WHAT IS ACCREDITATION?
“Accreditation” is the review of the quality of educational
institutions and programs. In the United States, accreditation is
a major way that students, families, government officials, and the
press know that an institution or program provides a good quality
education.
At the higher education level, colleges, universities and academic
programs are accredited. In the United States, colleges and universities
are accredited by one of 19 recognized institutional accrediting
organizations. Programs are accredited by one of approximately 60
recognized programmatic accrediting organizations. The Council for
Higher Education (CHEA) is the umbrella organization for all accrediting
organizations within the United States. Organizations are official
accrediting bodies when they have been recognized by the CHEA or
the U.S. Department of Education, or both.
WHAT IS NEASC?
Founded in 1885, the New England Association of Schools & Colleges,
Inc. (NEASC) is the nation’s oldest regional accrediting association
whose mission is the establishment and maintenance of high levels
of education, from pre-kindergarten through the higher education doctoral
level.
The NEASC Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC
CIHE) is the regional accrediting agency for over 200 colleges and
universities in the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
WHY IS ACCREDITATION IMPORTANT?
Accreditation is important because:
*In order to be eligible for federal, and sometimes also state,
grants and loans, to attend a specific college, university or program,
that institution or program must be accredited.
*Employers often ask if a college, university or program is accredited
before deciding to provide tuition assistance to current employees,
evaluating the credentials of employment applicants, or making a
charitable contribution.
*The federal government requires that a college, university or
program be accredited in order to be eligible for federal grants,
loans or other federal funds, including research funds.
*State governments required that a college, university or program
be accredited when thy make state funds available to students or
institutions, and when they allow students to sit for state licensure
examinations in many professional fields.
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF A SELF STUDY?
The self study is prepared as a prelude to a periodic accreditation
review for two purposes:
*To give the institution a focused set of criteria to allow it
to evaluate its quality and accomplishment of its mission.
*To provide information to allow the accrediting body to determine
whether the institution should be initially accredited or continue
its accredited status.
|
