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[Forums Moderator]

Republicans in Congress have backed away from a proposal to end secrecy in the accreditation process for colleges and universities. But several controversial plans are still on the table, including one to allow states to start accrediting higher-education institutions. Would such a plan infuse healthy competition into the accreditation system, allowing institutions to shop for a new accreditor if they felt they had been unfairly judged? Or would it weaken quality control and open the door to political meddling?
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[Bill Barrett, AICAD]

I guess my first and main question is "What problem is it exactly that we are trying to solve by permitting states to become accrediting agencies?"  I don't think Congress has articulated this very well, which of course makes me very suspicious.  "Competition" may be good in many business arenas, but in accreditation I think it can only lead to more confusion on the part of the public.

[Deb]

By default the states already are accrediting entities - at least in teacher education.  It is the states that 'credential' teachers not the colleges or universities - just because you graduate doesn't mean you will get/be licensed.

It is the 'by default' situation that bothers me.

[Randy Stephens]

Could someone explain the dynamics of the change
this questions ponders?   Would, perhaps, POLITICS
be involved in necessary considerations.  Perhaps, even,
the course of civilization?

Do we have an adquate balance of viewpoint
between facists and fools in our academia at this time?
 I believe that that is the essential question.

[%sig%]

[Randy Stephens]

Either someone is messing up my spelling
or there is a Leprecan [?]  within my computer.
I really don't spell this poorly!

[Steve Arthur, Ryokan College]

This will never happen.  The existing institutions for accreditation won't let it so I imagine this is a bit of posturing by the politicians.  Besides, one would be killing off a whole business--much why the flat tax will never happen because what will one do with all the CPAs and auditors?  Congress doesn't like overtly killing off an entire business community.  Realistically, the avenue for change would reflect how all business changes in the face of governmental intervention--it amalgamates.  Thus, real political pressure will force the 6 accrediting bodies to merge.

[%sig%]

[Bill Barrett, AICAD]

I'm not so sanguine that the existing accreditation community can stop this kind of thing.  I haven't seen a lot of evidence that they've been able to keep a determined Congress at bay in the past.  Remember SPRE's?  They were killed by others in higher ed.

This Congress doesn't seem to care much about higher ed or accreditation.  And we have a great deal of difficulty explaining what we do in accreditation.  As the old saying goes: "If you're explaining, you're losing."  Congress thinks we're lazy and untrustworthy.  To them, competition is always the best answer, even if in some cases it doesn't make a lot of sense.

[David]

Perhaps the attempt by states to become accreditation bodies reflects their concern with the frequent political agendas or educational experimentation of some of these bodies currently in place.  Often, the accreditation agency has a "fad du jour" that receive inordinate emphasis, such as an off-the-charts obsession with assessment in every possible form.  This is accompanied by a blizzard of edu-babble about "rubrics", "instruments", and other such helpful terms.  The unfortunate university exposed to this ends up hiring associate provosts, assistants to the associate provost, and other administrators, whose main purpose is to demonstrate to the accreditation agency that they are jumping through the required hoops and endlessly documenting it for the accreditation bureaucracy.  If I thought it were helping the university, I wouldn't be so critical.  But after listening to this kind of drivel and pap for many years, and helping to prepare documents that are utterly useless to everyone, I am willing to consider other options for introducing some semblence of common sense into the accreditation process.