare a summary report detailing how Marquette is satisfying the five criteria for accreditation and offer recommendations as to how Marquette can improve as an institution of higher learning, according to Wenzel.

The NCA has accredited Marquette continually since 1922 and has accredited the graduate school continuously since 1973, according to Wenzel.