Accreditation Conversations

Accreditation in the U.S. is unique in many ways — one reason why understanding how it works across all the various levels is so important. We spoke with André Foisy , Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning Analytics at Excelsior University , regarding his time as a recent CHEA Fellow to get an inside look at how CHEA develops, initiates, and enforces various pol...

“Accreditation isn’t something we have to do. It’s something we should want to d o as part of our mission to support students and provide them with a high-quality, high-value educational experience.” - Dr. Roberta Ross-Fisher Yet this mindset can take a while to fully grasp. Dr. Roberta Ross-Fisher , higher education consultant of Global Educational Consulting, LLC , says many see accreditation as...

Our host Dr. Amy Dykens sits down with Dr. Cynthia Jackson Hammond , a passionate advocate for academic quality and institutional autonomy in higher education. Dr. Jackson Hammond is a distinguished figure in the field with her extensive work in support of institutional autonomy as president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) . CHEA is the only national organization in the Un...

We talk with Dr. David Eubanks , the assistant vice president at Furman University about the world of assessment, accreditation, and the pursuit of meaningful data in education. In his 20 year journey, David shares his realization that the standard accreditation formula for providing student learning assessment data was not working for him, leading to a realization it was not working for many othe...

General education is a gateway to identity and becoming, a pathway to self-discovery and growth for students. However, gen ed courses have more frequently been viewed as checkboxes to quickly complete. But those who are passionate about and understand the long-term investment of gen ed, developing students into graduates who contribute back by going and making a difference in the world, are recomm...

Usually, when we think of education and accreditation, the stakes aren’t life and death. But when it comes to paramedics, proper knowledge and training can mean the difference between a close call and a tragedy. In this episode, we speak with Dr. George Hatch, Executive Director of the Committee on Accreditation for the EMS professions (CoAEMSP), about the fascinating story behind — and what the f...

Always called to a life of helping others, Dr. Vince Erario , Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Research at Life University, accidentally found himself in education. Kicking off his career with nearly three decades of service as a chiropractor, Vince dipped his toes in politics, quality assurance and clinical work. On this episode, Vince joins us to discuss his non-traditional...

There are approximately 300 higher education programs for students with intellectual disabilities across the United States. But currently, there is a lack of standardized accreditation systems in place for those programs. On this episode, Dr. Martha Mock , professor and director of the Center for Disability and Education at University of Rochester and chair of Think College National Coordinating C...

From psychology professor to president of SACSCOC , join us for this episode with Dr. Belle Wheelan . In sharing her journey, you can hear her passion and commitment, her heart, for higher education and accreditation. Dr. Wheelan talks about topics from what makes a great peer reviewer to politics in higher education. She shares how the two work together to help institutions improve through innova...

In Dr. Heather Perfetti’s own words, accreditation, first and foremost, is really about doing the good work at institutions and doing it well. And we should be celebrating that through accreditation! In this episode, Dr. Heather Perfetti, President at Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), joins the show to discuss her unique role. We dive deep into the value of the accreditation pr...

The equity gaps in higher education have never been more noticeable and prevalent than they are today. Ensuring we are serving students and championing for their best interest on campus has always been our most important job as accreditors and assessors. But there is more that can be done to take improvements a step further if we are willing to have those conversations. Assessment can impact equit...

When students go to obtain a degree in higher education, they expect that what they have studied and paid for is worth it all in the end. The goal is to have student success after graduation. No student would want to go through long hours of schooling and their degree not be accredited in the end. Herman Bounds, the Director of the Accreditation Group within the Office of Postsecondary Education a...

Zoom lectures might be new to some students, but distance education is not, and neither is its accreditation. In this episode, Leah Matthews joins the podcast to speak about her role as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). DEAC is in its 96th year of operating as a quality assurance body for distance education. But what exactly doe...

Dr. Josie Welsh, a leader in assessment and accreditation, joins the show today to share her perspective and insight on innovation in assessment, similarities and differences across accreditors, and helpful guidance for peer reviewers. Josie has a long list of impressive titles from President of Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education to a Team Chair for the Peer Corps of th...

Fun and accreditation don’t usually appear in the same sentence together. But they should. When it’s fun, you know it’s working. In this episode, I speak with Mark LaCelle-Peterson, Founding Team Member and President at Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), about how his programs bring fun back to accreditation — and shape the conversation about pedagogy. Join us as we...

An accreditation visit can feel like an enemy encroaching on campus. Already suffering from accreditation fatigue, faculty and administrators just want to get that team off-campus as painlessly as possible. But program accreditors offer institutions a chance to grow through a quality improvement process. In this episode, I interview Anthony Stanowski , President and CEO of Commission on Accreditat...

Most institutions going through the accreditation process tend to panic if they get a ding. Inherently, however, assessment isn’t about proving how good you are. It’s about improving. To institutions of learning, the notion that we aren’t perfect isn’t exactly novel. In this episode, I interview Dr. Tisha Paredes , Accreditation Consultant and former Assistant Vice President of Institutional Effec...

Most accreditation standards do not focus enough on teaching and learning. Accreditation, after all, is not about research but education. In this episode, I interview Linda Suskie , a higher education assessment consultant, about two areas accreditation can help improve: faculty professional development and course design. Join us as we discuss: The need for institutions to provide adequate support...

Accreditation is a voluntary activity of institutions that want to demonstrate clearly to the public that they meet a high standard of accountability. Accreditors, too, may seek accreditation from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CHEA’s role is to set the standards of academic quality for institutions, students and families, and communities. In this first episode of Accredita...

Most of us probably didn’t want to be accreditation experts when we grew up. Accreditation leaders tend to fall into the role because of their talents and their vision for how accreditation serves staff and faculty, students, and the institution as a whole. That’s why we’ve created a space for accreditation leaders on campus to learn from institutional effectiveness experts through fulfilling and...