One day (Saturday) of the five-day
meeting is a program for presidents and trustees of affiliated institutions.
The morning was devoted to a variety of specific
accreditation topics:
·
Next year will be the last for PEAQ
reaffirmation reviews; after that, all institutions will be on the Standard,
Open or AQIP Pathway.
·
The electronic Assurance System—the HLC online medium for the self-study, the
resource room and the team visit report—has been
piloted and refined, with good experience for institutions and reviewers.
·
The criteria that went into effect in January
2013 have been tested through a year of peer reviews,
and have undergone two annual revision processes, in which qualitative
improvements have been made to the process.
The remainder of the program focused on:
·
An up-to-the-minute assessment, by Terry Hartle,
Vice President of the American Council of Education (ACE), of the climate
on Capitol Hill with respect to higher education in general, whether
accreditation fits in that climate, and what the timetable and drivers will be
for the reauthorization of American higher education.
·
A panel discussion of the appropriateness of the
increased government involvement in higher education that began with the Bush
administration and the Spellings Commission,
and has continued to grow under the Obama Administration.
·
A presentation and discussion by Jamienne
Studley, Acting Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. She addressed
accreditation as the central player in promoting quality and learning outcomes
in higher education.
·
A presentation by HLC staff of changes in
Commission policies and procedures, including the proposed 8-year model for
AQIP and other AQIP updates, the new Commission survey of students as a part of
comprehensive evaluations, and direct assessment competency-based programs.
·
A report of the Presidents’ Reauthorization
Advisory Council, and
·
The Role of the CEO in the Accreditation
Relationship.
It was also our opportunity, as affiliated institutions, to
recognize Dr. Sylvia Manning, who will retire this year after six years
as President of the Higher Learning Commission. Significant change has
occurred in American higher education and accreditation since 2008, and Dr. Manning has represented HLC very
well. She will be succeeded this summer by Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley,
President of the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College in
Ohio. I have a personal appreciation for Dr. Gellman-Danley’s work; I
started my professional higher education career at Rio Grande, which is Annie’s
hometown and alma mater. She also served as President of Antioch
University McGregor, and was Vice Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents,
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and Vice President of Monroe
Community College.
