“I didn’t have any issues getting anything to transfer. Beyond credits transferring, I felt like the College of the Muscogee Nation had prepared me to further my education,” – Samantha Lackey
OKMULGEE – The Higher Learning Commission visited the College of the Muscogee Nation for the institution’s Ten-Year Comprehensive Evaluation Accreditation Site Visit on Monday, Sept. 28, and Tuesday, Sept. 29. During the visit, a five-member HLC Site Review Team conducted interviews and held open forums for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and collaborating organizations.
The HLC is an independent agency that grants accreditation to educational institutions. This allows institutions to offer college-level credits that can transfer to other four-year academic institutions. This enables students to continue pursuing higher education by completing their bachelor’s degree and post-graduate degrees.
The HLC is part of the program integrity Triad, which consists of three areas of oversight for higher education in the United States. This includes institutional and programmatic accreditors, the Federal government, and the state or sovereign nation where an institution is located.
CMN Regents Director for Institutional Effectiveness Dr. James King (Mvskoke) said the visit is important because the site review team’s evaluation of the school affects whether student degree credits can transfer to other universities found in northeast Oklahoma.
During the visit, the HLC Site Review Team interviewed faculty, staff, and students to determine whether the college meets the criteria for a renewal recommendation. When asked how he felt the visit went, King said the HLC Site Review Team gave constructive criticism.
“Dr. Cloutier, who is the chair of the site review team, gave us a good report today. There are some issues we need to be working on, but I don’t think they’re major. But they are important to us to develop as an institution and to improve our college as an institution of higher education for the Muscogee Creek Nation,” King said.
One area of improvement the HLC Site Review Team recommended was documentation. King explained that when meetings are held, minutes need to be taken to show the topics discussed and actions taken. Strategic planning with the governing board, faculty, and staff was also identified as an area for improvement.
According to King, if CMN does not receive accreditation renewal, the school would be scheduled for a focused visit. A focused visit is when the institution must demonstrate progress in addressing concerns identified in the evaluation process.
King explained that if accreditation is not renewed following a focused visit, the institution would be unable to provide students with transferable college credits. Accreditation renewal also affects the college’s ability to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree program in the future.
Bacone College, a private four-year institution in Muskogee, lost its HLC accreditation in 2024. The institution held great historical significance to the MCN; it was originally chartered by the Tribe in 1881. The historic school primarily taught Native American students until its closure in 2025.
Open Forum
The HLC concluded its visit with an open forum. Current students, faculty, staff, and alumni were invited to share their experiences and thoughts on the college’s current state in a 45-minute forum. Before the open forum began, attendees listened to traditional Mvskoke hymns sung by the CMN Mvskoke Language Master Apprentice Cohort Program.
Among the faculty members at the open forum was CMN Student Success Center Counselor and Instructor Samantha Lackey (Mvskoke). Lackey is a CMN alumnus who graduated with a general studies degree in 2020. Lackey decided to go back to school after working as a waitress for 10 years. She described the institution as a “bright beacon of hope.”
“I had made a lot of wrong turns and mistakes in my life,” Lackey said. “I had really given up on the dream of ever having a college education. I’d kind of resigned myself to working as a waitress for the rest of my life, but the people here helped me to see that this doesn’t have to be the end of my story.”
After completing her degree at CMN, Lackey earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern State University. She attributes her success to the positive reinforcement she found at CMN.
Now, Lackey gets to provide positive reinforcement to her own students.
The school’s HLC accreditation status helped Lackey in her college career journey. Lackey described the credit transfer process between CMN and NSU as “seamless.” Every single one of her CMN credits transferred without issues. Lackey remarked that she thought the site visit went well for the college.
King said the success of the site visit was a group effort. He remarked that the HLC Site Review Team found the school’s participation in the review a strength.
“It goes from the president on down to the staff and faculty, and it includes the students as well,” King said. “We had many students who participated in the site review. They participated in interviews, sang Creek hymns, and provided support activities.”
According to Accreditation Liaison Officer Marissa Lewis, the HLC Peer Review Team will write its report on CMN within a month. The college will review it for Errors of Fact, and it will then go before the HLC’s Institutional Actions Council in early 2027. The HLC will give its recommendation by early spring 2027.
