Gallaudet University worked to retain its accreditation last month after the Middle States Commission on Higher Education postponed its decision on reaccrediting the university. AU students said they think Gallaudet's preemptive actions will help the school retain its accreditation.
According to the Commission's Web site, accreditation is a voluntary process and is "a means of self-regulation and peer review adopted by the educational community."
Gallaudet is still accredited despite the commission's actions and its reaccreditation process is the same as AU's, according to Karen Froslid Jones, the director of AU's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.
Jones said AU is also accredited by the Commission, which reaccredits universities every 10 years. In order to be reaccredited, AU and Gallaudet must meet various requirements set forth by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, including "a mission appropriate to higher education" and "established conditions and procedures under which its mission and goals can be realized," according to the Commission's Web site.
A statement released Friday by the Commission and Gallaudet said the Commission postponed its decision on Gallaudet's reaccreditation and sent a small team to the university partially in response to "press reports that have raised serious public concerns about Gallaudet University" and a 2005 federal report that declared Gallaudet "ineffective."
Three college presidents and a Commission official were on the team that visited Gallaudet Jan. 10 through 12. The team made it clear that serious issues could affect Gallaudet's reaccreditation, said Mercy Coogan, from Gallaudet's office of public relations.
"The university, President [Robert] Davila especially, told the [Commission] team that we will do whatever it takes to ensure that our accreditation remains strong when it comes up again in 2008," Coogan said in a phone interview.
Gallaudet President Davila formed a group led by a campus professor to address the six areas of concern, which, according to Friday's statement by the Commission and Gallaudet, include assessments on the "nurturance of a climate that fosters respect" for a variety of opinions and lifestyles and "evidence of the academic rigor of the degrees offered," Coogan said.
Coogan said the professor leading the group has been in constant communication with the Commission about the interim report. The Commission was impressed with Gallaudet's attitude in its self-investigation and gave Gallaudet an extension from March 1 until mid-April to investigate the six areas and submit a supplemental report to the Commission on the concrete steps it would take in the short and long terms to address its issues, according to Coogan.
Annika Pettitt, a freshman in the School of International Service, said she believes Gallaudet is on the right track to reaccreditation based on its work in February.
"The strategies developed by Gallaudet will likely be viewed favorably by the commission because they must realize the importance of a school like Gallaudet, which offers a place for deaf students to form a community," Pettitt said.
While Jones said she believes Gallaudet is making progress in satisfying the Commission, she said it is in Gallaudet's compelling interest to stay accredited.
"Technically, accreditation is voluntary for institutions of higher education," Jones said. "In reality, it's extremely important for two reasons: one is the prestige factor; the second is that in order for a university to offer federal financial aid, the institution must be accredited."
Jones said AU was first accredited in 1928 and Gallaudet achieved its first accreditation in 1957. AU was reaccredited in 2004 and received commendation from the Commission for its progress to date, Jones said.
