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The Criteria for Accreditation
The Criteria for Accreditation are organized under five major
headings. Each Criterion has three elements: Criterion Statement,
Core Components and Examples of Evidence. The Criteria Statements
define necessary attributes of an organization accredited by the
Commission. An organization must be judged to have met each of the
Criteria to merit accreditation.
An organization addresses each Core Component as it presents
reasonable and representative evidence of meeting a Criterion. The
Examples of Evidence illustrate the types of evidence an
organization might present in addressing a Core Component.
The Criteria are intentionally general so that accreditation
decisions focus on the particulars of each organization, rather than
on trying to make it fit a pre-established mold. The widely
different purposes and scopes of colleges and universities demand
criteria that are broad enough to encompass diversity and support
innovation, but clear enough to ensure acceptable quality.
The Criteria Statements and Core Components are presented here.
Visit the Commission’s Web site to view the Examples of Evidence.
Criterion One: Mission and Integrity. The organization operates
with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through
structures and processes that involve the board, administration,
faculty, staff and students.
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organization’s mission documents are clear and articulate publicly
the organization’s commitments.
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In its mission documents, the organization recognizes the diversity
of its learners, other constituencies, and the greater society it
serves.
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Understanding of and support for the mission pervade the
organization.
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The organization’s governance and administrative structures promote
effective leadership and support collaborative processes that enable
the organization to fulfill its mission.
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The organization upholds and protects its integrity.
Criterion Two: Preparing for the Future. The organization’s
allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and
planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve
the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and
opportunities.
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The organization realistically prepares for a future shaped by
multiple societal and economic trends.
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The organization’s resource base supports its educational programs
and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the
future.
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The organization’s ongoing evaluation and assessment processes
provide reliable evidence of institutional
effectiveness that clearly informs strategies for continuous
improvement.
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All levels of planning align with the organization’s mission,
thereby enhancing its capacity to fulfill that
mission.
Criterion Three: Student Learning and Effective Teaching. The
organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching
effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational
mission.
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The organization’s goals for student learning outcomes are clearly
stated for each educational program and make effective assessment
possible.
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The organization values and supports effective teaching.
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The organization creates effective learning environments.
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The organization’s learning resources support student learning and
effective teaching.
Criterion Four: Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of
Knowledge. The organization promotes a life of learning for its
faculty, administration, staff and students by fostering and
supporting inquiry, creativity, practice and social responsibility
in ways consistent with its mission.
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The organization demonstrates, through the actions of its board,
administrators, students, faculty and staff, that it values a life
of learning.
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The organization demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of
knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are
integral to its educational programs.
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The organization assesses the usefulness of its curricula to
students who will live and work in a global, diverse and
technological society.
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The organization provides support to ensure that faculty, students
and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly.
Criterion Five: Engagement and Service. As called for by its
mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves
them in ways both value.
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The organization learns from the constituencies it serves and
analyzes its capacity to serve their needs and expectations.
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The organization has the capacity and the commitment to engage with
its identified constituencies and
communities.
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The organization demonstrates its responsiveness to those
constituencies that depend on it for service.
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Internal and external constituencies value the services the
organization provides.
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