Page 44 - Crisis in Higher Education

The Higher Education Conundrum • 19

all universities do—must comply with federal regulations and reporting
requirements, and this creates substantial administrative costs. In addi-
tion, publicly supported colleges and universities are subject to state over-
sight and reporting requirements, which come in the form of State Boards
of Regents or Departments of Education. These oversight groups usually
require financial reporting, establish operating policies and guidelines that
institutions must follow, and create complex mechanisms to review and
approve new programs. Public colleges and universities comply because
the state legislator approves funding for these institutions. Private col-
leges and universities may participate in some parts of this process, even
though they receive no state funding. On top of this, a small number of
public colleges and universities receive funding from local governments,
which adds another level of oversight.
In addition to regulation, nearly all institutions of higher learning face
accreditation from external bodies, which occurs at two levels: the institu-
tion overall and parts of the institution, including colleges, schools, and
individual programs and majors. Although the length of time between
accreditation reviews is a variable, a common length seems to be five
years. Accreditation tends to examine three factors.

1. Input: The quality and sufficiency of the resources that support the
institution and its programs, including the qualifications and num-
ber of faculty and advising staff, quality of applicants, classroom
space and functionality, computer technology, and library access.
2. Process: Assesses an institution’s ability to design and deliver high-
quality programs, foster an environment that encourages learning
and creates tools to assess it, implement methods to improve pro-
grams and learn continuously, and plan for future opportunities and
threats.
3. Output: Validates the quality of the program by assessing achieve-
ments, including graduation rates, job placements, admissions to
graduate programs, results from licensure or certification exams,
and others as defined by the mission of the institution or program.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corpora-
tion found in 1895 as one of six regional accreditors. It accredits degree-
granting, postsecondary institution in the north-central portion of the
United States. It mission is to assure and advance the quality of higher
education. A description of the HLC’s criteria goes on for several pages