The Purpose and Process of Accreditation

The Purpose and Process Accreditation in the United States is a voluntary and self-regulatory
of Accreditation mechanism of the higher education community. It plays a significant role in fostering public confidence in the educational enterprise, in maintaining standards, in enhancing institutional effectiveness, and in improving higher education. It also provides the basis on which colleges and universities can be assured that institutions that have achieved accreditation have complied with a common set of requirements and standards.

The adoption in 2001 of the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement by the Commission on Colleges introduced significant changes in the approach to accreditation and reaffirmation. The institution’s effectiveness and its ability to create and sustain an environment that enhances student learning is the focus of this new approach. The process is designed to determine the quality of an institution within the framework of its mission, its goals, and its analysis of and response to crucial institutional issues. See Appendix A for more information about the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Commission on Colleges.

There are four paramount concepts on which the success of the accreditation process depends. One is the belief that the accreditation of institutions should be conducted by peer reviewers, a process whereby institutional effectiveness and quality are professionally judged by peers from institutions of higher education whose expertise and experience are essential to their ability to exercise professional judgment. A second concept is institutional integrity and the assumption that all information disseminated by an institution seeking accreditation is truthful, accurate, and complete and that all of its dealings with its constituencies and the public are honest and forthright. A third concept is the institution’s commitment to quality enhancement. The concept of quality enhancement is at the heart of the Commission’s philosophy of accreditation; this presumes each member institution to be engaged in an ongoing program of improvement and able to demonstrate how well it fulfills its stated mission. The last paramount concept is the institution’s focus on student learning and its effectiveness in supporting and enhancing student learning.

The accreditation process also assumes that all participants in the process will conduct their responsibilities with integrity, objectivity, fairness, and confidentiality.

In summary, the philosophy and process presented in the Principles are based on the expectation that accredited institutions will have made a commitment to:

• Comply with the Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards contained in the Principles and the policies and procedures of the Commission on Colleges.
• Enhance the quality of its educational programs.
• Focus on student learning.
• Ensure a “culture of integrity” in all of its operations.
• Recognize the centrality of peer review to the effectiveness of the accreditation process.

SACS Handbook for Review Committees, pp 1-3

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