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Part II - Standards for Accreditation
Standard One: Institutional Mission
Standard Two: Institutional Integrity
Standard Three: Institutional Effectiveness
Standard Four: Educational Programs
Standard Five: Student Support and Development
Standard Six: Information and Learning Resources
Standard Seven: Faculty and Staff
Standard Eight: Physical Resources
Standard Nine: Financial Resources
Standard Ten: Governance and Administration
Standards for Accreditation
The standards describe good practice in community and junior college
education. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
has established its standards based on experience, research, and
extensive consultation with member institutions. Commission standards
and policies are periodically reviewed and revised. Revisions are
made as needed and are based on research, the experience of the
Commission and visiting teams, and comments of institutional representatives.
The Commission articulated five assumptions which
undergird the standards. We encourage institutions to remember these
overarching goals as they interpret and use the standards in light
of individual mission and circumstance.
1. The diversity of the whole range of institutions
included in the region must be respected and accommodated, recognizing
that good practice may be manifest in a wide range of practices
and settings.
2. The standards focus on outcomes and accomplishments, embracing
a model of accreditation which requires assessment of resources,
processes, and outcomes at the institutional level.
3. The standards are statements of good practice in higher education
and avoid language of compliance which might be linked to one system
or set of statutes or regulations within the region.
4. The standards strive toward economy and clarity
and avoid redundancy and ambiguity.
5. The standards recognize that the Accrediting Commission for Community
and Junior Colleges is itself a part of a larger accrediting community
which includes the other commissions in the region, other regional
institutional accreditors, and governmental and non-governmental
agencies.
The accreditation standards cover ten areas, each
of which is designated as a major standard. The scope of each standard
is described in a headnote. It is followed by numbered and lettered
subsections which provide further definition to the standard. These
numbered subsections identify major components of the standard,
but they are not designed to cover every facet of the standard.
Institutions are expected to address each of the components set
forth, and they are encouraged to include additional components
if doing so would provide greater depth or more particular is applicability
to the individual institution.
In preparing its self study, an institution is expected to present
appropriate documentation to support its description and analysis
of programs and services and evidence that it meets or exceeds the
requirements for accreditation.
The Guide to Self Study provides complete discussion
of the Commission's expectations concerning evidence and documentation
to be presented. It contains information, suggestions, and examples
useful in conducting the institutional self study and preparing
the accreditation report.
Standard One: Institutional
Mission
The institution has a statement of mission that defines the institution,
its educational purposes, its students, and its place in the higher
education community.
1. The institution has a statement of mission, adopted by the governing
board, which identifies the broad-based educational purposes it
seeks to achieve.
2. The mission statement defines the students the institution intends
to serve as well as the parameters under which programs can be offered
and resources allocated.
3. Institutional planning and decision making are
guided by the mission statement.
4. The institution evaluates and revises its mission statement on
a regular basis.
Standard Two: Institutional
Integrity
The institution subscribes to, advocates, and demonstrates honesty
and truthfulness in representations to its constituencies and the
public; in pursuit of truth and the dissemination of knowledge;
in its treatment of and respect for administration, faculty, staff,
and students; in the management of its affairs and in relationships
with its accreditation association and other external agencies.
1. The institution represents itself clearly, accurately, and consistently
to its constituencies, the public, and prospective students through
its catalogues, publications, and statements, including those presented
in electronic formats. Precise, accurate, and current information
is provided in the catalog concerning (a) educational purposes;
(b) degrees, curricular offerings, educational resources, and course
offerings; (c) student fees and other financial obligations, student
financial aid, and fee refund policies; (d) requirements for admission
and for achievement of degrees, including the academic calendar
and information regarding program length; and (e) the names of administrators,
faculty, and governing board.
2. The institution has a readily available governing
board-adopted policy protecting academic freedom and responsibility
which states the institutional commitment to the free pursuit and
dissemination of knowledge and fosters the integrity of the teaching-learning
process.
3. Faculty and other college staff distinguish between personal
conviction and proven conclusions and present relevant data fairly
and objectively to students and others.
4. Institutions which strive to instill specific beliefs or world
views, or to require codes of conduct of faculty, administrative
and support staff, or students, give clear prior notice of such
policies.
5. The institution provides faculty and students with clear expectations
concerning the principles of academic honesty and the sanctions
for violation.
6. The institution demonstrates through policies and practices an
appropriate understanding of and concern for issues of equity and
diversity.
7. The institution demonstrates honesty and integrity
in its athletic programs.
8. The institution demonstrates honesty and integrity in its relationships
with the Commission and agrees to comply with Commission standards,
policies, guidelines, public disclosure, and self study requirements.
9. The institution regularly evaluates and revises institutional
policies, practices, and publications to ensure integrity in all
representations about its mission, programs, and services.
Standard Three: Institutional
Effectiveness
The institution, appropriate to its mission and purposes as a higher
education institution, develops and implements a broad-based and
integrated system of research, evaluation, and planning to assess
institutional effectiveness and uses the results for institutional
improvement. The institution identifies institutional outcomes which
can be validated by objective evidence.
A. Institutional Research and Evaluation
A.1 Institutional research is integrated with and supportive of
institutional planning and evaluation.
A.2 The institution provides the necessary resources for effective
research and evaluation.
A.3 The institution has developed and implemented the means for
evaluating how well, and in what ways, it accomplishes its mission
and purposes.
A.4 The institution provides evidence that its program evaluations
lead to improvement of programs and services.
B.Institutional Planning
B.1 The institution defines and publishes its planning processes
and involves appropriate segments of the college community in the
development of institutional plans.
B.2 The institution defines and integrates its evaluation
and planning processes to identify priorities for improvement.
B.3 The institution engages in systematic and integrated educational,
financial, physical, and human resources planning and implements
changes to improve programs and services.
C.Institutional Outcomes Assessment
C.1 The institution specifies intended institutional outcomes and
has clear documentation of their achievement.
C.2 The institution uses information from its evaluation and planning
activities to communicate matters of quality assurance to the public.
C.3 The institution systematically reviews and modifies, as appropriate,
its institutional research efforts, evaluation processes, institutional
plans, and planning processes to determine their ongoing utility
for assessing institutional effectiveness.
Standard Four: Educational
Programs
The institution offers collegiate-level programs in recognized fields
of study that culminate in identified student competencies leading
to degrees and certificates. The provisions of this standard are
broadly applicable to all educational activities offered in the
name of the institution, regardless of where or how presented, or
by whom taught.
A. General Provisions
A.1 The institution seeks to meet the varied educational needs of
its students through programs consistent with its institutional
mission and purposes and the demographics and economics of its community.
A.2 Programs and courses leading to degrees are offered
in a manner which is provides students the opportunity to complete
the program as announced, within a reasonable time.
A.3 When programs are eliminated or program requirements are significantly
changed, the institution makes appropriate arrangements so that
enrolled students may complete their education in a timely manner
with a minimum of disruption.
A.4 The institution provides sufficient human, financial, and physical
(including technological) resources to support its educational programs
and to facilitate achievement of the goals and objectives of those
programs regardless of the service location or instructional delivery
method.
A.5 The institution designs and maintains academic
advising programs to meet student needs for information and advice
and adequately informs and prepares faculty and other personnel
responsible for the advising function.
B. Degree and Certificate Programs
B.1 The institution demonstrates that its degrees and programs,
wherever and however offered, support the mission of the institution.
Degree and certificate programs have a coherent design and are characterized
by appropriate length, breadth, depth, sequencing of courses, synthesis
of learning, and use of information and learning resources.
B.2 The institution identifies its degrees and certificates
in ways which are consistent with the program content, degree objectives,
and student mastery of knowledge and skills including, where appropriate,
career preparation and competencies.
B.3 The institution identifies and makes public expected learning
outcomes for its degree and certificate programs. Students completing
programs demonstrate achievement of those stated learning outcomes.
B.4 All degree programs are designed to provide students
a significant introduction to the broad areas of knowledge, their
theories and methods of inquiry, and focused study in at least one
area of inquiry or established interdisciplinary core.
B.5 Students completing degree programs demonstrate competence in
the use of language and computation.
B.6 The institution documents the technical and professional
competence of students completing its vocational and occupational
programs.
C. General Education
C.1 The institution requires of all degree programs a component
of general education that is published in clear and complete terms
in its general catalog.
C.2 The general education component is based on a philosophy and
rationale that are clearly stated. Criteria are provided by which
the appropriateness of each course in the general education component
is determined.
C.3 The general education program introduces the content
and methodology of the major areas of knowledge: the humanities
and fine arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The
general education program provides the opportunity for students
to develop the intellectual skills, information technology facility,
affective and creative capabilities, social attitudes, and an appreciation
for cultural diversity that will make them effective learners and
citizens.
C.4 Students completing the institution's general
program demonstrate competence in oral and written communication,
scientific and quantitative reasoning, and critical analysis/logical
thinking.
D. Curriculum and Instruction
D.1 The institution has clearly defined processes for establishing
and evaluating all of its educational programs. These processes
recognize the central role of faculty in developing, implementing,
and evaluating the educational programs. Program evaluations are
integrated into overall institutional evaluation and planning and
are conducted on a regular basis.
D.2 The institution ensures the quality of instruction, academic
rigor, and educational effectiveness of all of its courses and programs
regardless of service location or instructional delivery method.
D.3 The evaluation of student learning and the award
of credit are based upon clearly stated and published criteria.
Credit awarded is consistent with student learning and is based
upon generally accepted norms or equivalencies.
D.4 The institution has clearly stated transfer of credit policies.
In accepting transfer credits to fulfill degree requirements, the
institution certifies that the credits accepted, including those
for general education, achieve educational objectives comparable
to its own courses. Where patterns of transfer between institutions
are established, efforts are undertaken to formulate articulation
agreements.
D.5 The institution utilizes a range of delivery systems
and modes of instruction compatible with the objectives of the curriculum
and appropriate to the needs of its students.
D.6 The institution provides evidence that all courses and programs
- both credit and non-credit - whether conducted on or off-campus
by traditional or nontraditional delivery systems, are designed,
approved, administered, and periodically evaluated under established
institutional procedures. This provision applies to continuing and
community education, contract and other special programs conducted
in the name of the institution.
D.7 Institutions offering curricula through electronic
delivery systems operate in conformity with applicable Commission
policies and statements on "Principles of Good Practice in
Distance Education."
D.8 Institutions offering curricula in foreign locations to students
other than U.S. nationals operate in conformity with applicable
Commission policies and guidelines.
Standard Five: Student
Support and Development
The institution recruits and admits students appropriate to its
programs. It identifies and serves the diverse needs of its students
with educational programs and learning support services, and it
fosters a supportive learning environment. The entire student pathway
through the institutional experience is characterized by a concern
for student access, progress, and success.
1. The institution publishes admissions policies consistent with
its mission and appropriate to its programs and follows practices
that are consistent with those policies.
2. The institution provides to all prospective and currently enrolled
students current and accurate information about its programs, admissions
policies and graduation requirements, social and academic policies,
refund policies, student conduct standards, and complaint and grievance
procedures.
3. The institution identifies the educational support
needs of its student population and provides appropriate services
and programs to address those needs.
4. The institution involves students, as appropriate,
in planning and evaluating student support and development services.
5. Admissions and assessment instruments and placement
practices are designed to minimize test and other bias and are regularly
evaluated to assure effectiveness.
6. The institution provides appropriate, comprehensive, reliable,
and accessible services to its students regardless of service location
or delivery method.
7. The institution, in keeping with its mission, creates and maintains
a campus climate which serves and supports its diverse student population.
8. The institution supports a co-curricular environment that fosters
intellectual, ethical, and personal development for all of its students
and encourages personal and civic responsibility.
9. Student records are maintained permanently, securely, and confidentially,
with provision for secure backup of all files, regardless of the
form in which those files are maintained.
10. The institution systematically evaluates the appropriateness,
adequacy, and effectiveness of its student services and uses the
results of the evaluation as a basis for improvement.
Standard Six: Information
and Learning Resources
Information and learning resources and services are sufficient in
quality, depth, diversity, and currentness to support the institution's
intellectual and cultural activities and programs in whatever format
and wherever they are offered. The institution provides training
so that information and learning resources may be used effectively
and efficiently.
1. Information and learning resources, and any equipment needed
to access the holdings of libraries, media centers, computer centers,
databases and other repositories, are sufficient to support the
courses, programs and degrees wherever offered.
2. Appropriate educational equipment and materials
are selected, acquired, organized, and maintained to help fulfill
the institution's purposes and support the educational program.
Institutional policies and procedures ensure faculty involvement.
3. Information and learning resources are readily accessible to
students, faculty, and administrators.
4. The institution has professionally qualified staff to provide
appropriate support to users of information and learning resources,
including training in the effective application of information technology
to student learning.
5. The institution provides sufficient and consistent
financial support for the effective maintenance, security, and improvement
of its information and learning resources.
6. When the institution relies on other institutions or other sources
for information and learning resources to support its educational
programs, it documents that formal agreements exist and that such
resources and services are adequate, easily accessible, and utilized.
7. The institution plans for and systematically evaluates
the adequacy and effectiveness of its learning and information resources
and services and makes appropriate changes as necessary.
Standard Seven: Faculty
and Staff
The institution has sufficient qualified full-time and part-time
faculty and staff to support its educational programs and services
wherever offered and by whatever means delivered. Consistent with
its mission, the institution demonstrates its commitment to the
significant educational role played by persons of diverse ethnic,
social, and economic backgrounds by making positive efforts to foster
such diversity.
A. Qualifications and Selection
A.1 The institution has sufficient faculty and staff who are qualified
by appropriate education, training, and experience to support its
programs and services.
A.2 Criteria, qualifications, and procedures for selecting
all personnel are clearly stated, public, directly related to institutional
objectives, and accurately reflect job responsibilities.
A.3 Criteria for selecting faculty include knowledge of the subject
matter or service to be performed, effective teaching, and potential
to contribute to the mission of the institution.
A.4 Degrees held by faculty and administrators are listed in the
institution's primary catalog. All US degrees are from institutions
accredited by recognized accrediting agencies. Degrees from non-U.S.
institutions are recognized only if equivalence has been established.
B. Evaluation
B.1 The evaluation of each category of staff is systematic and conducted
at stated intervals. The follow-up of evaluations is formal and
timely.
B.2 Evaluation processes seek to assess effectiveness and encourage
improvement.
B.3 Criteria for evaluation of faculty include teaching effectiveness,
scholarship, or other activities appropriate to the area of expertise,
and participation in institutional service or other institutional
responsibilities.
C. Staff Development
C.1 The institution provides appropriate opportunities to all categories
of staff for continued professional development, consistent with
the institutional mission.
C.2 Planning and evaluation of staff development programs
include the participation of staff who participate in, or are affected
by, the programs.
D.General Personnel Provisions
D.1 The institution has and adheres to written policies ensuring
fairness in all employment procedures.
D.2 The institution regularly assesses and reports
its achievement of its employment equity objectives, consistent
with the institutional mission.
D.3 Personnel policies and procedures affecting all categories of
staff are systematically developed, clear, equitably administered,
and available for information and review.
D.4 The institution makes provision for the security and confidentiality
of personnel records. Personnel records are private, accurate, complete,
and permanent.
Standard Eight: Physical Resources
The institution has sufficient and appropriate physical resources
to support its purposes and goals.
1. The institution ensures that adequate physical resources are
provided to support its educational programs and services wherever
and however they are offered.
2. The management, maintenance, and operation of physical facilities
ensure effective utilization and continuing quality necessary to
support the programs and services of the institution.
3. Physical facilities at all site locations where courses, programs,
and services are offered are constructed and maintained in accordance
with the institution's obligation to ensure access, safety, security,
and a healthful environment.
4. Selection, maintenance, inventory and replacement of equipment
are conducted systematically to support the educational programs
and services of the institution.
5. Physical resource planning and evaluation support institutional
goals and are linked to other institutional planning and evaluation
efforts, including district or system planning and utilization where
appropriate.
Standard Nine: Financial
Resources
The institution has adequate financial resources to achieve, maintain,
and enhance its programs and services. The level of financial resources
provides a reasonable expectation of financial viability and institutional
improvement. The institution manages its financial affairs with
integrity, consistent with its educational objectives.
A.Financial Planning
A.1 Financial planning supports institutional goals and is linked
to other institutional planning efforts.
A.2 Annual and long-range financial planning reflects realistic
assessments of resource availability and expenditure requirements.
In those institutions which set tuition rates, and which receive
a majority of funding from student fees and tuition, charges are
reasonable in light of the operating costs, services to be rendered,
equipment, and learning resources to be supplied.
A.3 Annual and long-range capital plans support educational objectives
and relate to the plan for physical facilities.
A.4 Institutional guidelines and processes for financial planning
and budget development are clearly defined and followed.
A.5 Administrators, faculty, and support staff have
appropriate opportunities to participate in the development of financial
plans and budgets.
B.Financial Management
B.1 The financial management system creates appropriate control
mechanisms and provides dependable and timely information for sound
financial decision making.
B.2 Financial documents, including the budget and independent audit,
reflect appropriate allocation and use of financial resources to
support institutional programs and services. Institutional responses
to external audit findings are comprehensive and timely.
B.3 The institution practices effective oversight
of finances, including management of financial aid, externally-funded
programs, contractual relationships, auxiliary organizations or
foundations, and institutional investments.
B.4 Auxiliary activities and fund raising efforts
support the programs and services of the institution, are consistent
with the mission and goals of the institution, and are conducted
with integrity.
B.5 Contractual agreements with external entities
are governed by institutional policies and contain appropriate provisions
to maintain the integrity of the institution.
B.6 Financial management is regularly evaluated, and the results
are used to improve the financial management system.
C.Financial Stability
C.1 Future obligations are clearly identified and plans exist for
payment.
C.2 The institution has policies for appropriate risk management.
C.3 Cash flow arrangements or reserves are sufficient to maintain
stability.
C.4 The institution has a plan for responding to financial emergencies
or is unforeseen occurrences.
Standard Ten: Governance and Administration
The institution has a governing board responsible for the
quality and integrity of the institution. The institution has an
administrative staff of appropriate size to enable the institution
to achieve its goals and is organized to provide appropriate administrative
services. Governance structures and systems ensure appropriate roles
for the board, administration, faculty, staff, and students and
facilitate effective communication among the institution's constituencies.
A.Governing Board
A.1 The governing board is an independent policy-making board capable
of reflecting the public interest in board activities and decisions.
It has a mechanism for providing for continuity of board membership
and staggered terms of office.
A.2 The governing board ensures that the educational program is
of high quality, is responsible for overseeing the financial health
and integrity of the institution, and confirms that institutional
practices are consistent with the board-approved institutional mission
statement and policies.
A.3 The governing board establishes broad institutional
policies and appropriately delegates responsibility to implement
these policies. The governing board regularly evaluates its policies
and practices and revises them as necessary.
A.4 In keeping with its mission, the governing board
selects and evaluates the chief executive officer and confirms the
appointment of other major academic and administrative officers.
A.5 The size, duties, responsibilities, ethical conduct
requirements, structure and operating procedures, and processes
for assessing the performance of the governing board are clearly
defined and published in board policies or by-laws. The board acts
in a manner consistent with them.
A.6 The governing board has a program for new member orientation
and governing board development.
A.7 The board is informed about and involved in the
accreditation process.
B.Institutional Administration and Governance
B.1 The institutional chief executive officer provides effective
leadership to define goals, develop plans, and establish priorities
for the institution.
B.2 The institutional chief executive officer efficiently manages
resources, implements priorities controlling budget and expenditures,
and ensures the implementation of statutes, regulations, and board
policies.
B.3 The institution is administratively organized and staffed to
reflect the institution's purposes, size, and complexity. The administration
provides effective and efficient leadership and management which
makes possible an effective teaching and learning environment.
B.4 Administrative officers are qualified by training
and experience to perform their responsibilities and are evaluated
systematically and regularly. The duties and responsibilities of
institutional administrators are clearly defined and published.
B.5 Administration has a substantive and clearly-defined
role in institutional governance.
B.6 Faculty have a substantive and clearly-defined
role in institutional governance, exercise a substantial voice in
matters of educational program and faculty personnel, and other
institutional polices which relate to their areas of responsibility
and expertise.
B.7 Faculty have established an academic senate or other appropriate
organization for providing input regarding institutional governance.
In the case of private colleges, the institution has a formal process
for providing input regarding institutional governance.
B.8 The institution has written policy which identifies appropriate
institutional support for faculty participation in governance and
delineates the participation of faculty on appropriate policy, planning,
and special purpose bodies.
B.9 The institution clearly states and publicizes the role of staff
in institutional governance.
B.10 The institution clearly states and publicizes the role of students
in institutional governance.
C.Multi-Collage Districts and/or Systems
C.1 The district/system chief executive officer provides effective
leadership to define goals, develop plans, and establish priorities
for the institution.
C.2 The district/system chief executive officer efficiently manages
resources, implements priorities controlling budget and expenditures,
and ensures the implementation of statutes, regulations, and board
policies.
C.3 The district/system has a statement which clearly delineates
the operational responsibilities and functions of the district/system
and those of the college.
C.4 The district/system provides effective services
that support the mission and functions of the college.
C.5 The district/system and the college(s) have established
- and utilize - effective methods of communication and exchange
information in a timely and efficient manner.
C.6 The district/system has effective processes in
place for the establishment and review of policy, planning, and
financial management.
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