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Abstract
ACCREDITATION: GOVERNING BOARD, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
by
JOHN M. FUCHKO, III
(Under the Direction of James C. Hearn)
ABSTRACT
Regional accreditation within higher education is both a seal of approval and a requirement in order to ensure transferability of courses and access to various federal funds to include financial aid for students. Governing boards are largely comprised of non-education professionals yet possess significant responsibilities for a higher education institution or system of institutions. These responsibilities encompass both traditional fiduciary duties as well as providing overall governance and direction to the institution(s) within the board’s charge. Not entirely understood is how the governing board sees it responsibilities within the context of the interplay of accreditation, academic quality, and governance oversight. To address the need for a greater understanding of these phenomena, this qualitative study describe the perspective of a sample of public, higher education system boards and senior system staff within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
The purpose of this study is to explore the reliance (or lack thereof) of governing boards on accreditation, perspectives on the use and limitations of those standards, what accreditation-related information is provided to governing boards, and what techniques governing board members find most effective to assist them with understanding the implications of an accreditation report. Multiple themes emerged over the course of this study which help to further understanding of how governing boards use accreditation information in addition to understanding the differing views on the underlying purpose of accreditation when comparing system governing board member perspectives to those of system staff. A high-level summary of those themes are: a) how board members see their roles and the related challenges facing higher education, b) the divergent views between system board members and system staff with respect to accreditation as a guarantor of academic quality or a compliance checklist, c) how governing boards respond to accreditation problems or issues, and d) the use of accreditation to reduce undue external influence. These themes are interrelated but collectively suggest opportunities for governing boards to expand their understanding of accreditation and its uses as well as for senior administrators to provide additional information to the boards to which they report.
INDEX WORDS: Universities and colleges – United States – governance; Accreditation; Governing boards; Political influence; System offices; Public higher education
by
JOHN M. FUCHKO, III
(Under the Direction of James C. Hearn)
ABSTRACT
Regional accreditation within higher education is both a seal of approval and a requirement in order to ensure transferability of courses and access to various federal funds to include financial aid for students. Governing boards are largely comprised of non-education professionals yet possess significant responsibilities for a higher education institution or system of institutions. These responsibilities encompass both traditional fiduciary duties as well as providing overall governance and direction to the institution(s) within the board’s charge. Not entirely understood is how the governing board sees it responsibilities within the context of the interplay of accreditation, academic quality, and governance oversight. To address the need for a greater understanding of these phenomena, this qualitative study describe the perspective of a sample of public, higher education system boards and senior system staff within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
The purpose of this study is to explore the reliance (or lack thereof) of governing boards on accreditation, perspectives on the use and limitations of those standards, what accreditation-related information is provided to governing boards, and what techniques governing board members find most effective to assist them with understanding the implications of an accreditation report. Multiple themes emerged over the course of this study which help to further understanding of how governing boards use accreditation information in addition to understanding the differing views on the underlying purpose of accreditation when comparing system governing board member perspectives to those of system staff. A high-level summary of those themes are: a) how board members see their roles and the related challenges facing higher education, b) the divergent views between system board members and system staff with respect to accreditation as a guarantor of academic quality or a compliance checklist, c) how governing boards respond to accreditation problems or issues, and d) the use of accreditation to reduce undue external influence. These themes are interrelated but collectively suggest opportunities for governing boards to expand their understanding of accreditation and its uses as well as for senior administrators to provide additional information to the boards to which they report.
INDEX WORDS: Universities and colleges – United States – governance; Accreditation; Governing boards; Political influence; System offices; Public higher education