Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

ECURING

CCREDITATION AND

EGREE

RANTING

UTHORITY

PRIL

22,

2009Introduction

Antioch College, as a part of Antioch University, was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association for the purpose of awarding accredited degrees and was approved by the Ohio Board of Regents to grant degrees in the state of Ohio. Antioch College studentsenrolled in this accredited and approved institution were eligible to apply for federal financial aid administered by the U.S. Department of Education.Antioch College was also listed by the Student and Exchange Visitor Programof the Department of Homeland Security as approved for international studentsseeking visas to attend Antioch College.With the closing of the College in June 2008, except for the ability of studentsto complete their degrees by December 2008, accreditation has ended. Earlyin its deliberations, the Board Pro Tempore of the Antioch College ContinuationCorporation decided to engage an experienced higher education administrator to investigate what will be required for a re-opened Antioch College to regainits accreditation and approvals.Our purpose in posting what we have learned in some detail is to foster ashared awareness and understanding of the initial challenges we will face if weare to achieve our goal of re-opening an Antioch College that continues itstraditions of being a vibrant, unique, and important institution able to educatecoming generations of students to win victories for humanity.

Overview

The process of securing accreditation and approval is a lengthy one. It willrequire the preparation of many documents and reliable evidence of financialstability and sustainability in order to secure accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC) and approval to

grant degrees from the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR). The good news is thatthere is vast overlap in the materials and information required by the HLC (for institutional accreditation) and by the Board of Regents (for authorization togrant degrees). Notably, the HLC will judge the institution, whereas the OBRwill judge the degree program.The sobering news is that it is our understanding that there is currently noavailability of any provisional accreditation prior to the granting of fullaccreditation. Further, the HLC will not award accreditation to an institutionuntil at least one class has graduated. Indeed, the HLC will not schedule aninitial team visit to determine the institution’s eligibility to be a candidate for accreditation until the first class has enrolled. How will this affect the firstgraduating class if Antioch College is not accredited until after they havegraduated? HLC Handbook of Accreditation stipulates that accreditation, if achieved within one year of the date of graduation of the first class, will applyretroactively to their degrees. From the experience of other new institutions, wehave learned that it is possible to make contact with graduate and professionalschools to which the first graduates might apply before the College isaccredited to explain that their degrees will be retroactively accredited if theCollege achieves accreditation almost immediately after these students havegraduated.

Summary for Approval from OBR and Accreditation by the HLC

As already noted, the process for securing approval to grant a degree fromthe OBR, and securing accreditation from the HLC involves the submission of many documents that give evidence that the College meets all the standardsrequired for approval and accreditation. The accreditation process begins witha series of conversations and interviews with the HLC. Subsequently, AntiochCollege will be required to submit a letter of intent and to provide extensiveinformation in the documents listed below. If the information satisfies the OBRapproval to grant degrees will be forthcoming but a candidacy visit for accreditation will not be scheduled until the first class has been enrolled. If candidacy is approved a formal application for accreditation will need to befiled, and accreditation visit(s) scheduled. If there is success at each of thesesteps accreditation approval will follow.

Relationship between Steps among Different Agencies

For the HLC, at the “request for interview” stage, Antioch College must have acertificate of incorporation from Ohio, and “permission” from the state tooperate as an institution of higher education. Evidence that Antioch College ispursuing OBR degree-granting authority must also be presented. Accordingly,we will be pursuing parallel tracks with these two agencies as we go forward.Eligibility for student financial aid from the DOE is dependent upon AntiochCollege submitting evidence to the satisfaction of the DOE that the College isfinancially viable and this viability is sustainable. However it will not consider granting financial aid eligibility until accreditation (or perhaps candidacy) isachieved. It is therefore likely that the first students to enroll will not be eligibleto apply for federal student financial aid.

Documents Required Prior to Seeking Approval & Accreditation

Before embarking on the formal applications to either OBR or the HLC, AntiochCollege will be required to assemble a whole range of documents – some of which already exist and/or can be modified, others that will need to bedeveloped. The major documents required include the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws, a Faculty Handbook, a Student Handbook, a Catalog(courses, majors, academic programs, faculty, policies, a Bulletin (listing suchtime-specific elements as course offerings for the coming year, and a calendar),a Staff handbook and an Administrative Handbook (i.e. personnel policies andprocedures for administrators, parallel to faculty handbook), Admissionsmaterials, a Mission Statement and Statements of Goals and InstitutionalPolicies, Governance Statements about the Role of Faculty, information aboutthe College’s administrative structure and reporting relationships andresponsibility, evaluation procedures (of the institution, educational outcomes,faculty and staff), policies, and documents, a detailed description of work-partner and off-campus-study arrangements, reporting relationships, staff qualifications, academic record-keeping policies and procedures, faculty andstaff recruiting and appointment policies and procedures, a detailedassessment of readiness of physical facilities, detailed financial reports, audits,projections, and budgets, a description of library, laboratory and other instructional space readiness, a description of instructional materials andsupplies adequate to the program, and position descriptions for alladministrative positions. Other narratives and documents will also be neededbut they are not as significant or time consuming as the ones listed here.

Documents

People