Kansas University is nearing the homestretch of preparing for its upcoming accreditation review.

The review comes up once every decade, but the university’s preparation process takes years in between.

KU’s steering committee has been working two years to prepare its self-study report, and a draft is being shared with the university community and the public this month, said Gavin Young, KU’s assistant director for strategic communications.

KU was last accredited at the end of the 2004-2005 school year by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. To gather information for the reaffirmation of accreditation KU hopes to secure at the end of this school year, Commission representatives will visit campus Feb. 9 through Feb. 11.

As part of the process, members of the public are invited to submit comments regarding the university to the Commission, in writing or online, by Jan. 9.

The steering committee is charged with leading a self-study to prepare for the review.

Young said the goal was to keep the report under 200 pages, and that has been one of the challenges.

The Lawrence campus alone has 12 schools and more than 345 degree programs, he said, and those are home to many examples of how the university meets required criteria.

“It’s intense to try to narrow down what is the best evidence to provide,” he said.

Criteria include a publicly articulated mission statement, ethical conduct, quality education and institutional effectiveness, according to the Commission’s policy.

Accreditation affirms that a school’s academic programs meet nationally recognized standards, according to KU. It’s also required for KU to receive federal funds for student financial aid and research.

KU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1913.

The university “sailed through” its last reaccreditation in 2005, said steering committee leader Susan Twombly, professor of higher education administration.

The Commission outlined no concerns for KU to address, she said, though the university did request recommendations for some areas.

However, 2005 was before the Recession.

Now, Twombly said, there are a few potential problem areas the self-study aims to confront head-on prior to the Commission’s visit, including funding and efficiency efforts.

“We’re very clear about the state financial situation and how that poses significant challenges for us,” she said.

The self-study also addresses sex assault on campus and how it’s handled at KU, she said.

Another area of concern addressed in the self-study is the social media policy approved last year by the Kansas Board of Regents.

The policy — partly in response to a tweet by KU journalism professor David Guth, which angered gun-rights supporters and drew condemnation from KU administrators and state lawmakers — gives university heads the power to fire employees for social media posts deemed improper.

“That runs counter to the very idea of a free and open discourse,” said Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, associate professor of aerospace engineering, Faculty Senator and president of the American Association of University Professors Kansas Conference.

“If you stifle this free and open discourse, then it may not outright impel our accreditation, but it certainly doesn’t help.”

Twombly said details of the policy’s implementation have yet to be finalized but that it is an area of concern, and the self-study does not skirt the issue.

“We come right out and talk about it very clearly,” she said.

Members of the regents have said they did not think the policy violated academic freedom or speech rights.