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COMPREHENSIVE STANDARDS |
For every
Comprehensive Standard mandating a policy or procedure, it is
implicit that the policy or
procedure is in writing, approved through appropriate
institutional processes, published in
appropriate institutional documents accessible to those
affected by the policy or procedure, and
implemented and enforced by the institution.
For obtaining or maintaining accreditation with the Commission
on Colleges, an institution must
meet the following Comprehensive Standards: |
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Institutional
Mission, Governance, And Effectiveness |
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Institutional
Mission |
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1. |
The institution
has a clear and comprehensive mission statement that guides it;
is approved
by the governing board; is periodically reviewed by the board;
and is communicated to the
institution’s constituencies. |
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Governance and
Administration |
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2. |
The governing
board of the institution is responsible for the selection and
the evaluation of
the chief executive officer. |
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3. |
The legal
authority and operating control of the institution are clearly
defined for the following
areas within the institution’s governance structure: |
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a. |
the institution’s
mission; |
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b. |
the fiscal
stability of the institution; |
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c. |
institutional policy, including policies concerning related
and affiliated corporate
entities and all auxiliary services; |
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d. |
related foundations (athletic, research, etc.) and other
corporate entities whose
primary purpose is to support the institution and/or its
programs. |
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The board has a policy
addressing conflict of interest. |
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| 5. |
The governing board is free
from undue influence from political, religious, or other
external
bodies, and protects the institution from such influence. |
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| 6. |
Members of the governing
board can be dismissed only for cause and by due process. |
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7. |
There is a clear and
appropriate distinction, in writing and practice, between the
policy-making
functions of the governing board and the responsibility of the
administration and
faculty to administer and implement policy. |
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| 8. |
The institution
has a clearly defined and published organizational structure
that delineates
responsibility for the administration of policies. |
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| 9. |
The institution has
qualified administrative and academic officers with the
experience,
competence, and capacity to lead the institution.
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| 10. |
The institution
defines and publishes policies regarding appointment and
employment of
faculty and staff. |
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| 11. |
The institution evaluates
the effectiveness of its administrators, including the chief
executive
officer, on a periodic basis. |
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| 12. |
The institution’s
chief executive officer has ultimate responsibility for, and
exercises
appropriate administrative and fiscal control over, the
institution’s intercollegiate athletics
program. |
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| 13. |
The institution’s
chief executive officer has ultimate control of the
institution’s fund-raising
activities. |
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| 14. |
An
institution-related foundation, not controlled by the
institution, has a contractual or other
formal agreement that (a) accurately describes the relationship
between the institution and
the foundation, and (b) describes any liability associated with
that relationship. In all cases,
the institution ensures that the relationship is consistent with
its mission. |
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| 15. |
The institution’s
policies are clear concerning ownership of materials,
compensation,
copyright issues, and the use of revenue derived from the
creation and production of all
intellectual property. This applies to students, faculty and
staff. |
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Institutional
Effectiveness |
| 16. |
The institution
identifies expected outcomes for its educational programs and
its
administrative and educational support services; assesses
whether it achieves these
outcomes; and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis
of those results. |
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PROGRAMS |
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Educational
Programs |
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Standards for
All Educational Programs: |
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1. |
The institution
demonstrates that each educational program for which academic
credit is
awarded is (a) is approved by the faculty and the
administration, and (b) establishes and
evaluates program and learning outcomes. |
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2. |
The institution’s
continuing education, outreach, and service programs are
consistent with
the institution’s mission. |
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3. |
The institution
publishes admissions policies consistent with its mission. |
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The institution has a
defined and published policy for evaluating, awarding, and
accepting
credit for transfer, experiential learning, advanced placement,
and professional certificates
that is consistent with its mission and ensures that course work
and learning outcomes are
at the collegiate level and comparable to the institution’s own
degree programs. The
institution assumes responsibility for the academic quality of
any course work or credit
recorded on the institution’s transcript. |
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The institution publishes
academic policies that adhere to principles of good educational
practice. These are disseminated to students, faculty, and other
interested parties through
publications that accurately represent the programs and services
of the institution. |
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The institution employs
sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount and
level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or
mode of delivery. |
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7. |
The institution
ensures the quality of educational programs/courses offered
through
consortia relationships or contractual agreements, ensures
ongoing compliance with the
comprehensive requirements, and evaluates the agreement against
the purpose of the
institution. |
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| 8. |
The institution
awards academic credit for course work taken on a noncredit
basis only
when there is documentation that the noncredit course work is
equivalent to a designated
credit experience. |
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| 9. |
The institution provides
appropriate academic support services. |
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| 10. |
The institution defines and
publishes general education and major program requirements
for all its programs. These requirements conform to commonly
accepted standards and
practices for undergraduate programs as well as graduate and
post-baccalaureate
professional degree programs. |
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| 11. |
The institution
protects the security, confidentiality, and integrity of its
student academic
records and maintains special security measures to protect and
back up data. |
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| 12. |
The institution
places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and
effectiveness of its
curriculum with its faculty. |
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| 13. |
For each major in
a degree program, the institution assigns responsibility for
program
coordination, as well as for curriculum development and review,
to persons academically
qualified in the field. In those degree programs for which the
institution does not identify a
major, this requirement applies to a curricular area or
concentration. |
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| 14. |
The institution’s
use of technology enhances student learning, is appropriate for
meeting the
objectives of its programs, and ensures that students have
access to and training in the use
of technology. |
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Standards
Specific to Undergraduate Programs: |
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The institution identifies
competencies within the general education core and provides
evidence that graduates have attained those college-level
competencies. |
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16. |
The institution awards
degrees only to those students who have earned at least 25
percent of the credit hours required for the degree through
instruction offered by that institution. |
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Standards
Specific to Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Professional
Programs: |
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The institution’s
post-baccalaureate professional degree programs, and its
master’s and
doctoral degree programs are progressively more advanced in
academic content than
undergraduate programs. |
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The institution ensures that
its graduate instruction and resources foster independent
learning, enabling the graduate to contribute to a profession or
field of study. |
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| 19. |
The majority of credits
toward a graduate or a post-baccalaureate professional degree is
earned through the institution awarding the degree. In the case
of graduate and post-
baccalaureate professional degree programs offered through
joint, cooperative, or consortia
arrangements, the student earns a majority of credits from the
participating institutions. |
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Faculty |
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20. |
The institution
employs competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the
mission and
goals of the institution. When determining acceptable
qualifications of its faculty, an
institution gives primary consideration to the highest earned
degree in the discipline in
accord with the guidelines listed below. The institution also
considers competence,
effectiveness, and capacity, including, as appropriate,
undergraduate and graduate degrees,
related work experiences in the field, professional licensure
and certifications, honors and
awards, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other
demonstrated
competencies and achievements that contribute to effective
teaching and student learning
outcomes. For all cases, the institution is responsible for
justifying and documenting the
qualifications of all its faculty. |
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Credential
Guidelines: |
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a. |
Faculty teaching
general education courses at the undergraduate level: a doctoral
or a master’s degree in the teaching discipline or a master’s
degree with a
concentration in the teaching discipline (a minimum of 18
graduate semester hours
in the teaching discipline). |
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b. |
Faculty teaching
associate degree courses designed for transfer to a
baccalaureate
degree: a doctoral or a master’s degree in the teaching
discipline or a master’s
degree with a concentration in the teaching discipline (a
minimum of 18 graduate
semester hours in the teaching discipline). |
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c. |
Faculty teaching
associate degree courses not designed for transfer to the
baccalaureate degree: a baccalaureate degree in the teaching
discipline, or an
associate degree and demonstrated competencies in the teaching
discipline. |
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d. |
Faculty teaching
baccalaureate degree courses: a doctoral or a master’s degree in
the teaching discipline or a master’s degree with a
concentration in the teaching
discipline (minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the
teaching discipline). At
least 25 percent of the discipline course hours in each
undergraduate major are
taught by faculty members holding the terminal degree–usually
the earned
doctorate--in the discipline. |
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e. |
Faculty teaching
graduate and post-baccalaureate course work: earned doctorate/
terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related
discipline. |
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f. |
Graduate teaching
assistants: master’s in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate
semester hours in the teaching discipline, direct supervision by
a faculty member
experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service
training, and planned and
periodic evaluations. |
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21. |
The institution
regularly evaluates the effectiveness of each faculty member in
accord with
published criteria, regardless of contractual or tenured status. |
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22. |
The institution
provides evidence of ongoing professional development of faculty
as
teachers, scholars, and practitioners. |
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23. |
The institution
ensures adequate procedures for the safeguard and protection of
academic
freedom. |
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| 24. |
The institution publishes
policies on the responsibility and authority of faculty in
academic
and governance matters. |
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Library and
Other Learning Resources |
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25. |
The institution
provides facilities, services, and other learning/information
resources that are
appropriate to support its teaching, research, and service
mission. |
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26. |
The institution
ensures that users have access to regular and timely instruction
in the use
of the library and other learning/information resources. |
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27. |
The institution
provides a sufficient number of qualified staff--with
appropriate education or
experiences both in library or other learning/information
resources–to accomplish the
mission of the institution. |
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Student Affairs
and Services |
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28. |
The institution
publishes a clear and appropriate statement of student rights
and
responsibilities and disseminates the statement to the campus
community. |
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29. |
The institution
protects the security, confidentiality, and integrity of its
student records. |
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30. |
The institution
provides services supporting its mission with qualified
personnel to ensure
the quality and effectiveness of its student affairs programs. |
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RESOURCES |
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Financial and
Physical Resources |
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1. |
The institution’s
recent financial history demonstrates financial stability. |
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2. |
The institution
provides financial statements and related documents, including
multiple
measures for determining financial health as requested by the
Commission, which
accurately and appropriately represent the total operation of
the institution. |
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3. |
The institution
audits financial aid programs as required by federal and state
regulations. |
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The institution exercises
appropriate control over all its financial and physical
resources. |
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| 5. |
The institution maintains
financial control over externally funded or sponsored research
and
programs. |
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| 6. |
The institution takes
reasonable steps to provide a healthy, safe, and secure
environment
for all members of the campus community. |
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7. |
The institution
operates and maintains physical facilities, both on and off
campus, that are
adequate to serve the needs of the institution’s educational
programs, support services, and
mission-related activities. |
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