Ask anyone whose career is not within higher education about accreditation and you will get a blank stare. “It has something to do with quality, right?” is about the best response one can hope for. Public indifference notwithstanding, accreditation is fiercely debated in policy circles. Institutions of higher education spends millions of hours on it. Accreditation…
Tag: accreditation
Accreditation In The Spotlight – But What’s New?
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a national organization that seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice for higher education. Headquartered in Washington, DC, ACE tries to influence public policy. Its impact, like that of other similarly situated organizations, is difficult to gauge. Perhaps best known for its work with college and university…
Hacking Through Policy Thickets – Higher Education, Accreditation and Financial Aid
What’s the best way to support higher education? It’s a very tricky question to answer and in many ways, it’s almost as hard to figure out who to ask. The United States is without a national system for higher education. The government most certainly sets policy, but it does so without the clear agency one…
Academia on the Clock
At the intersection of financial aid, college culture, academic policy, long established practice, and the Registrar’s Office is the credit hour. As discussed in an earlier post, the credit hour is a unit of currency demonstrating academic activity or work. It is also the focus of recent federal regulation. The Department of Education made its…
On Trust
Trust is an essential component of markets. Trust enables exchange, facilitates planning and commitment over time, and in many ways is the oxygen of contemporary life. The explosive rise of commerce over the internet has precipitated a bevy or articles on the twenty-first century “trust economy” and I anticipate that the phrase and concept will…
Higher Education Accreditation and The States
Federalism protects us from the tyranny of faction. It minimizes the damage that a democracy’s majority, giddy with certainty, might inflict upon a minority. It encourages local experimentation, with each state seeking its own best path towards meeting the needs of its citizens. And when it comes to accreditation and oversight of higher education, it…
Accreditation and Trust
One of the most important aims of higher education accreditation is accountability to the public, an affirmation of an institution’s value, worth and commitment. Institutions are not “regulated.” Instead, they are accredited. Accreditation provides a seal of approval. Or at least that is what many of us within academia respond with when asked about standards.…