LHE-7300 v1

2019-2020 Directory of CHEA-Recognized Organizations
The Council for Higher Education (CHEA) website oversees the seven regional and numerous programmatic accreditation commissions. It also provide a useful directory to CHREA recognized accreditation commissions. In addition, CHEA also includes programmatic commissions applying for recognition.

Burnett, C. A. (2020). Diversity under review: HBCUs and regional accreditation actions. Innovative Higher Education, 45(1), 3–15.
Regional accreditation remains a central method of accountability in the United States and the gatekeeper to federal financial aid. Without such funding, many colleges and universities would not survive. Prior research suggests that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) face disproportionate accreditation sanctions compared with other institutions.

Suskie, L. (2016). How can we address ongoing accreditation challenges? Assessment Update, 28(4), 3–14.
The author discusses the implications of continuing trends in higher education accreditation on the assessment and institutional effectiveness practitioners and institutions.

Institutional Self-Study Report - University of Vermont (PDF)
The self-study report contains information pertaining to the required nine standards that a higher education institution may address in order to receive successful regional accreditation.

ACCJC Guide to Institutional Self-Evaluation, Improvement, and Peer Review.
While the Week 7 assignment resources center on a 4-year brick and mortar institution, because of the popularity of community college, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (part of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC) guide to self-study is included. This guide may be particularly useful for those that are currently or planning for leadership roles at the community level.

Pham, N., & Osland Paton, V. (2017). Regional accreditation standards and contingent and part‐time faculty. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2017(176), 41–54.
Authors studied 18 institutional narratives that addressed the required documentation on the adequacy of faculty to achieve the higher education institution’s mission to ensure the quality and integrity of academic programs through the use of part-time faculty required by regional accreditation standards.

Schulte, M. (2016). The online credit hour: A brief history and guide to regional accreditation similarities, differences, and how they can affect your programs. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 64(3), 206–209.
Author focuses on the premise that when accelerated, online and hybrid delivery forms became more prevalent with the advent of the Internet, and it seemed foolish for schools to use the Carnegie Unit (credit hour) measure for these alternative teaching modes. To further complicate matters, regional accreditation associations, were the accepted means by which college programs sought peer, government, and industry approval.

The University of Vermont. (2019). The University of Vermont Institutional self-study report: Submitted to New England Commission of Higher Education.
In this instance from the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Humphries, D., & Gaston, P. L. (2016). Quality assurance and accreditation in challenging times: Examining priorities and proposed reforms. Liberal Education, 101(1).
The authors of this article believe that reforms are needed in the accreditation process. Two areas are promulgated by the authors: 1) the current accreditation system does not meet current needs; and 2) an undertaking is underway within the academy to take learning outcomes more seriously.