News from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation-Winter 2022
Accreditation Views
Higher Education Accreditation: The Assurance of Quality
Dottie King
Vice Chair, CHEA Board of Directors
President, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Assurance of quality is the aim of accreditation and one that is exceedingly worthwhile, hypothetically. The reality, however, for small, private institutions makes the value proposition of accreditation a challenging one. The process is worthwhile only if it can be demonstrated that its benefits surpass the costs, including financial resources, time, and effort expended.
Departments are small and employees throughout the institution often perform multiple tasks, with no one person assigned to accreditation. The gathering of data, reflecting and writing, and putting together a quality self-study is taxing. Additionally, many of the requirements of accreditation, especially programmatic accreditation, are especially burdensome for small schools.
As an example, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College offers a progressive, exemplary program in Music Therapy. This necessitates accreditation by both American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Among the numerous requirements of dual accreditation are clinical placements, private lessons, and participation in two separate ensembles. Because of our size and enrollment numbers, this is an expensive proposition.
Small, private colleges survive because of the quality experience that they offer to their students. Accreditation is desirable as a mark of this quality, and yet its value is constantly compared against institutional priorities.
Three Reflections from a Faith-Based Accreditor on Challenges in Accreditation
Tom Tanner
Retiring Director of Accreditation
Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting
I have been involved for four decades in faith-based accreditation—as a seminary dean, a peer reviewer, a commissioner, and (since 2012) as a director of accreditation for the ATS Commission on Accrediting, one of five faith-based accreditors in the US. I offer three reflections on challenges we all face in accreditation, especially in faith-based accreditation.
Mission is monumental. Virtually all accrediting standards begin with a standard on mission. For faith-based accreditation, mission is monumental, evoking deep commitments of diverse religious communities. Part of the challenge in our current culture is respecting the distinctive nature of religious missions—a central task of faith-based accreditation.
Quality is contextual. One challenge facing all accreditors is the desire by regulators to define quality numerically, to reduce it to simple statistics like graduation rates. Educational quality, however, is not primarily about raw numbers. Context matters. That is why accreditors visit schools and talk to their students, their faculty, their staff, and their graduates—to discern the stories behind the statistics, to see what quality looks like in real life, in that school’s context and its distinct mission.
Peer review is priceless. If accrediting standards are “the laws of the land,” then peer reviewers are the judiciary, not the accrediting police. Peers are the ones who interpret the “laws” based on their years of experience, their ability to listen well to all parties involved, their ongoing training as reviewers—and in our context, their understanding of schools’ uniquely theological missions. They turn written standards into living principles that hold schools accountable and, more importantly, help schools improve. After forty some years of faith-based accreditation, I have come to value peer review above all. Peers are the priceless volunteers who make accreditation work.
The 2022 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference: A Unique Opportunity to Hear New Ideas and Share Information
The 2022 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference took place January 24-27 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC and online, providing attendees with options for ways to participate in this important event for accreditation and quality assurance. Panelists from across accreditation and higher education came together to address a range of issues from a variety of perspectives.
Commenting on the conference and its underlying focus on the changes affecting accreditation and quality assurance, CHEA President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond stated, “This conference has given all of us a chance to rethink, re-envision, reinvent, and recommit to all that we do to support academic and institutional quality and student success.”
Plenary and concurrent sessions at the Annual Conference examined a variety of issues including:
Higher Education and Quality Assurance: What Should Change and What Remains the Same: A panel of college and university presidents addressed the need for institutions and accreditors to adapt rapidly and skillfully to new challenges and opportunities and looked at what should change (and what should remain the same) when it comes to assuring the quality of institutions and their educational offerings.
Distance Education and the Role of Online Program Management (OPM): As higher education pivoted to distance education in response to emergency and unexpected conditions, the importance of ensuring that student learning outcomes are being met has been an imperative. A panel discussed the role of online program management (OPM) and the challenges and opportunities that institutions and accreditors are encountering as academic programs move online.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A panel of experts from accreditation, foundations and the business community looked at some of the systemic issues and concerns associated with academic, economic, and cultural disparities both national and international and movement toward increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at higher education institutions.
Student Learning Outcomes: Noting that assessment of student learning outcomes is inextricably linked to demonstrating student achievement of the necessary competencies for their chosen profession, a panel of programmatic accrediting agencies discussed their approaches with respect to assessment of student learning outcomes.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Its Relation to Academic Institutional Quality: Dr. Roberta Cordano, President of Gallaudet University, made the case that a broader understanding of DEI is needed in order to fully encompass its impact on student learning and student success, as well as how accreditation can help – and hinder – work to make institutions and their faculties more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
Institutional Mergers and Quality Assurance: A panel of institutional and higher education leaders discussed the challenges faced by mergers of systems and institutions of higher education and how the quality assurance community might ensure the prioritization of accreditation during such mergers.
Reflective Learning and New Practices in Accreditation: Leaders of institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations discussed the rapid changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and addressed emerging priorities for accreditation and higher education: “responsive” actions that still encourage and support student success and academic quality.
Small and Faith-Based Institutions and Their Unique Quality Assurance Challenges and Opportunities: An association leader and a university president addressed the unique challenges small, minority-serving and faith-based colleges and universities face when it comes to meeting rigorous standards of accreditation in order to demonstrate quality, as well as what challenges lie ahead for these institutions.
The White House, Congress, and the USDE: What Is the Impact of Changing Policy: A group of policy experts from Washington, DC-based higher education associations discussed the challenges for any action on higher education-related issues such as reauthorization of the Higher Education Act at a time of limited days in session and a gaping partisan divide on Capitol Hill.
Wellness in an Age of Constant Uncertainty: Leaders from several counseling-related accrediting organizations addressed the expanding needs not only of students but of faculty and others throughout institutions for wellness support and counseling and how higher education can be more effective in meeting those needs.
Issues of International Quality Assurance: Two international higher education experts discussed the challenges and opportunities quality assurance around the world has faced as higher education strives to meet the changing needs of students and society, as well as some of the challenges higher education and quality assurance are likely to face in the future.
The Importance and Value of CHEA Recognition: A panel of college presidents shared their experiences and the inherent value of the accreditation process and their interdependence of trust in CHEA-recognized accrediting organizations.
U.S. Department of Education Update: Noah Brown, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Education, addressed what he saw as challenges ahead for higher education and accreditation, including continued response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to increase access and affordability of higher education, the vital need for accountability when it comes to ensuring academic quality and student success, and the growing importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Quality Assurance and Pell Grant Eligibility to Individuals Who are or Were Incarcerated: Representatives from accrediting organizations, associations and the U.S. Department of Education outlined forthcoming changes to assist institutions operating in the prison education space and highlighted a list of current and forthcoming resources available to organizations to assist institutions.
Distance Education in the 21st Century: Convening at the Intersections of Accreditation: Immediately prior to the CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference, the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) held a listening session for institutions, accrediting organizations and associations to discuss issues related to the rapid growth of distance education and the need to assure the quality of the education provided.
“The conversations and shared perspectives on important accreditation and quality assurance issues addressed at the conference benefit CHEA member institutions by broadening the context for a shared interest in higher education quality and student success,” noted President Jackson-Hammond. “Everyone who participated at the conference contributed to the vibrancy of the discussion and the outstanding opportunity to share ideas and information.”
Government Relations: A Challenging Season
This has been a challenging season for government here in Washington DC. In December 2021, Congress focused on the Build Back Better proposal from President Biden without success. In January 2022, Congress focused on the Voting Rights legislation and Senate Rules changes. In February, Congress will focus on a Supreme Court nominee and funding the government for the balance of the fiscal year. All of this is to the exclusion of other legislative matters, including higher education-related issues such as the long-overdue reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has quietly held several Negotiated Rulemakings. From October through December 2021, the negotiations were on issues concerning college affordability and student loans. Consensus was not reached on all issues, so USDE is free to craft the proposed rule, then make the proposed rule available for public comment in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
USDE has begun another round of Negotiated Rulemaking to discuss issues concerning institutional and programmatic eligibility regarding Title IV. This negotiation began in January and end in March. These negotiations will include proposed changes to the 90/10 rule. proposed restoration of the Obama-era Gainful Employment rule and changes on approvals of for-profit to non-profit conversions.
For more on these USDE negotiated rulemakings, go to Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2020-21.
Communicating About Your Institution’s Accreditation
Colleges and universities know that it is important to provide easy-to-find information about their accreditation and the accreditation of various programs within the institution, usually in language prescribed by your accreditor(s). But it is also important to communicate to prospective students, parents, and employers just why accreditation is valuable.
On your website and in your social media messaging, don’t miss the opportunity to make the case about the importance of accreditation:
- Accreditation demonstrates the quality of your school and its programs and also shows your commitment to continuous improvement to meet the changing needs of students.
- Attending an accredited institution such as yours means that the credentials you offer to graduates have meaning to potential employers or to other institutions you may subsequently attend.
- Your school’s accreditation indicates that it excels at particular aspects of higher education (look for language in the communications that you have received from your accreditor pointing to areas of note or excellence).
- If accreditation of certain programs is required for degrees to enable graduates to sit for licensure examinations in certain fields, make sure to point out that your program is fully accredited.
For more information about accreditation that can help you to communicate about its value to your students and society, visit the “About Accreditation” section of the CHEA website at https://www.chea.org/about-accreditation.
The National Voice of Accreditation