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Accreditation in Higher Education Trustees Summer Institute 2009 Dan Phelan, Jackson Community College Gary Wheeler, Glen Oaks Community College What is driving accreditation of higher education? Public accountability & higher education Changing contexts, few boundaries Demand for access Reauthorization of Higher Education International pressure… professional mobility Types of Accreditation Institutional or Regional NEACS MSA SACS WASC NWACS HLC National Specialized Professional U.S. has approx. 3500 regionally (institutionally) accredited institutions (HLC has 1003 and counting….) Institutional Accreditors NWCCU MSCHE HLC -North Central- WASC SACS Diversity in the Membership of Institutions (1000+) Two-year Institutions Four-year Bachelor’s Institutions Four-year Liberal Arts Institutions Comprehensive Institutions Faith Based Institutions Research Universities Single Purpose Institutions Public, Private NFP, and For Profit Virtual Institutions AQIP (185) and PEAQ (820) Institutions The Higher Learning Commission Established in 1895 New Mission: 2000 New Criteria: 2005 (adopted 2003) Pathways projects “Serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning.” PEER REVIEW CORPS +/- 1300 MEMBERS Corps Advisory Team Members Consultant-Evaluators Reviewers Two Primary Purposes Evaluate, Confirm, and Publicly certify (assure) the quality of the organization Provide consultation intended for the ongoing quality improvement (advancement) of the organization Basic Expectations ♦ Professionalism ♦ Competence ♦ Objectivity ♦ Generalist vs. Specialist/Expert Focus of Accreditation To assess the quality of an institution and its effectiveness To assist the institution in making improvements in its operations and effectiveness To provide mission-driven accreditation PEAQ Pathway Self-Study 2-3 years S-S Report Team Visit Interviews, Evaluation Engagement Exit Session & Rec. 2-part Report Assurance & Advancement Decision Making ARC (Readers/Rev. Comm.) IAC Board of Trustees Typical is a 10-year reaccreditation decision. AQIP Pathway 1 4 Cycles of Systematic Quality Improvement 7 Decision-making Board of Trustees Institutional Actions Council (IAC) Accreditation Review Council (ARC) AQIP Reaff. Panel Recs. PEAQ Team Recs. The Commission has one setAll ofPeer standards: Reviewers must the Criteria forthe Accreditation know Commission’s The Commission has two Criteria for Accreditation Processes leading to and be Continued familiar with the accreditation: Commission and its&work. PEAQ AQIP The AQIP process has AQIPAQIP Criteria & Principles. Reviewers have an The process fulfills the of extra package Commission’s knowledge to learn. Criteria for Accreditation. Ongoing Relationship Statement of Affiliation Status Annual Institutional Data Update Interim Monitoring Sanction Support Programming & Services PEAQ and AQIP Paths to improve quality PEAQ Complete Physical Periodic comprehensive evaluation and follow up. and AQIP Fitness Program Ongoing implementation of improvement activities and processes. Common elements Same dues, broad policies Same annual report (with organizational indicators) Same fundamental expectations for maintaining accreditation Same “Federal Compliance Program” expectations Same Criteria for Accreditation Consistency in decision-making Process Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Goal To infuse the principles and benefits of continuous improvement into the culture of colleges and universities in order to assure and advance the quality of higher education. 14 Participating Michigan Colleges Bay de Noc Community College Mott Community College Delta College Glen Oaks Community College Gogebic Community College Grand Rapids Community College Jackson Community College Kirtland Community College Lansing Community College Mid Michigan Community College Montcalm Community College Northwestern Michigan College Schoolcraft College West Shore Community College AQIP’s Quality Principles Focusing on key processes Basing decisions on data Decentralizing control Empowering staff and faculty to make the decisions directly affecting their work • Modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award • • • • Other Components of AQIP • Systems thinking: Way of helping to view systems from a broad perspective that includes seeing overall structures, patterns and cycles in systems, rather than seeing only one specific event in the systems Help to quickly identify the real causes of issues in organizations and know just where to address them Other Components of AQIP • Stakeholder focus: Building relationships with students and other stakeholders Determining key factors that attract students and lead to student and stakeholder satisfaction, loyalty, student persistence, increased educational services and programs and organizational sustainability Exceeding customer expectations Focusing on use of customer complaint data Principles of High Performance Organizations A mission and vision that focus on serving students’ and other stakeholders’ needs Broad-based faculty, staff and administrative involvement Leaders and leadership systems that support a quality culture A learning-centered environment Respect for people and willingness to invest in them Collaboration and a shared institutional focus Agility, flexibility and responsiveness to changing needs and conditions Planning for innovation and improvement Fact-based information-gathering and thinking to support analysis and decision-making Integrity and responsible institutional citizenship AQIP Campus work— Annual updates and periodic elements • • • • • • Strategy Forum Action Projects Systems Portfolio Systems Appraisal Quality Checkup (site visit) Re-affirmation Action Projects • Provides focus for institutions to work on not more than three pressing projects • Provides finite, concrete place to begin or continue the quality improvement efforts • Provides institutions time to gather data for the Systems Portfolio • Mini-Action Projects (MAPs) Systems Portfolio • 75-100 page (double-spaced) public portfolio describing fundamental institutional systems • Covers the nine AQIP categories • Created once (gradually through the first four years) and then continually updated • Valuable resource Maintaining Accreditation • All Commission-accredited colleges and universities must demonstrate they meet the five criteria of accreditation • While AQIP processes for maintaining accredited status differ from those used in PEAQ, the fundamental requirements are the same QUESTIONS?