ED 267 055

AUTHORTITLE

INSTITUTION

PUB DATENOTEAVAILABLE FROM

PUB TYPE

EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

DOCUMENT RESUME

SP 027 366

Jung, Steven M.The Role of Accreditation in Directly ImprovingEducational Quality.Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, Washington,D.C.8632p.Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, One DupontCircle, NW, Suite 305, Washington, DC 20036($8.00).Reports - Descriptive (141)

MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.*Accreditation (Institutions); *Accrediting Agencies;*Agency Role; *Educational Quality; Higher Education;*Program Evaluation; *Program Improvement; Schools ofEducation

ABSTRACT -

This study illustrates how the concept of "directinvolvement" on the part of the accrediting agency can improve thequality of higher education. "Direct involvement" is defined asaction by a representative of an educational agency that resulted insome observable improvement in educational quality. Categories andexamples of direct assistance are identified and described. Five casestudies are presented which document actions by three regionalinstutitional agencies and two specialized agencies that providedenhancement of educational quality: (1) The Southern Association ofColleges and Schools and S.D. Bishop State Junior College, Mobile,Alabama; (2) The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schoolsand Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; (3) The WesternAssociation of Schools and Colleges and Long Beach Community College,California; (4) The Association of Theological Schools Institute forTheological Education Management and the Washington TheologicalUnion, Silver Spring, Maryland; and (5) The American PsychologicalAssociation Consultation Program and the Counseling InternshipProgram at Towson State University, Maryland. (JD)

************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.**********************************************************************

THE ROLE OF ACCREDITATION IN

DIRECTLY IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL QUALITY

Steven M. Jung, Ph.D.Principal Research Scientist

American Institutes for ResearchPalo Alto, California 94302

The Council on Postsecondary Accreditation1986

Additional copies of this publication can be purchased for ei8.00 each (prepaid to COPA) from:

COPA Publications .

One Dupont Circle, N.W.Suite 305Washington, D.C. 20036(202) 452-1433

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was motivated anti supported financially byDr. Salvatore Corral lo of the Office of Planning, Budget,and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Education. Themotivation and support are gratefully acknowledged.

The author wishes to thank over 100 representatives ofthe higher education community who participated in thisstudy. Without their willingness to volunteer information,this report could not have 'peen written. Special thanks arealso due to Dr. Richard Millard and Dr. William MacLeod,President and Vice President of COPA, for their continuingassistance.

INTRODUCTION

Nongovernmental accreditation is one of the majormechanisms through which America's postsecondaryeducation community acts to verify and improve educa-tional quality. Millard (1983) has provided a comprehen-sive overview of the accreditation process and some of itsbenefits. As a motivator and mechanism for institutionaland programmatic self-study and change, accreditationhas long been recognized as a valuable part of the nation'spostsecondary education system (e.g., Simmons, 1984;Diamond, 1982; Healey, 1980; Warren, 1980; Warren &Anderson, 1979; Warner, 1978). But accreditation ismore than a passive process for promoting self-improvement. O'Neill and Heaney (1982) are amongthose who have urged accreditation agencies to involvethemselves directly in carrying out educational improve-ment efforts. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence ofthe successful pursuit of improvement efforts. If direct ac-creditation agency involvement could be documented, itmight suggest ways in which accreditation could becomean even stronger force in the burgeoning efforts to pro-mote excellence throughout American education. Thisstudy was undertaken to provide such documentation.

Shortly after the study began, its need became evenmore apparent. Several major national studies of thestatus of higher education, including those of the National.Institute of Education and the Association of AmericanColleges, virtually ignored accreditation in their calls forimprovements in college governance, curricula, and ac-countability. Rather than being singled out for criticism bythe authors of these reports, accreditation suffered theworse fate of being simply overlooked as a relevant fac-tor. Few of the participants in the national policy debateson educational excellence seemed to be aware of eitherthe track record or the potential of accreditation. Thus, itbecame a secondary purpose of this study to suggestways in which accreditation might become a participant infuture national policies aimed at enhancing the quality ofhigher education.

Some words of explanation are needed here to clarifythe concept of "direct involvement'' that was used in thestudy. Direct involvement was defined as action by arepresentative of an accreditation agency (e.g., a memberof the professional staff or a site visitor) that resulted insome observable improvement in educational quality.Direct involvement may thus be thought of as action"above and beyond the normal call of duty," i.e., beyondthat called for by the typical accreditation role ofmotivating and directing institutional or programmaticself-study and self-improvement.

METHODS

Two separate methods of inquiry were used to gatherdata on accreditation's direct role in enhancing educa-tional quality. The first method involved collecting"critical incidents" from know:edgeable observers ofhigher education. Through articles in the COPA newslet-ter, personal letters to the directors of all COPA-recognized accreditation agencies, and personal contacts,the author requested information about cases where theobserver felt that direct assistance by an accreditationagency (e.g., by agency staff, commission members, site

2

visit team members, consultants, or other represen-tatives) was especially helpful in improving the quality ofan educational program or institution. For each case, theobserver was requested to report information about thetype of institution/program involved, what the agencyrepresentative did, what resulted, and why the observerfelt the outcome constituted an improvement in educa-tional quality. All obtained incident reports were writtendown in a standard format for later analysis.

Based on initial analyses of the obtained incidents andon nominations from those who contributed incidents,several particularly notable examples were nominated formore extensive attention. The nominees were balanced toensure representation of different types of accreditationagencies and institutions. Five examples were thenselected, to which the author made a site visit. Duringthese visits, all major parties involved in the incident wereinterviewed and relevant documents were reviewed. Theresult' ig case studies of these five examples constitutedthe second method of inquiry used in this study.

RESULTS

Critical Incidents

Approximately 150 critical incidents were obtainedover a six-month period beginning in September 1984 andending in March 1985. About a third of the incidents werederived from the actions of institutional accreditationagencies (mostly regional associations), with the re-mainder stemming from specialized agencies. The in-cidents revealed much about the scope and diversity ofdirect actions by the people who constitute the core of ac-creditation. Appendix A provides examples drawn fromthe received incidents, arranged according to the follow-ing major classifications:

1. Provision of specific preaccreditation assistance bystaff or representatives of agencies.

2. Assistance with targeted self-studies (after initial ac-creditation) to help meet specific institu-tional/program needs.

3. Assistance by members of accreditation site visitteams to or on behalf of visited institutions or pro-grams, involving improvements in facilities, equip-ment, instruction, and curricula.

4. Assistance by staff of visited institutions or pro-grams to members of accreditation site visit teams.

5. Provision of specific postaccreditation assistance,involving improvements in governance, fiscal stabili-ty, faculty qualifications, curricula, and instruction.

6. Facilitation of general professional and institutionaldevelopment among member institutions and pro-grams.

Obtained incidents provided examples ranging inmagnitude from simple suggestions that resulted inmodest improvements in a single program on a singlecampus to major undertakings that affected entire state

systems of higher education. Most notable among the in-cidents were examples where accreditation agencies hadactively sought to identify and respond to common needsof their member institutions/programs, sometimes usingfunds obtained from external sources.

Case Studies

The five case studies documented actions by threeregional institutional agencies and two specialized agen-cies, as follows:

1. With financial support from the Carnegie and laterthe Ford foundations, the Southern Association ofColleges and Schools senior college commission hasfor over 15 years provided a program of specialassistance to Historically Black Colleges in its region.The first study documents the assistance providedto S.D. Bishop State Junior College in Mobile,Alabama.

2. Staff of the Middle States Association of Collegesand Schools higher education commission made amajor effort to follow up on an adverse site visitreport at Rutgers, the State University of NewJersey. The second study documents the remarkableresults.

3. The Western Association of Schools and Collegesjunior college commission, working with the govern-ing boards for community colleges in California andHawaii, won a FIPSE grant to institute major im-provements in the planning and evaluation cap-abilities of their constituents. The third studydocuments the development of an accreditation-based strategic planning system at Long Beach Com-munity College, Long Beach, California.

4. The Association of Theological Schools in the U.S.and Canada diagnosed a major problem that wastroubling the administrators of many of its memberinstitutions lack of management expertise. Inresponse, with support from the Lilly Endowment,the association has for five years offered a summerinstitute in theological school management. Thefourth study documents the beneficial involvementof the Washington Theological Union in SilverSpring, Maryland, in the institute.

5. The American Psychological Association routinelyprovides a preaccreditation consultation service forprograms considering APA accreditation. The laststudy documents the experiences of the CounselingPsychology internship program at Towson StateUniversity, Towson, Maryland, with the A7-A ser-vice.

Appendix B to this report contains the five case studies.

DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Several common elements run through the findings ofthis study. Foremost is the confirmation that accreditationagencies can be a suurce of exceptionally usefulassistance, often at little or no cost to member institu-

tions/programs. What seems to be required is a will-ingness on the part of an individual or small group of in-dividuals within the agency to become actively involved inmeeting a perceived need going beyond the boundsprovided by the traditional accreditation model andmobilizing new resources, developing new models, or tak-ing the extra steps necessary to ensure that self-improvement efforts succeed. This study was not intend-ed to provide any indication of the frequency of such ac-tions; but whatever the present frequency, more can beaccomplished.

Members of the postsecondary education communityneed to be made more fully aware of the kinds of benefitsthat can accrue through active involvement by accredita-tion agencies and their representatives. And those whoalso happen to be members of the accreditation communi-ty need to redouble their efforts to promote active involve-ment. As an initial step, four things can be done now byCOPA:

1. The examples and models produced by this researchshould be widely distributed both within and outsidethe COPA membership.

2. Future COPA professional development effortsshould focus on techniques of constituent needsassessment aimed at identifying areas wheremember institutions or programs might benefit fromagency-initiated or agency-managed actions.

3. All accreditation agency staff members should bealert to detect situations where agency resotimes orgood offices might be helpful to member institutionsor programs. The commissions of all COPA memberagencies should encourage such alertness.

4. To provide a forum for future examples and modelsof direct accreditation agency involvement, COPAshould provide a regular column in its newsletter tobe devoted to this topic.

Accreditation agencies have access to a tremendousrange of resources for enhancing educational quality,often at little cost to members or to the public. Someagencies are making use of their resources regularly. Butmore can and must be done if accreditation is going toassume a leading role in the excellence movement cur-rently taking shape in America. Now is the time to act.

REFERENCES

Association of American Colleges (1985. Integrity in thecollege curriculum. Washington: AAC.

niamond, Joan (1982. School evaluation andaccreditation: A bibliography of research studies.North Central Association Quarterly, 56, 427-437.

Healey, James S. (1980. Accreditation from the otherside: A study of the accreditation process and itseffect on three schools. Journal of Education forLibrarianship, 21, 146-158.

3 7

Millard, Richard M. (1983). Accreditation. In J. R. Warren(Ed.), Meeting the new demand for standards, Newdirections for higher education. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass Publishers.

National Institute of Education (1984). Involvement inlearning: Realizing the potential of American highereducation. Washington: NIE.

O'Neill, Thomas M., & Heaney, Robert P. (1982). Takingthe initiative in accreditation. Educational Record,63, 57-60.

Simmons, Howard L. (1984). The accreditation processas a factor in the improvement of traditionallyBlack institutions. Journal of Negro Education, 53,400-405.

Warner, W. Keith, & Anderson, Kay J. (1979).Accreditation influences on senior colleges anduniversities in the Western accrediting region:Summary, progress report, and interpretationOakland, CA: Western Association of Colleges andSchools.

Warner, W. Keith (1978). Accreditation influences onpostsecondary institutions in the Northwest region:An assessment. Seattle, WA: Northwest Associa-tion of Schools and Colleges.

Warren, Jonathan R. (1980). Is accrediting worth itscost? American Association for Higher EducationBulletin, 32, March, 11-15.

4

APPENDIX ACategories and Examples of Direct Assistance

1. Provision of specific preaccreditation assistance bystaff or representatives of agency.

An institution seeking candidate status (normally thefirst step in achieving full accreditation) requestedand received assistance in planning and carrying outa self-study. Assistance was provided on a largerange of topics by agency staff and site visitors (atno cost to the institution) and by consultants recom-mended by the agency (at the institution's expense).Over a five-year period, the institution gained full ac-creditation, and now offers what is generally regard-ed as an innovative and high quality religious educa-tion program.

An institution that was initiating a specialized pro-gram in manufacturing and construction technologyrequested a review of its newly developed cur-riculum by the professional accreditation agency,prior to seeking accreditation. At no cost to the in-stitution, a nationally recognized curriculum expertwho also served on the accreditation agency's com-mission provided a thorough review, making severalrecommendations about changes and additions. Theexpert advised that the institution seek accreditationfor its program after the first class of students hadgraduated (in approximately two years). In the in-terim, he indicated his belief that the curriculum asmodified would provide an excellent foundation forthe new program.

A site visit team from a specialized accreditationagency documented major deficits in the curriculumof a surgical technology program that was seekinginitial accreditation. The chairman of the teamrecommended that the applicant program withdrawits request for accreditation and seek assistancefrom the agency for improving the curriculum. Thiswas done, a qualified consultant was recommended,and, following over a year of intensive effort, a sec-ond site visit team found the program to be in com-pliance with agency standards.

2. Assistance with targeted self-studies (after initial ac-creditation) to help meet specific institutional/programneeds.

A small liberal arts institution was considering theoption of offering a graduate program involvingstudy abroad. When the institution requested achange in its accreditation status to exercise this op-tion, agency staff requested that its administratorsundertake a careful self-analysis to determinewhether the new program fit within its mission,focusing especially on how the program would begoverned lit was to be offered through another in-stitution) and how quality would be assured. Afterundertaking this study, the institutional ad-ministrators decided not to offer the program. Agen-cy staff believed this decision was wise, becausethey were extremely skeptical of the rationale fcr thenew program.

5

A small religious college asked for assistance in con-ducting an intensive study of its curriculum. The ac-creditation agency staff responded by conducting aseminar for college faculty and staff on institutionalplanning and curriculum integration. Based on themodel that was presented at this seminar, the col-lege undertook a comprehensive curriculumredesign, which was integrated into a thoroughanalysis of institutional goals and mission. Theresult, in the view of agency staff, was a much im-proved institution that was well situated to provide ahigh quality educational experience.

A state board of higher education asked a regionalaccreditation association to evaluate the board'spolicies, procedures, and responsiveness to stateeducational needs at the same time evaluations weregoing on within several of the state's major institu-tions. A committee composed of four highly-respected educators from other states in the regionspent five days visiting selected institutions and in-terviewing members and staff of the state board.These fact-finding efforts gave rise to a report thatidentified several major problems with respect to thefunding and governance of higher education in thestate. The team members delivered this report to thestate board in person, along with recommendationsintended to help develop permanent solutions to theproblems they had perceived. As a result of theserecommendations, efforts were undertaken to cor-rect several potentially damaging situations.Observers credit the accreditation actions with mak-ing a valuable contribution to the overall quality ofeducation in the state.

3. Assistance by members of accreditation site visitteams to or on behalf of visited institutions.

(Facilities)

During a site visit by a team from an institutional ac-creditation agency, a team member discovered aserious safety hazard in the dormitory where theteam was being quartered. The problem was broughtto the attention of the institution's president, whoimmediately ordered the premises to be evacuatfidand began corrective action. The incident reporter inthis case believed that a disaster may have beenaverted.

(Equipment)

A representative of a major telephone company wasasked by a regional association to serve on a sitevisit team for a public occupational school. Duringthe visit, the telephone company representativenoticed that an electronics technology program lack-ed an important piece of test equipment. He initiateddiscussions with the program administrator, and, asa result, his company donated the needed piece ofequipment.

(Instruction)

During a site visit by a specialized accreditationagency team, one of the team members described tofaculty of the host program a system she haddeveloped to obtain reliable student evaluations ofcourse content and instructional quality. Programadministrators and faculty tried out a variant of hersystem on a small scale and then adopted itthroughout their entire program. They have notedseveral specific improvements in teaching perfor-mance as a result.

(Curriculum)

A site visit team from an accreditation agency in theallied health area described and demonstrated a newcurriculum module involving the use of microcom-puters to conduct certain clinical laboratory pro-cedures. The staff of the host program studied thenew curriculum module and enthusiastically adoptedit; they believe the capabilities of their graduateshave been considerably enhanced as a result.

4 Assistance by staff of visited institution or other sitevisitors to members of accreditation site visit team.

In casual discussions among the members of aregional accreditation agency site visit team, one in-dividual who was extremely knowledgeable aboutcomputers discussed with another individual thedesirable features of a particular IBM mainframecomputer. As a result of these discussions, the sec-ond individual was able to advise hir own institutionto purchase a used model of this c %puter when itbecame available as surplus from a state agency.The purchase allowed the institution to increase itscomputing capacity by 30% with a very modest in-vestment.

While serving on site visit team for a regional ac-creditation agency, the Dean of Academic Affairs fora small junior college noted a unique system forrecording and cataloguing the academic credentialsof faculty at the school undergoing reaccreditation.The Dean instituted a similar system at her schoolimmediately upon her return; she estimates thechange has resulted in a 15% savings in the amountof time required for academic file maintenance.

5. Provision of specific postaccreditation assistance bystaff or representatives of agency.

(Governance)

A public community college was having well-publicized problems between its administration andits governing board. Noting these problems, theregional agency sent in a special team to investigatethe facts and report back to the commission (theagency's decision-making body). The team's reportwas very critical of politically motivated interferenceby several members of the governing board. The ac-creditation commission took no immediate action,but it sent a copy of the team report back to the in-

6

stitution's president. The report subsequently foundits way into the media. The outcome was a specialrecall election that resulted in the ouster of severalgoverning board members. Later, the educational en-vironment at the college returned to normal, withstudents being the beneficiaries.

(Fiscal Stability)

A site visit report noted growing financial problemsat a small liberal arts college. Regional accreditationagency staff were asked by college administratorsfor as 'stance. An individual was recommended whohad in the past helped several other schools comeback from the brink of financial collapse. The in-dividual was engaged as a consultant to the institu-tion; he succeeded in creating a survival plan that in-volved closing down several high-cost programs andtapping several new sources of revenue. As a result,the college is now relatively healthy and offers a uni-que educational program that is nationallyrespected.

(Faculty)

An accredited health professions school was foundto have insufficient teaching faculty assigned tooversee off-site clinical training. The specialized ac-creditation agency requested that this situation becorrected within a one-year period, upon threat ofloss of accreditation. As a result, three new andwell-qualified faculty members were hired andassigned to various clinical training sites. The de-facto probation was subsequently removed.

(Curriculum)

The curriculum of a graduate program in libraryscience was found to be out of date by a site visitteam from a specialized accreditation agency. A sub-committee of the accreditation commission met overtime with program administrators to suggest the ad-dition of information sciences courses (especially theuse of computers). The program was then requiredto submit periodic written reports on its success inimplementing the suggested additions; only when afully up-to-date curriculum was in place was thereporting requirement dropped. Agency staff believethis strategy is an effective one and are using it morefrequently.

(Instruction)

The medical technology program staff at a majoruniversity was having difficulty in ensuring thatmembers of its clinical teaching staff in the universi-ty hospital met the continuing medical education re-quirements of the professional accreditation agency.The program staff interpreted the accreditationagency requirement to mean that the clinical facultyhad to attend courses offered outside the universityor hospital. At a self-study workshop, the programdirector raised this problem for discussion. One ofthe workshop facilitators suggested that the re-quirements might be met by having the universityprogram faculty offer continuing education pro-

10

grams for the clinical faculty. This approach wastried with considerable success; to date, threehighly-rated one-day sessions have been offered,and more are planned. Clinical faculty from otherprograms and other schools in the city have re-quested and have been given invitations to par-ticipate.

6. Facilitation of general professional and institutionaldevelopment among member programs and institu-tions.

A specialized accreditation agency purposefullyselects as site visitors nationally recognized scholarsin the professional field , which accreditation is con-ducted. During the site visits made by thesescholars, much information is shared regarding theirtheories/research/opinion that has helped to breakdown some of the insularity of the field. Agencystaff report many indirect educational benefits ofthese expanded opportunities for professional com-munication.

A regional accreditation agency has conducted aseries of professional development seminars onstrategic planning and evaluation. Representativesof over 100 institutions that are accredited by thisagency have attended these seminars. As a result,many colleges have improved their facility and cur-riculum planning and their use of data from graduatesurveys. Several colleges in particular have madeespecially good use of the opportunity, producingexemplary planning and evaluation systems. Agencystaff feel that many students have benefitted as aresult.

A specialized agency solicited foundation funds(over $1 .25 million) to do research into thecharacteristics of effective practitioners in the field.After the research was completed and reviewed, achecklist was developed to evaluate individualgraduate students as to their potential for success inprofessional practice. Students with specific short-comings can now be identified before they enter thefield, and their shortcomings can be addressedthrough remedial instruction. The result is improvedprofessional performance; students also appreciatethe opportunity to verify their skills before they leaveschool.

711

APPENDIX B - CASE STUDIES

A CASE STUDY OF DiRECT ACCREDITATION AGENCY INVOLVEMENT INTHE ENHANCEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY:

THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS ANDS. D. BISHOP STATE JUNIOR COLLEGE, MOBILE, ALABAMA

3 August 1985

12

9

BACKGROUNDSince 1967, the Southern Association of Colleges and

Schools (SACS) has provided a program of directassistance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCs) in its region, which covers the 11 Southeasternstates. Funded originally by grants exceeding $1.2 millionfrom the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the programof direct assistance to HBCs is now entering its third yearof funding by the Ford Foundation. Initially, the HBCassistance program was aimed at helping the 77historically black institutions in the SACS region to obtaincandidacy status and then full membership in theSouthern Association. As this goal was achieved, subse-quent funding was sought to provide continuing help inallowing accredited HBCs to upgrade and refine theireducational programs and resources. Especially targetedfor aid during the Ford Foundation project were the 38HBCs undergoing reaccreditation self-studies and sitevisits during the 1983-1985 time intervel, 25 of whichhad recently appointed new presidents and several ofwhich were experiencing difficulty in maintaining com-pliance with SACS standards.

The SACS assistance program for HBCs has four majorcomponents: (1) special staff visits to the institution priorto scheduled self-studies, aimed at helping to initiate aproductive self evaluation process; (2) on-site consultantservices provided before and/or after the self-study byrecognized experts in various topics; (3) an orientationprogram for newly-appointed presidents; and (4) an an-nual conference during which seminars and workshopsare provided on subjects of general relevance to all HBCsthat are SACS members.

The following case study documents the involvementof one HBC in the SACS assistance program. It is intendedto illustrate the benefits that can accrue when an ac-creditation agency decides not only to set and evaluatequality standards but also to provide direct assistance tomember institutions in meeting and exceeding thosestandards.

The author gratefully acknowledges the cooperation ofDrs. Joffre Whisenton and Harold Wade of the SouthernAssociation Commission on Colleges and Dr. Yvonne Ken-nedy, Presit:ztnt of S. D. Bishop State Junior College, inthe preparation of this study.

Introduction to Bishop State Junior CollegeThe College opened in 1927 as Alabama State College

Branch, offering summer extension courses mainly forteachers residing in the Mobile area. In 1936, a full12-month schedule was initiated, with classes being of-fered in a wing of a former Mobile medical college. Not un-til 1941 did the college move to its present site, on an11-acre plot adjoining downtown Mobile (351 NorthBroad Street). In 1963, the school's name was changedto Alabama State College-Mobile Center. Independencecame in 1965, when the Alabama legislature awardedstate junior college status and a new name: Mobile StateJunior College. At this time, the college had one perma-nent structure and an enrollment of less than 500students. The present name was officially adopted inSeptember of 1971 in honor of the school's long-timePresident, Dr. S. D. Bishop. Dr. Bishop died in 1981; hewas replaced by Dr. Yvonne Kennedy, a college alumnawho also serves as a reserve member of the Alabamalegislature.

10

As only the second permanently-appointed President ofS. D. Bishop State Junior College, Dr. Kennedy ad-ministers a faculty of 53 principally full-time members,93% of whom hold at least the Master's degree. Enroll-ment currently stands at 1,629 students, of whom 1,134are full-time and 495 are part-time; evening classes ac-count for 245 of the part-time enrollments. The studentbody is 80% black, 2% other minorities, and 18% white.Seven out of every eight students receive some form offinancial aid. The size and composition of the studentbody has changed little over the past few years. Bothtransfer-oriented and occupational programs are offered;the College awards the Associate degrees in Science,Arts, and Applied Science as well as certificates in severalareas. Facilities include a central administrative/class-room building, a library, a music/physical educationbuilding, a former elementary school that now houses of-fices and a cafeteria, and separate structures for the nurs-ing and mortuary science programs. Construction isscheduled to begin shortly on a new $3 million StudentLife Conference Complex.

The annual College budget of approximately $4.6million conies primarily from the state (48%) and federalgovernments (18%), including student financial IQ andgrants from the Title III program; student fees (15%),private gifts (14%), and other sources (5%) provide theremainder of the school's revenues.

The College is governed by the Alabama State Board ofEducation, which is composed of eight elected membersrepresenting different regions of the state, and a Chan-cellor, who is the chief executive officer for postsecondaryeducation and administrator of the Alabama Postsecon-dary Education Department. The Department serves asthe primary body for everyday oversight of all state juniorcolleges, including S. D. Bishop.

Bishop State Junior College andthe Southern Association

Southern Association involvement with Bishop StateJunior College dates back to 1970, when the Collegeoriginally applied for candidate status. During 1971 and1972, SACS staff and consultants provided considerableassistance in helping school administrators plan and carryout a self-study that illustrated the College's initial com-pliance with SACS standards. Full accreditation wasgran/ed in 1974 and reaffirmed following a five-yearreview in 1979. Some of the legacies of the original SACSrecommendations include: a Division of Research andDevelopment, to carry out continuing studies in supportof institutional advancement; a system of four academicdivisions to replace the previous autonomous depart-ments, resulting in greater coordination of the curriculumacross subject areas and disciplines; a Student PersonnelServices Office; resident medical services for students;and the origination of a security system for studentrecords.

Preparation for the 1984 reaccreditation began in thespring of 1982, with a visit from Dr. Joffre Whisenton, astaff member of the SACS Commission on Colleges andCo-director of the Ford-funded program for HBCs. Hisvisit, conducted at no cost to the College, set the stagefor a major self-study effort. He met with the ad-ministrative staff to explain the ground-rules, pointing out

13

that SACS would expect full faculty involvement (in-cluding separate divisional self-studiess and intensive ef-forts to specify and document the College's attainment ofstudent learning outcomes in all curriculum areas. Shortlyafter this meeting, a Director and a set of steering commit-tees were appointed to organize and manage the self-study process.

SACS then provided additional assistance through avisit by Dr. Whisenton and two expert consultants: Dr.Wesley McClure, Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs atSouthern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Dr.Herman Reese, Director of Financial Aid at Emory Univer-sity in Atlanta, Georgia. Through a half-day kick-offmeeting with all administrators and faculty, they providedboth general information about the purposes and pro-cesses of meaningful self-study and specific informationabout a variety of topics, such as how to conduct ztudentand faculty surveys to provido an objective informationbase. At this time, Dr. Whisenton and the consultants alsoshared self-study documents from other colleges il-lustrating some of their points and providing models thatthe Bishop self-study Director could use in planning herown activities.

SACS then recommended that another expert consult-ant be brought in to review and critique the preliminaryself-study and draft report. This was accomplished whenDr. Joe L. Boyer, President of Mississippi Valley StateUniversity, visited in June of 1983. Dr. Boyer's critiquehelped improve both the content and organization of theself-study report, readying it to serve as a basis for (1) theSACS peer review and (2) a continuing series of organiza-tional and procedural changes aimed at improving educa-tional quality at Bishop.

The nine-person site-visit team, headed by Dr. RobertGreen, President of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Col-lege in Richmond, Virginia, carried out its peer review inaccordance with normal SACS procedures on 6-9 May of1984. But SACS assistance did not end at that point!Again acting through the resources provided by its FordFoundation grant, SACS appointed two consultants (rNebraska Mays, Associate Vice-President for Acade ,cAffairs for the University of Tennessee System, and Or.Wilburn Fouche, Business Manager at Mississippi ValleyState University) to visit in the summer of 1984. Theirpurpose was to assist Bishop administrators inunderstanding and beginning to act on the recommenda-tions and suggestions of the site-visit team. This full-dayvisit is widely credited with establishing a high level ofmotivation such that by September of 1984 Bishop ad-ministrators were able to submit a follow-up report toSACS detailing action on all of the Visiting Committee's32 recommendations and 22 suggestions.

In December of 1984, the SACS Commission on Col-leges voted to extend the accreditation of S. D. BishopState Junior College until 1994. But that vote merelysignaled a new period of enhanced educational effect-iveness that had already begun at the College, which wasstarted and maintained in part as a result of the directassistance provided by SACS through its program forHistorically Black Colleges and Universities.

Major Benefits for Bishop State Junior CollegeFrom the Reaccruditation Process

This case study was written early in 1985. As of that

11

time, it was already clear that the extensive and carefulself-study, peer review, and follow-up conducted atBishop State in connection with the SACS reaccreditationprocess was having major benefits. Although it is too ear-ly co enumerate them completely, the following appear tobe significant benefits that have resulted:

A survey of the personnel skill needs of businessesin Mobile and its surrounding counties has beenundertaken to help guide the development of futureoccupational training programs.

The computerization of the College's fiscal, registra-tion, and management information systems was in-itiated.

The College catalogue was revised so that listed of-ferings would accurately reflect actual offerings.

A continuing process of identifying student out-comes and evaluating their attainment was begunfor all curriculum areas, including transfer-orientedas well as occupational preparation programs.

Independent audits of the Business Office and Finan-cial Aid Office were scheduled and will take place an-nually in the future.

A major effort was initiated to provide a continuingprogram of professional faculty development; thefirst specific manifestation, a workshop on currenteconomic, social, political, and technological trendsthat impact higher education, was held with good at-tendance on 1 March 1985. (The leader of thisworkshop reported that many of the ideas andmaterials included in the program were originallydiscussed at a SACS workshop she had attended theprevious fall.)

The process by which student financial aid checksare disbursed was streamlined.

A faculty-staff Retention Task Force was establishedwith the goals of studying the causes of dropouts atBishop State and developing more effective remedialand academic advisement programs and otherstrategies to reduce the College dropout rate.

The faculty evaluation program, including studentevaluations, was improved, and arrangements weremade to apply it consistently to all courses.

An optional student health insurance program hasbeen made available to all students.

An intensive effort has been undertaken to build apermanent endowment fund for the College.

An effort has been undertaken to balance facultyteaching loads (about 20 hours per week) with othernonteaching responsibilities, attempting to reduceoverloads whenever possible.

Other Bishop State Involvementin the SACS HBC Program

As described in the introduction to this case study, theSACS program for Historically Black Colleges and Univer-sities also included an annual workshop for ad-ministrators, faculty, and staff of HBCs that are membersof the Southern Association. To date, two workshopshave been held in Atlanta, one on 13-15 February 1983and one on 18-20 November 1984. Topics on the agendaof the first workshop included: proposed revisions in theSACS accreditation standards; financial development forHBCs; improved linkages between external agencies andHBCs; curriculum improvement; and better planning,management, and evaluation of academic programs.Agenda topics at tie second workshop included: improv-ing linkages with foundations; improving business officeprocedures; developing new strategies for alumni affairs;and building endowments.

The newly-appointed Director of Alumni Affairs andDevelopment attended the second workshop and reportedgaining considerably from the occasion. As a direct resultof her attendance, a decision was made to form a non-profit foundation through the Greater Mobile CommunityFoundation as a vehicle for obtaining and processing ex-ternal donations to support both current operations andthe new endowment fund.

Conclusion

In the mid 1960's, the Southern Association decided tobecome more directly involved in providing assistance toone part of its constituency. The process by which it ac-complished this involvement is one that could be adoptedby any association that has identified special needsamong its member institutions or programs:

The need was well understood and the benefits ofresolving it were clear.

A funding source that had interests in the need areawas identified and preliminary contacts were made(in this case, first with the Carnegie Corporation andthen the Ford Foundation).

Proposals were submitted to obtain the externalfunding necessary to augment meager associationresources (in this case, approximately $100,000 peryear).

The external resources were used to provide ser-vices to help resolve the identified need.

This model is especially attractive in that many of theresources required to resolve particular problems arealready available to accreditation agencies and only needto be marshalled which can often be done at far lesscost than would be the case if there was no agency in-volvement. And, in summing up the benefits for herschool, Dr. Kennedy noted:

We have a commitment to a "Program ofExcellence" here at Bishop State. The assistance wehave received from the Southern Association hashelped us to make more progress in fulfilling that

12

commitment than we could have made workingalone. Although we still have some distance totravel, I think the key thing is to note the progress wehave made. We know our goals and we know whatwe must do to attain them. The Bishop State familyis extremely optimistic and enthusiastic about thefuture of our college and the contribution we willcontinue to make.

15

A CASE STUDY OF ACCREDITATION AGENCY INVOLVEMENT INTHE ENHANCEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY:

THE MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLSAND RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY

20 September 1985

1613

BACKGROUND

In July of 1978, the Middle States Association (MSA)Commission on Higher Education reaffirmed the ac-creditation of Rutgers, the State University of NewJersey, until 1988. However, the Commission requestedthat Rutgerti submit a new self evaluation report andwdergo a peer review at its New Brunswick Campus byMarch of 1980. Such a revisit requirement is unusual for alarge and prestigious public university; it reflected in partthe Commission's concern about

issues regarding the relationship between maintain-ing quality in undergraduate programs and the ex-pansion of graduate study and research, (and) thefurther development of consensus among facultyand administration with respect to the differentialmissions, objectives, and strategies of teaching,research, and public service within the various com-ponents of the New Brunswick Campus. (Letter fromMilton G. Bassin, Chairman of the Commission, toEdward J. Bloustein, President of the University,dated 6 July 1978)

In short, the University had been put on notice thatMSA was concerned about possible conflicts betweenundergraduate and graduate programs and between ad-ministration and faculty at the New Brunswick Campus. Itwanted the conflicts to be resolved as quickly as possibleand intended to check within two years to see that theyhad been.

The following case study documents the events that ledup to and followed MSA's notice to Rutgers, ending withan MSA follow-up visit in October of 1982 (rescheduledfrom the original March 1980 date). The changes that oc-curred between 1978 and 1982 constitute a remarkablerecord of achievement over a brief period. They illustratethe benefits that can accrue when an accreditation agen-cy takes seriously its mission to promote educationalquality, even within an institution which was chartered in1766.

At the outset, it should be noted that the principal ac-tors in this case study are administrators, faculty, andmembers of the governing board of Rutgers. MSA staffdid spend considerable time with them in suggestingways in which the university might respond meaningfullyto the 1978 MSA site visit. But MSA involvement appearslargely to have served as a motivator, and probably notthe primary motivator at that. In this sense, the presentcase study differs from others in this set, which have at-tempted to provide models of direct accreditation agencyinvolvement in enhancing educational quality.

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance ofDr. Robert Kirkwood, Executive Director of the MSA Com-mission on Higher Education; Dr. Edward Bloustein,Rutgers President; Dr. Evelyn Wilson, Associate VicePresident for Program Development and Budgeting; Dr.Nancy Winterbauer, Assistant Vice President forAcademic Planning and Program Development; Dr. Ken-neth Wheeler, Provost, New Brunswick Campus; and Dr.Jean Parrish, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs,New Brunswick Campus.

14

Introduction to Rutgers, the State Universityof New Jersey

Rutgers has a unique history as a colonial college, aland-grant institution, a college for women, and a com-prehensive state university. It was chartered in 1766 asQueen's College, the eighth institution of higher learningto be founded in the American colonies. As a privateliberal arts college in New Brunswick, it was renamedRutgers College in 1825. It became the New Jersey land-grant college in 1864 and assumed university status in1924. Legislative acts in 1945 and 1956 designatedRutgers, along with several associated colleges andschools, as the State University of New Jersey; some ofthese associated institutions (and their original foundingdates) include: the College of Pharmacy (1892); the Col-lege of Engineering (1914); the New Jersey College forWomen (now Douglass College) (1918); the College ofAgriculture (now Cook College) (1921); the School ofEducation (1924); University College-New Brunswicl. (anevening college of liberal arts and professional studies)(1934); the University of Newark (now the Newark I:am-pus) (1946); and the College of South Jersey (now theCamden Campus) (1950). Since the 1950's, Rutgers hascontinued to expand, especially in the area of graduateeducation, adding graduate schools in New Brunswick,Newark, and Camden; several professional schools (e.g.,management, social work, psychology, fine arts and com-munications); and Livingston College a newundergraduate college in New Brunswick emphasizing theurban environment.

The Rutgers-New Brunswick campus is actually fivegeographically-fractionated campuses, divided roughly asfollows: (1) the College Avenue Campus, located in cen-tral New Brunswick, containing the original Rutgers Col-lege facilities, central administration buildings, and manyof the professional schools; (2) the Busch Campus,located north of the central campus in Piscataway, con-taining relatively new math and science facilities (used bystudents of all colleges), student residences, and a golfcourse; (3) the Kilmer Campus, adjacent to the BuschCampus, containing Livingston College; (4) the DouglassCampus, south of the central campus; and (5) the CookCampus, adjacent to the Douglass Campus.

Rutgers/New Brunswick's 25,000 undergraduates areenrolled in one of the four liberal arts colleges (Rutgers,Douglass, Livingston, or University) or professionalschools (Cook College, arts, engineering, or pharmacy);these colleges have their own admissions and graduationrequirements, each offering a distinctive academic pro-gram reflecting its own particular mission and philosophy(for example, Cook College emphasizes the relationshipbetween people and the environment, stressingagricultural and bnvironm e nt a I sciences). In all,undergraduate degrees are offered in almost 90 programsof study.

The 8,000 graduate students at Rutgers/New Bruns-wick are enrolled in six graduate schools and some 70programs that cover the entire range of disciplines ap-propriate for a large public university.

In managing the logistical problems associated with ap-proximately 33,000 students (almost two-thit ds of whomlive in campus residence facilities) and 2,000 facultymembers, Rutgers/New Brunswick runs the second-largest public transportation system in the State of New

17

Jersey. Rutgers' annual budget approaching $300 millionmakes it one of the state's largest enterprises.

The Dilemma of AcademicOrganization at Rutgers

Historically, the principal orientation of Rutgers/NewBrunswick has been toward providing a high qualityundergraduate education. The model underlying thisorientation has been the small autonomous liberal arts col-lege, with enrollments not exceeding 3,000 to 4,000students, most of whom resided on campus and in-teracted closely with a faculty whose values centeredlargely on teaching. Among the core colleges at Rutgers/-New Brunswick, Douglass College and, to a lesser ex-tent, Rutgers College and Livingston College fit this modelvery closely. Until the time of the 1978 MSA reaccredita-tion, the academic organization of the New BrunswickCampus consisted of a loose-knit "federation", in whicheach undergraduate college had its own budget, dean,faculty, students, programs of study, and admis-sion/graduation standards. This meant that manystudents experienced a strong sense of college identityand cohesiveness, along with opportunities to interactclosely with a faculty dedicated to undergraduate instruc-tion. Transfers between colleges, intercollege majors,scholarly faculty interaction, the hiring of new faculty,and, most importantly, graduate instruction occurred inaccordance with complex and largely ad hoc ar-rangements established under the federation ofundergraduate colleges.

But as Rutgers grew and assumed more of the respon-sibilities of a large public university, the problemsassociated with the feder Ated academic organizationalstructure in New Brunswick became more serious. Be-tween 1971 and 1974, under a newly arrived President,several committees met to review these problems andseek resolutions thal would maintain the strengths of thefederated college structure. In March of 1972, the posi-tion of Provost for the New Brunswick Campus wascreated; along with a redefinition of the roles and respon-sibilities of the divisional chairpersons, this change wasintended to strengthen academic disciplines across all col-leges and reduce barriers to inter-college enrollments. In1974, after a period of sometimes intense campusdebate, President Bloustein and the Board of Governorsenacted a resolution calling for preservation of a refinedbut essentially still fragmented academic organizationthat preserved the budgetary and hiring responsibilities ofthe individual undergraduate college deans whileestablishing several mechanisms, centered in the Officeof the Provost, designed to further strengthen academicdisciplines, reduce intercollege barriers, and facilitiategraduate instruction. As part of this 1974 resolution, therevised federation was to be given four years to mature,following which it was to be comprehensively evaluated.

Into this awkward situation, characterized by (1) strongfaculty, administrator, alumni, and student feelings forand against the federated system and (2) continuing con-troversy and debate, an MSA site visit team stepped inMarch of 1978.

Preparation for the 1978 MSAReaccreditation Visit

Recognizing the fact that the issue of academic organ-

15

ization had not yet been resolved to the satisfaction ofmany on the New Brunswick campus, Rutgers ad-ministrators had requested that the focus of the 1978MSA reaccreditation be limited to graduate education andto the goals and objectives of the undergraduate colleges.MSA approved this request. Rutgers staff subsequentlyprepared a rather perfunctory self-study document, whichconsisted primarily of a compilation of various data andcommittee reports addressing the then-current institu-tional goals, policies, and procedures regarding (1)undergraduate liberal arts education in relation tograduate education and research; (2) college versusdiscipline identification of the faculty; and (3) planningand budgeting responsibilities of the New Brunswick cen-tral administration versus those of the constituent col-leges. This document gave little or no attention to the con-siderable differences of opinion that existed amongvarious campus groups with respect to each of the aboveissues. It provided only a hint that the status quorepresented an uneasy truce which major forces withinthe institution were even then gearing up to reevaluate.And it gave little specific guidance as to how or whereMSA assistance might be welcomed, as part of the reac-creditation process.

From its perspective, MSA planned for and set up theRutgers peer review according to standard operating pro-cedures. The site visit team that was constituted con-tained numerous nationally recognized experts who wereassociated with some of America's preeminent publicuniversities, several of which were located outside theMSA region. It was chaired by a distinguished professorwho had formerly served as president of a campus of theState University of New York. Although the MSA staffcould see that the visit would be difficult, due to thetopics Rutgers had chosen to target for the reaccredita-tion, there was no hint of trouble.

The MSA Site Visit: A Stimulus for Action

Despite the fact that their charge was to overlookacademic structure, it was inevitable that the MSA sitevisitors would soon find themselves embroiled in thecampus-wide debate regarding the pros and cons ofRutgers' federated organization; the issues of organiza-tion were closely intertwined with those of (1) institu-tional mission and goals, (2) graduate education, and 3)the general improvement of educational quality atRutgers. It was not inevitable that the team would "takesides" in the debate; that it appeared to do so, perhaps in-adv:trtently, intensified the scope and depth of the univer-sity's response, eventually resulting in: (1) a new state-ment of institutional goals and priorities that is widelyacknowledged as a major influeme throughout the cam-pus and the state; (2) a revised academic structure in NewBrunswick that permits highly personalized under-graduate teaching to coexist with research and service atthe graduate level; and (3) a high level of consensusamong governing board members, administrators, facul-ty, students, and alumni of all persuasions that ap-propriate directions have been set and the university ismoving along toward them.

Without providing a detailed documentary, it is instruc-tive to examine the actions and words of the MSA sitevisit team that preceded these outcomes.

Summary of the Process

All parties who were interviewed for this case studyagreed that the self-study materials prepared in advanceof the MSA site visit were incomplete, revealing littleabout the nature of the problems facing the NewBrunswick campus or the history of on-going steps toresolve them. Thus, it was necessary for the team togather considerable information on their own. The chair-man of the site visit team reported that "many of ourobservations and comments are based less cn theprepared materials than on interviews and materials madeavailable during the visit." MSA team members apparent-ly spent considerable time interviewing individuals whosupported the then-prevailing academic structure. Indeed,there was no shortage of such individuals, especiallyamong the administrators and faculty of the under-graduate liberal arts colleges; yet equally numerous pro-ponents of expanding roles for the university and neworganizational structures to facilitate those roles eitherfailed to come forward or were not sought out.

The chairman's report that "the total experience hasbeen less fulfilling and less valuable to Rutgers Universitythan might have been anticipated or desired" seems tohave accurately captured the sentiments of both teammembers and university administrators at the time.

Summary of the Products

The MSA visiting team report to Rutgers and the MSACommission on Higher Education correctly identified thelack of consensus that existed at Rutgers regarding ap-propriate academic missions and priorities, organizationalpatterns, and decision-making responsibilities. For exam-ple, the report made reference to "a ship underway buthelmless and rudderless, with the officers off the bridgeand tinkering with the machinery in the engine room."

Less understandably, the team came out firmly on theside of those at Rutgers who felt that the university'straditional emphasis on undergraduate liberal arts educa-tion should be preserved if necessary by sacrificingstated aspirations for expanded excellence in graduatestudy and research. Some of the following quotations in-dicate the nature of the visiting team report in this regard:

"On the principle of building on strength, it wouldappear that Rutgers might define its role in GraduateEducatio,7 by developing selectively graduate pro-grams founded upon excellence in UndergraduateEducation, and on established links to the State andthe Region, such as those in agriculture and the en-vironment, the professional schools in appliedsciences, and the research institutes and bureaus.

At the risk of abrading local sensibilities bypresumptuous advice, the visitors harped on thetheme that instead of a late blooming Ann Arbor orAmherst on the Raritan, the institution should be uni-quely and proudly Rutgers, the State University ofNew Jersey.

The university may wish to examine its options forexpanding, maintaining, or contracting its panoply ofPh.D. offerings; experience elsewhere suggests thatundergraduate and graduate study can be excellentin degree programs stopping short of the doctorate.

16

There would seem to be a special opportunity atRutgers for further differentiation of mission andfunction among the federated (undergraduate) col-leges, and for energetic planning for innovation andadaptation based more on the needs of current andimmediately prospective students than upon dis-ciplinary, departmental, and institutionalaspirations."

The Aftermath of the MSA Site Visit:Picking Up the Gauntlet

In announcing its decision to reaccredit Rutgers, theMSA Commission on Higher Education failed to refer tothe report of its site visit team. But no one at the universi-ty took lightly the Commission's imposition of a requiredreport and revisit in two years. As if stung by a perceivedrebuke, administrators in both the Central Administrationand the New Brunswick campus acted quickly to resolvemany of the problems noted by the visitors, but not inaccord with the suggestions in the team report.

While it is not possible to document here all of the ac-complishments of the postvisit period, some of the majorones are listed below. In summing up these efforts for anew MSA site visit team in 1982, university ad-ministrators noted that "together, the report represents aretrospective of what has certainly been one of the mostextensive periods of self-study ever undertaken atRutgers."

A formal, seven-step consultative process, com-posed of in-depth reviews and opportunities for sign-off by representatives of faculty, campus ad-ministrators, the University Senate, the President, acommittee of the Board of Governors, and the fullBoard was established, widely published, and ap-plied to all of the following changes in policy.

An ad hoc Board of Governors committee wasestablished to formulate a consensus statement ofthe mission, goals, and objectives for Rutgers in the1980's; utilizing the services of expert consultants,public hearings, and the consultative process men-tioned above, this committee produced a statementon the future of the university that stressed the needfor Rutgers to seek and attain world-class excellencein undergraduate education, graduate programs,research, and service to society and the State ofNew Jersey.

A Task Force on University Policy and Future Direc-tions in Graduate and Graduate Professional Educa-tion at Rutgers, composed of distinguished facultymembers, was established to review all graduateprograms and recommend which should be ex-panded as centers of excellence, maintained as pro-grams appropriate for a major public university, ordiscontinued; after its initial report, this select taskforce spawned a Standing Committee on GraduateEducation to carry out continuing internal reviewsaimed at permanently enhancing the excellence ofgraduate programs at Rutgers.

19

A University Committee on Public Service andContinuing Education was formed to cataloguepublic service programs and evaluate them with thepurpose of reinforcing and expanding those found toalign with university goals.

A Select Committee on Academic Quality was em-paneled to provide a permanent channel for obtain-ing policy guidance from distinguished faculty andstaff regarding means for improving the quality ofthe university's teaching, research, and public ser-vice activities.

A new Institutional Master Plan was established, in-cluding principles and goals for student access andenrollments, the role of Rutgers within New Jersey'ssystem of higher education, and the probable fiscal,social, and technological context for the decade; itstressed the university's need to "draw its breath, toconsolidate its strengths, and to build even greaterquality into its programs."

Efforts were undertaken to strengthen university tiesto businesses and industries in the state, both forenhanced research partnerships and for promotingtechnological growth.

A document describing ("demystifying") Rutgers'planning and budgeting process was prepared andcirculated throughout the university community.

In New Brunswick, after considering the recommen-dations of two select and representative commit-tees, a major reorganization was undertaken andpartially accomplished, including: (1) the unificationof all disciplines into campus-wide departments; (2)the creation of unified Faculties of Arts and Sciencesand of Professional Studies, replacing the individualcollegiate faculties; (3) the physical relocation ofmost faculties into departmental facilities; (4) thecreation of a Council of Deans, including the deansof the graduate school and professional schools,whose purpose is to coordinate the demands ofundergraduate and graduate instruction; and (5) thepublication of the campus' first consolidatedcatalogue since its founding in 1766.

When a special MSA "revisit" team reported on its find-ings in October of 1982, it noted that "though thereseems to have been much opposition to reorganization inthe past, it appears that since the decision has beenmade, most individuals on campus accept it as an ac-complished fact and will work within the new ar-rangements to make it as successful as possible." Theteam was complimentary of both the process citing theextensive ("we think it may have been excessive in somecases") degree of consultation and products ofRutgers' self-evaluation and enhancement efforts since1978. As this case study was being written in 1985, the1982 team's words seemed even more true:

(Rutgers) is well-administered; clear, if stillsomewhat tentative, in its collective vision of itsnew role and mission; hardened in the crucible ofevents surrounding reorganization and the change inmission, yet confident in its essential strength and

'17

future destiny. The faculty, even those who have op-posed some recent policy decisions, appear torespect the administration and the trustees. Theyseem dedicated to overcoming past disagreementsand to working cooperatively to improve the Univer-sity. Everyone we met appeared determined thatRutgers will be a strong and better institution thatcan play a major role in the economic and socialdevelopment of New Jersey in the decades ahead.We were impressed with the exciting spirit that per-vades the University, and we are confident that thepresent administration, with the strong support of itsfaculty and its Board of Governors, has the vision,the motivation, the knowledge and the skills to bringRutgers to a new level of achievement comparable tothat which has characterized the great state univer-sities of this nation.

Conclusion

In 1978, the Middle States Association Commission onHigher Education called for one of its major institutionalmembers - Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey -to conduct a special self-study and undergo a two-yearrevisit in light of a critical report by a distinguished sitevisit team. Although the MSA Commission took littlenotice of the specific recommendations contained in theteam report, it did indicate its serious concerns with theproblem areas revealed therein.

Through a complex chain of events, including the in-fluence of previous policy decisions, an especiallymotivated Board of Governors (one of whose membersserved at the time on the MSA Commission), a decliningeconomy, a more active State Board of Higher Education,the fortuitous emergence of several especially skilledleaders among the administration and faculty of theuniversity, and the urging of MSA senior staff members,Rutgers underwent a striking transformation. The institu-tion that emerged is well on its way to becoming one ofthe nation's great public universities.

There can be no doubt that the actions of MSA's'visiting team, senior staff, and Commission were highlyinfluential in accelerating Rutgers' dramatic turnaround.The general principle underlying these actions to en-sure that member institutions id3ntify and seek to attainthe highest qualities they are capable of achieving isone that is worthy of emulation by all accreditation agen-cies.

20

A CASE STUDY OF DIRECT ACCREDITATION AGENCY INVOLVEMENT INTHE ENHANCEMEiIT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY:

THE WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGESAND LONG BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

7 October 1985

2119

Ir the Summer of 1981, the Western Association ofSchools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commissionfor Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and twostate agencies (the governing boards for community col-leges in California and Hawaii) received a grant from theFund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education(FIPSE) for a major three-year project. The goal of the pro-ject was to improve the evaluation and planningcapabilities of all 112 community colleges in the twostates (which constitute the WASC region). Numerousproject activities were carried out over the following threeyears in attaining that goal, including the development of(1) plans for delineating the roles of state governance andnongovernmental accreditation agencies and coordinatingtheir review of institutions, (2) learner outcomestatements and a bank of outcome indicatcrs and testitems to promote more useful institutional assessmentpractices, (3) improved data and models for strategicplanning by state agencies and institutions, and (4)techniques for linking strategic planing concepts moreclosely to the accreditation process. In particular, theFIPSE/WASC project employed consultants, commis-sioned and distributed working papers, collected andanalyzed "futures" data, held workshops for both stateagency and institutional staff members, developed hand-books, and evaluated results all with the support of theFIPSE grant.

This case study documents the involvement of oneWASC member institution Long Beach Community Col-lege in Long Beach, California in the strategic planningaspects of the FIPSETWASC project. The author gratefullyacknowledges the assistance of Dr. Robert Swenson,now-retired Executive Director of the WASC communitycolleges commission; Dr. John McCuen, President; Ms.Marjorie Lewis, Acting Dean for Research and Develop-ment; Mr. Keith Roberts, Dean of Extended Instructionand Coordinator of Planning; and Dr. James Kossicr, VicePresident for Administrative Services of Long Beach Com-munity College.

At the outset, it should be noted that much of the pro-gress achieved by Long Beach Community College instrategic planning is due to the efforts of its own ad-ministrators and staff; but the FIPSE/WASC project wasextremely helpful to college planners, providing both aconceptual framework and technical assistance inbuilding on that framework.

An Introduction toLong Beach Community College

Long Beach Community College (LBCC) is one ofCalifornia's oldest community colleges. It opened itsdoors in 1927 as part of the Long Beach Unified SchoolDistrict. The college first occupied what is now its centralacademic and administrative campus on Carson Street in1935. In 1949, facilities on the Pacific Coast Highwaywere acquired, principally for vocational programs. LBCCwas officially separated from the city school district as aresult of state legislative action in 1970.

Today, the college provides more than 1700 coursesthrough nine instructional divisions to a total enrollmentof over 23,500 students, of whom slightly over 40% at-tend full time. The student body is changing rapidly, hav-ing gone from less than 20% minority in 1970 to over40% now, with significant increases in female, full-time,

20

and day program enrollments occurring over the sameperiod. Total full-time certificated staff numbered 328during the 1983-84 school year, along with 600 part-timeinstructors.

LBCC is governed by a Board of Trustees, whose fivemembers are elected quadrennially by the citizens of thecollege district. Prior to the passage of Proposition 13 in1978, funding for the college came from a mixture oflocal, state, and federal sources, with local taxes supply-ing about 45% of revenues. Today, almost 70% of thecollege's annual $40 million operating budget comes fromState appropriations a situation that has severelystrained efforts by college administrators to plan rationallybased on stable revenue projections.

Overview of the LBCC Strategic Planning Process

Prior to assuming his present position in 1981, LBCCPresident John McCuen served as Vice Chancellor forPlanning and Development at the Los Angeles CommunityCollege District. He thus was predisposed to initiate amore functional planning process at LBCC immediatelyupon his arrival. Symptomatic of the need for such a pro-cess was a general sense among all parts of the collegecommunity that (1) they had little awareness of or par-ticipation in the planning and financing of LBCC opera-tions and (2) external events rather than college officialswere largely in control.

The new planning and budgeting process initiated earlyin 1982 took advantage of the fact that a WASC reac-creditation visit was to occur in 1984. Nine self-studycommittees (SSCs) were set up, one for each of the nineareas in the WASC accreditation standards (i.e., goals andobjectives, educational programs, institutional staff, stu-dent services, community services, learning resources,physical resources, financial resources, and governance/ -administration). Special care was taken to ensure thatcommittee membership was fully representative of the en-tire college community. In all, over 130 faculty, ad-ministrators, and students were selected initially; subse-quently, SSC members elected their own chairpersons. Toprovide information and guidance to these committees,five environmental scan teams, composed of especiallyknowledgeable college faculty, were formed in the areasof demographics, employment, developments inpostsecondary education, life-style and social change,and technology. Coordinating the activities of the SSCsand the scan team° was a planning/self-study coordinatorand a Planning Council, composed of the coordinator,chairpersons of the nine SSCs, college vice presidents andarea managers, and President.

Operating with the benefit of (1) "futuresassumptions" prepared Ly the scan teams, (2) their ownknowledge of college needs within their committee'sdesignated focus area, and (3) the V% ASC standards, theSSC members prepared "appraisal items" that identifiedkey concerns within their particular focus areas. For ex-ample, one futures assumption prepared at this timestates:

Due to the anticipated growth in the minority popula-tion of Long Beach, and based on the percent in-creases of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) studentsin the public schools, faculty members can expect in-creasing numbers of non-native English speakers toappear in college classrooms in the years ahead.

22

A related appraisal item from the SSC on Student Servicesnoted the coliege's lack of standardized preentry testingprogram for all entering students to assist in their place-ment and counseling as well as in identifying educationalneeds Ifor guiding decisions about needed course offer-ings. (Such an assessment program had existed up untilthe late sixties, but it was dropped as a result of policydecisions aimed at permitting more open access.)

After Planning Council coordination of the inputs fromall nine SSCs, appraisal items went forward for formalreview at a full-day retreat attended by members of theBoard of Trustees, the Planning Council, and deans anddepartment heads representing the major collegestakeholders. From this review, which featured quan-titative ratings obtained from all attendees, emerged areduced set of priority items selected for inclusion in acomprehensive college plan. Those items selected for in-clusion were returned to their originating SSCs for conver-sion into objectives and for the development of coor-dinated implementation plans specifying action respon-sibilities, time schedules, and accountability ar-rangements. For example, in the case of the above itemregarding the lack of an adequate preentry screeningmechanism, &n objective calling for the development of anew student appraisal stysem was formulated, along withimplementation responsibilities and a developmentschedule.

Throughout the entire initial cycles, the President con-stantly demonstrated his commitment to the process byproviding administrative support to and meeting personal-ly with the various teams and SSCs and expressing his ap-preciation for their efforts, which were documented semi-annually through a planning newsletter that was widelydistributed on the campus. He also served as an activemember of the SSC on goals.

Assistance from the FIPSE/WASC Project

As they moved forward with the simultaneous designand operation of their new strategic planning system, theLBCC planning coordinator received several valuableforms of assistance from the FIPSE/WASC communitycollege improvement project. The first major benefit was aseries of project-sponsored workshops on the topic ofstrategic planning, at which expert consultants madepresentations on topics including futures and needsassessment, achieving widespread participation withinthe college community, and setting priorities among com-peting objectives. A second benefit was the directassistance provided by Jenifer Franz, a FIPSE/WASC pro-ject consultant who provided LBCC staff with bothstatewide data and techniques for deriving "futures"materials relevar.t to LBCC from those data. Thirdly,LBCC staff participated in a series of statewideworkshops on the topic of strategic planning, talking totheir counterparts in other colleges, learning about howothers had addressed common problems and in the pro-cess creating an informal network whose members theycould consult in the future. Finally, they had an opportuni-ty to step back and look more objectively at their ownevolving planning/budgeting system, identifying some ofits strengths and weaknesses in a context conducive tobuilding on the former and resolving the latter.

As if to demonstrate that strategic planning and ac-creditation can proceed together as part of a continuous

21

process of institutional self-assessment and improve-ment, the materials prepared by LBCC in 1982 and 1983through its planning/budgeting process were edited andsupplied to WASC in 1984 in the form of an extensive andcomplete self-study document. Both the WASC sitevisitors and ACCJC commission members complimentedthe college staff on the thoroughness of their preparationand the depth of their consideration of needed changes. Infact, the accreditors did not make a single recommenda-tion that had not already been called for in the LBCC self -study.

Refinements in the LBCCPlanning/Budgeting System

But LBCC planners have not rested on their laurels.From the beginning of the development process, theyknew that improvements would be needed to make theirplanning/budgeting system truly effective as a com-prehensive mechanism for guiding educational improve-ment efforts. Speaking to one of the 1983 FIPSE/WASCproject workshops, which they hosted, President Mc-Cuen, planning coordinator Keith Roberts, and Vice Presi-dent for Administrative Services Jim Kossler noted thefollowing problems:

It was still difficult to link the appraisal items andpriorities coming out of the planning process withthe annual college budget; coordination was stilllacking in many important respects, especially whenplanning objectives had budgetary implications; toooften planning and budgeting were proceeding inisolation from one another, to the detriment of both.

Senior managers were still not sufficiently involvedin the process; too many immediate problems of ma-jor importance were not getting dealt with becausethey "fell between the cracks" in the jurisdictions ofthe various SSCs.

It was difficult to provide adequate feedback tomembers of the SSCs regarding the fruits of theirlabors; consequently, it was difficult to keep all par-ticipants motivated and active over a prolongedperiod.

Relationships between the SSCs and the otherstanding committees of the college were unclear.

In a collective bargaining environment, such as theone that existed at LBCC, it was difficult to provide amechanism for ongoing participation of the facultyand staff bargaining units; thus, agreements ap-parently reached with all major stakeholders duringthe planning/budgeting process were still subject torenegotiation (and sometimes rejection) during col-lective bargaining.

To help resolve some of these problems, LBCC hasundertaken several recent refinemems in its plan-ning/budgeting process. Most important, perhaps, is a

23

revision aimed at ensuring that planning priorities drivebudget priorities. As it currently operates, the processmakes heavy use of four Area Planning/Budget (APB)teams, one each for Academic Affairs, AdministrativeServices, Student Services, and Administration, headedby the three college vice presidents and the President,respectively. These teams meet frequently to consiuerbudget projections, negotiate possible budget cuts, andconsider the programmatic impact of various cut optionr.Armed with the results of their deliberations, teammembers receive the output from the SSCs and the Plan-ning Council and prepare the consolidated set of strategicassumptions (short-term, consensus futures assump-tions) to go forward for consideration at the President'sRetreat. They then assume major responsibilities for en-suring that all selected action priorities which havebudgetary implications are reflected in the tentative col-lege budget prior to its consideration by the Board ofTrustees. The members of the APBs appreciate the factthat their success in ensuring the budgetary considerationof planning priorities is crucial to the credibility and effec-tiveness of the college's strategic planning process.

Outcor:es of the LBCCPlanning/Budgeting Process

Although it is difficult to distinguish the outcomes ofthe LBCC planning/budgeting process from the outcomesof decisions flowing from it, an outside observer can notethe high degrees of participation and consensus about ob-jectives that have been achieved at LBCC. An account-ability report prepared to summarize progress made in im-plementing the 1983-84 plan of action, which contained49 action priorities, illustrates an impressive amount ofprogress. For example:

a new statement of college purpose, which is moreexplicit and conducive to use in setting priorities, hasbeen disseminated;

a new hourly instructor evaluation process has beendeveloped;

standard criteria for the selection of part-time staffhave been prepared and are in use;

guidelines for ensuring the quality of community ser-vices offerings have been implemented;

an assessment of the financial possibilities inherentin contract education has been completed; and

a comprehensive Budget Preparation and ProceduresManual has been drafted and is undergoing finalrevisions.

As implied by the last item above, the plan-ning/budgeting process at LBCC is on the verge of institu-tionalization passing from a temporary to a permanentfeature in the structure and operating procedures of thecollege. It is clear that the citizens of Long Beach willbenefit as a result.

22

Conclusions

Using accreditation standards as the foundation, an im-pending reaccreditation site visit as a motivator, and thehelpful services provided by a federally-funded accredita-tion agency project, LBCC has developed and im-plemented a model strategic planning system that is serv-ing its constituents well.

From its perspective, WASC can point with pride to itsefforts to (1) identify major problems facing its communi-ty college members and (2) work with state agencies in itsregion to obtain grant assistance (in this case, a federalgrant) aimed at resolving those problems. WASC's ac-tions in this case constitute a model worth emulating byall accreditation agencies.

24

A CASE STUDY OF DIRECT ACCREDITATION AGENCY INVOLVEMENTIN THE ENHANCEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY:

THE ASSOCIATION OF THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLSINSTITUTE FOR THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT (ITEM) AND

THE WASHINGTON THEOLOGICAL UNION, WASHINGTON, DC

5 September 1985

2523

Established in 1918 as the Conference of TheologicalSeminaries and Colleges, the Association of TheologicalSchools in the United States and Canada (ATS) hasengaged in the accreditation of graduate theologicaleducation institutions since the late 1930's. ATS original-ly served primarily protestant denominations within, theChristian religion. It broadened its membership ,n themid-1960's to include Roman Catholic seminaries offer-ing post-baccalaureate programs. Among its some 200members, ATS currently counts over 40 Catholicseminaries, major university divinity schools, and the ma-jor theological education schools of both mainline andevangelical protestant denominations.

In its unique position as an organization serving schoolsof differing philosophical orientation, ATS has from itsbeginning attempted actively to promote the impithre-ment of theological education. "Improvement" in thiscontext has meant different things at different points inthe organization's history, with interpretations differingas a function of the social context (e.g., ATS spearheadedefforts to integrate minorities and women into theologicaleducation), development in theological education (e.g.,ATS fostered the emergence of a professional doctoratedegree in various fields of ministry),, and prevailing viewsof appropriate educational methods (e.g., ATS staff interest in the concept of competency-based education in-fluenced modifications in both educational standards andin techniques of estimating the readiness of graduates forprofessional practice).

One of the most notable current efforts by ATS to im-prove the quality of theological education is the Warren H.Deem Institute for Theological Education Management(ITEM). ITEM is part of a comprehensive program de-signed for theological school administrators, n-rany ofwhom have had little or no formal training for their jobs.Based nbE...ily on strategic planning concepts, ITEM seeksto ass st executive officers and their staffs in: (1) definingmanagement goals; (2) clarifying their roles as managersand viewing institutional operations from a managerialperspective; (3) acquiring specific skills in resource utiliza-tion, motivation, communication, and staff development;and (4) integrating those skills with their own managerialstyles and applying them in the context of their own in-st;!utions.

Funding for development of the ITEM curriculum wasprovided in 1931 by a major grant from The Lilly Endow-ment, Inc., which also underwrites a portion of the In-stitute's operation costs. Beginning in 1982, ITEM hasconducted annual summer sessions and winter follow-upsessions for 30-35 selected theological school ad-ministrators who are formally sponsored by their home in-stitutions. Costs currently run 82,300 per participant,which cover about 40% of total Institute expenses.

The three-week ITEM summer program is held at ArdenHouse, the Columbia University conference center on theHudson River 50 miles north of New York City. Formerlythe estate of Governor AvenlI Harriman, Arden House of-fers an environment suitable for intensive learning; par-ticipants eat, sleep, and attend classes at the center.Faculty from Columbia University Graduate School ofBusiness and Riverside Group, an independent consultingorganization, utilize case studies, lectures, readings, andup-to-date business systems with small groups and in-dividual participants in a program stressing team problemsolving, hands-on learning, and personal reflection.Because of the great diversity of previous experience par-

24

ticipants bring into the session, regular evaluations arecarried out to ensure that all are attaining the Institute'sdesired learning goals. Special efforts are made to helpparticipants plan for applying newly learned concepts tothe particular problems they are facing in their own in-stitutions.

Summer session participants reconvene for three daysin December to discuss their managerial experiences;ITEM faculty and fellow participants critique actual long-range plans that have been developed and offer sugges-tions aimed at reinforcing further application of thestrategic planning concepts taught earlier. An "alumnae"group also meets periodically for refresher seminars.

This case study explores the ITEM participation of twoindividuals affiliated with the Washington TheologicalUnion in Washington, D.C. It is intended to illustrate theprocesses and benefits of the Institute as a possible mod :Ifor other accreditation associations. The author gratefullyacknowledges the assistance of Drs. Leon Pace la, DavidSchuller, and William BaAngaertnsr of ATS and Drs. Vin-cent Cushing, President, James Coriden, Academic Dean,and Mary Holland, Director of Development ofWashington Theological Union for their assistance in thepreparation of the study.

Introduction to.Washington Theological Union

Washington Theological Union (WTU) began as a uni-que theological education experiment in the wake ofVatican II a major Roman Catholic conference called byPope John XXIII. The thrust of church policy emanatingfrom Vatican II was one of greater harmony and coopera-tion, both within and outside the church. Historically,most theological education had been accomplished insmall seminaries supported by the individual Catholiccommunities (e.g., provinces of Catholic religious ordersand dioceses of various geographic areas). After VaticanII, leaders of these communities were given freedom toconsider more efficient arrangements for the educationalpreparation of priests and lay men and women.

In 1968, the leaders of six small Catholic theologyschools in the Washington area, each of whichrepresented a different religious community but all ofwhich were engaged in preparing students for theministry, began to meet. Out of their informal discussionsemerged the concept of a single united school one thatcould provide a common core of courses suitable formeeting most or all of their students' formal educationalneeds. In 1969 the Washington Theological Coalition waslegally incorporated, and in 1970 it was authorized by theState of Maryland to award a masters degree in the fieldof theology. It was the first of many "union" typetheological schools in the United States. Subsequently, inrecognition of the growing stability and maturity of themerger, the Coalition became the WTU. With a spaciousnew campus in suburban Silver Spring and an annualbudget of over 81.2 million, WTU is now one of thelargest Roman Catholic schools of theology in the coun-try. Current enrollments exceed 150 full-time and 100part-time students. The faculty of over 20 full-time and 25part-time teachers and scholars collectively representsover 40 different dioceses and religious orders of theCatholic e.;tv.srch.

WTU is also a member of the Washington 7' 3ologicalConsortium, through which ten Protestant and RomanCatholic seminaries in the Washington area work together

26

to share their libraries and instructional programs withoutadditional tuition charges to each other's students.

The Early Development of ITEM

The third President of WTU, Father Vincent Cushingassumed his position ten years ago. He came to the jobwith considerable experience as a theological scholar butvery little as a school administrator a lack he keenly feltsoon after assuming the presidency. He was thus very in-terested when others within ATS began talking about thepossibility of offering a structured training program intheological education management. Soon thereafter, hejoined an ad hoc ATS committee whose mission waPset up such a program. The committee worked c oselywith representatives of the Lilly Endowment, Inc., of In-dianapolis, Indiana a relationship that grew naturallyfrom Lilly's longstanding support of theological educationin the United States. After developing the initial ITEMmodel based on similar summer programs for highereducation administrators, e.g., the type conducted at Har-vard University, the committee carefully searched for asource of training expertise that could put together amanagement development program geared to the specialneeds of seminary executives. They found this source atthe Columbia University Graduate School of Manage-ment, specifically among faculty who were responsiblefor the school's MBA program for nonprofit organizationexecutives. With the support of a five-year commitmentof over $1 million from Lilly, ITEM began recruiting fromits first class to be held in the summer of 1982. FatherCushing was nominated by WTU to be a member of thatcharter class.

Participation in ITEM

Although he had presided over WTU for almost sevenyears at the time, Father Cushing found the ITEM ex-perience to be both enlightening and rewarding. One ofthe primary goals of the institute faculty was to develop amanagerial attitude among the participants a sense thatmanaging was an acceptable (and not ungodly) pursuitwhich, if done well, could have tangible payoffs for theirschools and churches. Father Cushing felt energized bythis orientation, regaining a sense of mission that hadbecome dulled by the trials of administering a school in anenvironment which neither recognized nor highly re-garded administrative skills. For those students who couldsuccessfully acquire this attitude (and not all could), theITEM case studies, lectures, and discussions producedboth new learning and motivation to apply that learning.In Father Cushing's case, he:

initiated the development of a long-range plan (LRP)for WTU that allowed him to identify major factorsinfluencing the school's future and developstrategies for modifying those factors to enhanceeducational quality;

began to appreciate some of the basic principles ofendowment management that affect long-termfinancial health; and

25

understood for the first time the importance ofbuilding an administrative team that could worktogether to attain jointly held educational goals.

Upon his return to WTU after his ITEM "retreat", FatherCushing in.mediately nominated the school's Director ofDevelopment, Dr. Mary Holland, to attend the followingsummer's program. For her part, Dr. Holland found ofmost value the rocognition that seminaries do not general-ly value adroit management with most administratorspreferring to avoid consideration of financial, personnel,and facility matters in preference to more academic pur-suits. Recognizing this resistance and its impact ondevelopment efforts helped her adapt to it in her job. Shelearned:

new ways of acquiring and analyzing data aboutpotential donors in preparation for effective fundrais-ing campaigns;

methods of identifying highest potential fundraisingstrategies to help set priorities in allocating time;and

principles of endowment management designed tofoster growth while still providing an acceptablepayout to support current operations.

Outcomes of Participation in ITEM

From the perspective of an outside observer, the follow-ing are some of the longer-term benefits that have ac-crued to WTU as a result of its administrators' participa-tion in ITEM:

The school has a fairly sophisticated planning andbudgeting process, including a schedule and a set ofwell-understood responsibilities, for creating annualspending plans that are in accord with institutionalgoals yet are realistic in terms of probable: (1)enrollments, (2) external support, (3) faculty andstaff resources, and (4) changes in costs.

The President is recognized as a leader who is securein his role; he is aware of the managerial componentsof that role (e.g., seeking information, proce:;sing in-formation, making decisions, evaluating, consulting,etc.) and carries them out comfortably.

The administrative officers of WTU function as ateam, characterized by close communications sndactive participation by all members.

The institution as a whole has a good sense for itsmission and its success in attaining that miss:on.

(Perhaps because the use of microcomputer-basedplanning aids was not introduced until the 1984 ITEM,WTU staff have yet to discover the benefits of such toolsas electronic spreadsheets. This may be a fruitful topic forthe ITEM alumnae group to take up in the future).

Other ATS Management Education Initiatives

Although they were not documented as part of thiscase study, it is worth noting that ATS also sponsors,with ongoing support from the Lilly Endowment, severalannual educational programs for other theological schoolstaff, including one for middle level school managers andanother for development officers. The latter series, en-titled "Financial Development in Theological Education,"recently completed its third session. The three-day pro-gram featured plenary and small group workshops onsuch topics as IRS rulings, direct mail techniques, use ofvolunteers, and the biblical theology of development.Locations and programs for these sessions are determinedby an advisory committee ..)f development officers fromATS member institutions.

Conclusion

In his book ATS Through Two Decades, former ATS Ex-ecutive Director Jesse Ziegler stresses the historicalorigins of the direct service orientation that todaycharacterizes ATS. Built into the 1918 charter of itspredecessor organization was the mission to identify andhelp meet the prevalent needs of member schools. Work-ing closely with private foundations that have interests intheological education, ATS has for over three decadesproactively diagnosed problems in the field andsystematically structured problems to resolve themoften at little or no cost to its member institutions. Itswork provides a model that is widely applicable to thequality enhancement efforts of other accreditation agen-cies. And in summing up the benefits of ATS membershipfor his school, Father Cushing said:

"I love ATS. Its programs, like ITEM, respond to me.The staff take their responsibilities seriously. Andthey are careful to assess their successes and short-comings. Several times we had to go back and adjustthe ITEM Program based on feedback from the par-ticipants that it was missing the mark in some way.The whole organization is oriented to results."

26

28

A CASE STUDY OF DIRECT ACCREDITATION AGENCY INVOLVEMENTIN THE ENHANCEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY:

THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CONSULTATION PROGRAMAND THE COUNSELING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

AT TOWSON STATE UNIVERSITY, TOWSON, MARYLAND

14 September 1985

2927

Background

The American Psychological Association (APA) is a pro-fessional association of psychologists in the United Statesand throughout the world. In 1947, APA began to ac-credit psychology training programs to promote ex-cellence in the field and to provide a service of qualityassessment and enhancement for the general public. Aspart of its standard procedures for the accreditation ofdoctoral programs, APA encourages prospective ap-plicants to obtain the services of an appropriately qualifiedpsychologist who can visit the program before its applica-tion for accreditation is submitted. The consultant's role isthreefold: (1) to advise the program's staff about the APAaccreditation process and Criteria for Accreditation; (2) toidentify aspects of the program that might not fully comp-ly with the APA Criteria; and (3) to suggest changes thatcould help the program adhere more closely to the APACriteria (and, presumably, improve program quality in theprocess).

The APA currently accredits doctoral training programsin the specialties of clinical, counseling, and schoolpsychology. In addition, it accredits predoctoral intern-ship programs that provide for supervised practice inthese specialties.

This case study documents the process through whichthe Counseling Center at Towson State University inTowson, Maryland, sought and obtained APA accredita-tion for its predoctoral internship program in counselingpsychology. It focuses on the APA-recommended con-sultation as a mechanism that both facilitated the ac-creditation process and enhanced program quality. It is in-tended to illustrate a general model of preaccreditationassistance that can be used by both institutional and pro-grammatic accreditation agencies as a means of enhanc-ing educational quality more directly than is typically thecase.

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance ofMr. W. A. Kalkhof of the APA and the staff of TowsonState University and its Counseling Center, especially: Mr.Charles Maloy, Associate Vice Presient of Student Ser-vices and Director of the Center; Dr. James Spivack,Associate Director and Director of Training; and Ms.Dorothy Siegel, Vice President of Student Services.

Introduction to Towson State Universityand Its Counseling Center

The University

Founded in 1866, Towson State University is located ina quiet suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. The university hasrecently undergone a major transition from a small,traditional teachers college serving mainly nonresidentstudents in the metropolitan Baltimore area to a com-prehensive public university offering bachelor's degrees inover 35 disciplines and master's degrees in over 15. In thepast 15 years, enrollments have doubled, with the stu-dent body currently numbering over 15,000, almost14,000 of whom are undergraduates and almost 3,000 ofwhom live in campus residence facilities. Average CollegeBoard test scores for 1983 entering freshmen were 437verbal and 474 math; approximately 60% of the studentbody receives some form of financial assistance. Long-range plans created as part of Maryland's overall program

28

for meeting the state's higher education needs call forTowson State's enrollments to stabilize at approximately9,000 FTE undergraduate students a decline of about1,500 FTEs from current levels that will require morerestrictive admissions policies in the future, along withconcerted efforts to retain the smaller student populationthat is admitted.

Towson State's faculty is composed of over 480members, most of whom hold doctoral degrees in theirfields; they are organized into six discipline-centered col-leges and schools. The College of Continuing Educationand the Graduate School are administrative divisions thatcut across all disciplines. Governance is provided by a15-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governorof Maryland; this Board also oversees the five other statecolleges and universities. The President of the University,who serves at the pleasure of the Board, is responsible foradministering an annual budget that exceeds $56 million.

The 326-acre campus of the University features 31academic and student residence structures surrounded byconsiderable open space on green rolling hills. Adjoiningthe campus is Sheppard-Pratt Psychiatric Hospital, one ofthe nation's premier mental health facilities.

The Counseling Center

Established in 1906 as an adjunct to the Health Center,the Towson State University Counseling Center hasgrown to become the primary source of mental health ser-vices for the university community. In 1983, the Centerprovided assistance with personal or social concernsand/or with career development to over 4,000 students.About a fourth of these clients were provided with in-dividual counseling/therapy; another fourth were servedindirectly through consulting with residence hall staff,faculty, or administrators; and about a half participated ingroup counseling sessions, workshops, or classes taughtby Counseling Center staff. In the latter category, thelargest population was served through two courses: (1)Personal Life and Career Planning, a two-unitundergraduate (General Studies) course; and (2) Introduc-tion to the Helping Relationship, a three-unit upper divi-sion Psychology course. In addition, the Center operated atelephone tape system called COPE-LINE, which providesa wide array of information on topics such as life copingskills, sexuality, careers, health concerns, and consumerinformation. This service, which has averaged about2,000 callers a month, will soon be expanded via WATSlines to cover the entire State of Maryland.

Towson State administrators view the CounselingCenter as an integral part of the university's long-termdevelopment plan, stressing its role in improving the per-sonal and social adjustment and career development of astudent body that will be growing smaller and more selectin the years ahead. Indeed, the President of the Universityhas given Center staff significant responsibility in improv-ing student retention. Along with this responsibility hascome favorable treatment in the University's budget, withincreases coming annually even in the face of cut-backsimposed in other areas.

The Counseling Center is located at the center of theuniversity campus in a beautifully renovated Victorianhouse (named Glen Esk) which once served as the Presi-dent's residence. The staff includes a Director and eightfull-time Professional counselors, three support staff, 15paraprofessionals, and three predoctoral interns. The

30

training program provided for these interns is the primaryfocus of this case study.

The Internship Program

Beginning in 1974, Counseling Center administratorsdecided to augment the Center's service portfolio by ad-ding a predoctoral internship program. Their decision wasbased on several perceived needs: to stimulate the profes-sional staff through the addition of teaching functions; toadd a constant source of new ideas; and to providerelatively low-cost personnel who could carry a widerange of responsibilities within the Center. It wasespecially notable in view of the fact that the Universitydid not at the time (and still does not) offer a doctoral pro-gram in Counseling Psychology (in fact, the granting ofdoctoral degrees by public institutions in Maryland isrestricted to the campuses of the University of Marylandand Morgan State University). This meant that interns hadto be recruited from external doctoral programs, aftercompletion of their academic course work and a super-vised practic um.

Initially supporting one intern, the Center presently sup-ports three and is planning for the addition of a fourth. In-ternships last for one calendar year and currently pay$10,000 (a figure that will increase to $11,500 nextyear). Interns progress through an individually-tailoredprogram designed to fit their own interests and profes-sional development plans. However, after a one-monthorientation, all programs contain the following com-ponents:

Clinical Services

- Individual counseling, with a caseload of approx-imately ten clients per week

- Routine intake interviews and assessments- Emergency duties as part of a crisis team- Leadership of groups and workshops on such

topics as adjustment for returning students,stress and time management, and eatingdisorders

Career Services

- Teaching sections of the Personal Life and CareerPlanning course for undergraduates

- Group workshops on career development topics

Outreach, Consultation, and Oversight ofParaprofessionals

Orientation presentations to incoming freshmenTeaching, supervising, and mentoring paraprofes-sionalsLeadership of special seminars (e.g., AlcoholEducation)

Professional Training

Clinical supervision, individually and as a grouplnservice within the Psychiatric Mental HealthServiceProfessional development seminars, includingweekly meetings with psychiatric staff at theSheppard-Pratt HospitalResearch and evaluation

29

In total, interns are expected to devote a full 40-hourweek to the above activities, working under the supervis-ion of the Counseling Center's Training Director and pro-fessional staff. As of 1985, 20 interns had completed theTowson State program, with most going on to employ-ment in university o mental health center settings.

Motivation for Seeking APA Accreditation

Prior to the accreditation of the Towson State Universi-ty Counseling Internship Program, the APA had never ac-credited such a program in an institution that did not offerthe doctorate. Yet, from the time they established the in-tern program, staff of the Towson Counseling Centerplanned eventually to seek APA accreditation. They feltthat accreditation would provide external validation forwhat they perceived to be an excellent program. Theybelieved that this validation would provide wider recogni-tion both outside and within the University, which could,in turn, assist in the annual competitions for recruiting thebest interns (especially those from APA-accredited train-ing programs) and obtaining funds from the University.Finally, they saw accreditation as a natural extension oftheir own desire to increase their professional expertisethrough continuing self-assessment and self-improve-ment.

From the University's perspective, neither the VicePresident for Student Services, to whom the Center Direc-tor reports, nor the President questioned the decision toseek professional accreditation. Indeed, they welcomed itas an indicator of the professional dedication of theCenter staff. Funds to support the process were readilygranted from the President's discretionary funds.

The APA Consultation Process

As soon as the decision was made to seek accredita-tion, the Director of Training, who took charge of the pro-cess, started to plan for the use of a preaccreditation con-sultant. He saw the consultation as an opportunity to gaina greater understanding of the APA's policies and pro-cedures, especially its Criteria for Accreditation, whileproviding a "dry-run" site visit that could improve hisstaff's preparation for the actual APA peer review. For itspart, the APA provided a list of possible consultants whowere felt to be highly knowledgeable about the organiza-tion's practices in accrediting predoctoral counseling in-ternship programs. Based on his own knowledge of per-so..3 in the field, the Training Director requested con-sultative assistance from a nationally-recognized counsel-ing psychologist who headed the training program at theUniversity of Missouri-Columbia. In carrying out her roleas preaccreditation consultant, according to proceduresrecommended by the APA, this individual:

read a preliminary version of the Counseling Center'sself-study and application for APA accreditation;

participated in a two-day site visit. organized andcarried out in all respects similarly to a full-scale APApeer review, during which she met with adminis-trators, staff, and participants in the Towson Stateinternship program;

31

discussed her observations regarding the strengthsand weaknesses of the program, and the extent towhich it seemed to meet or exceed the APA's spec-ific Accreditation Criteria; and

prepared a written report, similar to a peer reviewreport, which summarized her observations, find-ings, and recommendations for review and reactionby the Counseling Center staff.

Everyone at Towson State felt that the preaccreditationconsultation process went well and was beneficial to theinternship program. The consultant identified severalproblems that needed attention; IAA, in general, she rein-forced the staff's view that their program was a highquality one which was ready to seek accreditation. As aresult of the recommendations made at this stage, severalchanges occurred in the ,nternvhip program:

A formal Training Committee, composed of theDirector of Training, a member of the professionalpsychology staff, a member of the non-psychologystaff, and an intern, was constituted to monitor theprogram on an ongoing basis, taking over from theDirector the sole responsibility for assessing and im-proving program quality.

Plans were made, and approved by the Universityadministration, to more rapidly increase the internstipends.

A seminar on ethical issues in counseling was movedfrom the second to the first semester of the intern-ship program, to ensure that interns had adequatelymastered its content before they began providingservices to clients.

Several aspects of program content were changed;in particular, the planning and conduct of an annualcampus-wide alcohol education program, which hadbeen a major intern responsibility, was transferred tothe Office of the Vice President for Student Services.

Plans were made to recruit even more widely thanbefore for interns from top-quality doctoral programsoutside of the immediate vicinity; special effortswere added to seek minority group members.

More attention was devoted to developing researchopportunities for interns, and to increasing the timespent by interns in taking advantage of those oppor-tunities.

Perhaps the most salutary outcome of the consultationfrom the perspective of Counseling Center staff was theextent to which it prepared them for the actual accredita-tion site visit that came four months later. Their con-fidence buoyed by the consultant's positive report, whichthey had forwarded to the APA, Center staff received theAPA representatives with little anxiety. In turn, this setthe stage for a productive interaction in which potentialsolutions to several other minor problem areas were dis-cussed and initiated. Specifically, the APA site visitorswere responsible for the following enhancements:

30

The goals and processes of the psychiatric seminars,conducted weekly in conjunction with staff at theSheppard-Pratt Hospital, were reexamined and clar-ified for all involved parties. Interns report that theeducation value of these seminars had been con-siderably increased as a result.

The required components of the training programhave been stated more firmly, with less inferredlatitude for options on the part of interns. Thisstrengthened framework has allowed potential par-ticipants to assess the strengths of the programmore accurately in judging its appropriateness fortheir own career goals.

Record retention policies were studied and revised tobring them more closely into alignment with APAStandards for Providers.

On 11 February 1985, acting on the recommendationof its site visit team and the consultant who had precededthe team, APA's Committee on Accreditation granted fullaccreditation to the Towson State University CounselingCenter internship program.

The benefits of this accreditation are already beginningto accrue. In contrast to past years, when several topchoices had opted for APA-approved internships, thethree top choices for next year's class of interns im-mediately accepted their bids to enter the program.Moreover, they will be joined by a fourth intern who isplanning to volunteer her services so she can attend anaccredited internship program that is close to her home.And the attitude of the whole staff seems to be improvedby their pride in being associated with the only APA ac-credited counseling internship which is located in an in-stitution lacking a doctoral degree program. In the wordsof one staff member, "Our hat sizes have about doubledsince we got the word."

Conclusion

The APA's consultation process clearly helps prospec-tive member programs assess and improve their quality,over and above the enhancement typical of the self-studyand peer review process. The APA has thus provided avaluable adjunct to traditional accreditation practiceone that costs very little in relation to the benefits it of-fers. Every program seeking accreditation is encouragedto use the consultation process, and most do so. In con-sidering his own experiences, the Training Director at theTowson State University Counseling Center noted:

"Helping programs get ready for accreditation andthen having to judge them is a difficult position foran agency to be in. Some just can't do it. But by en-couraging the use of preaccreditation consultants,the APA can resolve this difficult role conflict. Itworked beautifully in our case, possibly because ofthe preparations the whole staff made for the con-sultant's visit and possibly because we were so for-tunate in getting the right person for the job. Wetreated her visit as the real thing. We wanted to doeverything right the first time."

32 .,i