Accreditation

This 2008 report surveys six of the different regional accrediting organizations' handbooks and selected statements relating to part-time faculty. The report finds that the vagueness of the lofty statements allows institutions to spin their compliance evidence and accreditors have not consistently factored noncompliance into institutional evaluation.

This 2008 report provides encouragement and practical information to faculty members who might wish to serve on regional accreditation teams. It emphasizes that an effective means of improving the process could be to increase faculty participation, as members of the faculty are best equipped to evaluate academic programs as well as circumstances affecting academic freedom, tenure, and shared governance.

This 2008 report calls for greater faculty involvement in the accreditation of colleges and universities. It concludes that faculty involvement in institutional accreditation is one of the best ways to have an impact on an institution's efforts to improve program quality.