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• ACCREDITATION LEADER TO TESTIFY AGAINST NATIONAL ROLE IN EVALUATING COLLEGES NATIONWIDE; CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING SELF-REGULATION

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  Dr. Morgan Xiang    Group moderator

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  ACCREDITATION LEADER TO TESTIFY AGAINST NATIONAL ROLE IN EVALUATING COLLEGES NATIONWIDE; CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING SELF-REGULATION

  WASH, DC...Judith Eaton, President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), will testify nationally April 6 on issues ranging from accreditation, accountability and quality assurance before “A National Dialogue: The Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education,” held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
  
  CHEA is the nation’s largest institutional higher education membership organization, with 3,000 colleges and universities. It is a private, nonprofit national organization that coordinates accreditation activity in the U.S.
  
  Dr. Eaton is expected to testify in strong opposition to new efforts by the Commission to promote a “National Accreditation Foundation” to take over the role of evaluating higher education institutions from private accrediting organizations. This effort, Eaton and others suggest, would be incompatible with a voluntary, autonomous and self-regulatory system. Dr. Eaton will testify in support of the current accreditation process while calling for reforms in accountability and transparency to bolster that process.
  
  “The great success we see today in American higher education,” said Judith Eaton, President of CHEA, “is in large part due to the preservation of a self-regulatory process, and in strengthening our institutional autonomy and academic freedom. The current accreditation process, while needing to be responsive to current accountability expectations, successfully balances these interests while evaluating institutional and student success. We cannot allow a formulaic approach from a central body to determine the value and quality of our many, varied and unique institutions of higher learning.”
  
  Dr. Eaton, in efforts to help lead reforms within the current system, will call for institutions and accrediting organizations to: 1) voluntarily develop and use additional testing tools for obtaining evidence of institutional performance and student achievement; 2) expand the commitment to invest in general education outcomes; and 3) significantly increase the flow of information to the public about performance and achievement.
  
  The 19-member Commission meets in Indianapolis on April 6-7. Others due to testify include: James Garland, President, Miami University, Ohio; Jim Boyle, President, College Parents of America; Kay Norton, President, University of Northern Colorado; and Frank Mayadas, Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, among others. The last of the four meetings will be held May 18-19 in Washington, D.C. and a final report will be released in August, 2006. Previous meetings were held in Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington.
  
  The Commission is examining such higher education issues as: accreditation, affordability, accountability and accessibility; federal, state, local and institutional roles; how graduates are prepared for a future workforce and changing economy; and how institutions are setting and meeting goals.
  
  The Commission will meet beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at the Hilton Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana.
  
  • 10 May 2006, 10:59 am
  Dr. Morgan Xiang wrote: > WASH, DC...Judith Eaton, President of the Council for Higher > Education Accreditation (CHEA), will testify nationally April 6 on > issues ranging from accreditation, accountability and quality > assurance before “A National Dialogue: The Secretary of Education’s > Commission on the Future of Higher Education,” held in Indianapolis, > Indiana. > > CHEA is the nation’s largest institutional higher education > membership organization, with 3,000 colleges and universities. It is > a private, nonprofit national organization that coordinates > accreditation activity in the U.S. > > Dr. Eaton is expected to testify in strong opposition to new efforts > by the Commission to promote a “National Accreditation Foundation” to > take over the role of evaluating higher education institutions from > private accrediting organizations. This effort, Eaton and others > suggest, would be incompatible with a voluntary, autonomous and > self-regulatory system. Dr. Eaton will testify in support of the > current accreditation process while calling for reforms in > accountability and transparency to bolster that process. > > “The great success we see today in American higher education,” said > Judith Eaton, President of CHEA, “is in large part due to the > preservation of a self-regulatory process, and in strengthening our > institutional autonomy and academic freedom. The current > accreditation process, while needing to be responsive to current > accountability expectations, successfully balances these interests > while evaluating institutional and student success. We cannot allow a > formulaic approach from a central body to determine the value and > quality of our many, varied and unique institutions of higher > learning.” > > Dr. Eaton, in efforts to help lead reforms within the current system, > will call for institutions and accrediting organizations to: 1) > voluntarily develop and use additional testing tools for obtaining > evidence of institutional performance and student achievement; 2) > expand the commitment to invest in general education outcomes; and 3) > significantly increase the flow of information to the public about > performance and achievement. > > The 19-member Commission meets in Indianapolis on April 6-7. Others > due to testify include: James Garland, President, Miami University, > Ohio; Jim Boyle, President, College Parents of America; Kay Norton, > President, University of Northern Colorado; and Frank Mayadas, > Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, among others. The last > of the four meetings will be held May 18-19 in Washington, D.C. and a > final report will be released in August, 2006. Previous meetings were > held in Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington. > > The Commission is examining such higher education issues as: > accreditation, affordability, accountability and accessibility; > federal, state, local and institutional roles; how graduates are > prepared for a future workforce and changing economy; and how > institutions are setting and meeting goals. > > The Commission will meet beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at > the Hilton Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana.