1. A President's Point of View: Is Accreditation Broken?
- Author
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Dunsworth, Richard L.
- Abstract
In this article, Richard L Dunsworth, president of University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas, having spent 25 years in the roles of oversight as consultant evaluator, team chair, advisory team member, peer evaluator, and member of the board of trustees for the largest institutional accreditor in the United States faces the same struggle many colleges and universities around the country struggle with--Is institutional accreditation indeed broken? The article allows President Dunsworth to offers his views as he considers the questions regarding accreditation such as: Is accreditation still the "Good Housekeeping" Seal of Approval, or was it ever?; Is accreditation more than access to federal financial aid?; Why should an institution seek institutional accreditation--what was previously referred to as regional accreditation--other than a means to receive access to aid?; What might we conclude from the fact that "College enrollment rates for recent high-school graduates fell to 62% last year from 66.2% in 2019?"; Can accreditation serve a role in assuaging the fact that the United States is losing faith in higher education? The issues presented are what will confront higher education accreditation over the next few years.
- Published
- 2023
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