By Bleah B. Patterson
Despite recent faculty concerns that this college’s upcoming reaccreditation will be stalled or hindered by the EDUC 1300, Learning Framework controversy, Dean of Excellence and Performance, Dr. David Wood said our accreditation isn’t threatened, but this college might get “nicked.”
“Ultimately the SAC/COC and the coordinating board (THECB) recommend that faculty are allowed to own the curriculum, but it’s not mandated,” Wood said. “It may not have been a large number of faculty, or included the faculty that wanted to be involved but since there was ‘faculty involvement’ our accreditation isn’t at stake.”
In section 3.4.1 of the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement handbook reads, “The institutions demonstrates that each education program for which academic credit is awarded is approved by the faculty and the administration.”
However, because the Southern Associations of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges asks for individual college’s policies and procedures and asks whether or not they’re being followed, and if the agency decides that we are not this college could be penalized.
Section 3.7.4, “The institution ensures adequate procedures for safeguarding and protecting academic freedom.”
“If anything we’ll get a hand-slap from the agency saying that we should have followed our own procedure,” Wood said.
“Coming from a faculty position it’s common for them to want to play our accreditation as kind of a trump card but in this unique situation we’re not in any direct violation of code.”
