Learning Resources

Abstract: Institutional accreditation has served higher education and the public interest well for more than a century, but now its purposes are changing quickly and dramatically. Accreditation began as a voluntary, nongovernmental peer review process internally managed by colleges and universities to determine if schools met threshold tests of academic quality and to facilitate institutional self-improvement. However, it has increasingly become the primary mechanism for assuring policy makers and the public that institutions of higher education are academically sound and offer studentsa valuable product. This is a trend that seems likely to continue. As federal support for higher education grows and the importance of postsecondary credentials plays a larger and larger role in individual and national well-being, the demands placed on accreditors are likely to increase. Indeed, a quick overview of the history of accreditation and the federal government illustrates that the use of accreditors to pursue specific federal policy objectives is not a new development, but rather a trend that has been underway for a long time.

Abstract: Regional accreditation in the United States is nearly 100 years old and has continued to focus on its founding principles, including academic quality and institutional improvement. Significant federal financial commitments to higher education date back to the mid-1950s, and the provision of these ballooning expenditures has been linked to accreditation. Tensions have developed between the original purposes of accreditation and the growing need for regulatory compliance to ensure that federal funds are well spent. This article describes those tensions, identifies current efforts to address them, and offers some practical suggestions for the future.

Abstract: The Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) addresses the conflict between assurance and improvement in accreditation by providing an innovative process that focuses institutions on improving process quality and performance while also generating solid evidence that they meet accreditation standards. AQIP consciously infuses quality concepts and techniques into accreditation by focusing an institution’s attention on itself as a quality system that can improve its own operation and performance.

Abstract: University campuses offer rich opportunities to model and test sustainable design practices. Through examination of four campus initiatives, this article explores the integration of sustainable goals into the design process. The universities studied sought to enhance campus sustainability through the use of strategic goals, flexible designs, and green infrastructure approaches in their respective campus plans. The projects offer an opportunity for universities to be leaders both educationally and environmentally and provide a framework for approaching the sustainable campus landscape, revealing the potential to strengthen landscape architecture as a practice and pedagogy within the academic community. As many campuses struggle to address sustainability practices, there is a clear call to share stories and challenges. This article documents a range of examples and offers reflections that expand foundations for further exploration and learning.

Abstract: When undertaking a new strategic planning process, many institutions get bogged down in issues of flexibility versus consistency, as well as in concerns about participation and transparency. The co-chairs of Widener University’s strategic planning process and implementation developed evolutionary phases to coincide with the multi-year implementation of the 10-year plan, resulting in greater participation and buy-in, as well as stamina for the long-term changes needed to strengthen, and ultimately transform, the institution. As a result, the institution is well on its way to meeting its 13 goals and making the transition to the next strategic planning process. Faculty and staff began to see accreditation (and accountability) as something truly meaningful.