Code of Good Practice in Accrediting in Higher Education |
It is the policy of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities to follow the guidelines of the Code of Good Practice. Under the Code, the Commission agrees:
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| a. |
to evaluate or visit an institution or program of study only on the express invitation of the chief executive officer or, when the action is initiated by the organization with respect to an institution already accredited by the organization, with the specific authorization of the chief executive officer of the institution or the CEO’s officially designated representative; |
| b. |
to permit the withdrawal of a request for initial accreditation at any time (even after evaluation) prior to final action; |
| c. |
to recognize the right of an institution or program to be appraised in the light of its own stated purposes, so long as those purposes demonstrably fall within the definitions of general purpose as established by the Commission |
| d. |
to rely upon regional accreditation for evaluations of general quality of an institution; |
| e. |
to state criteria for accreditation in terms that are manifestly relevant to the quality of an institution or program, respecting institutional freedom in other matters; |
| f. |
to use relevant qualitative and quantitative information in its evaluation process; |
| g. |
to consider a program or programs of study at an institution, including its administration and financing, not on the basis of a single predetermined pattern, but rather in relationship to the operation and goals of the entire institution; |
| h. |
to assist and stimulate improvement of the educational effectiveness of an institution and, to this end, to be prepared to provide consultative assistance; |
| i. |
to encourage sound, educational experimentation and to permit innovations; |
| j. |
to design questionnaires and forms so as not only to obtain information for the visiting examiners, but also to stimulate an institution to evaluate itself; |
| k. |
to conduct any evaluation visit to an institution, by experienced and qualified examiners, under conditions that ensure impartial and objective judgment; |
| l. |
to follow the principle that there shall be adequate representation in an evaluation from the staffs of other institutions offering programs of study in the fields to be accredited; |
| m. |
to avoid appointment of visitors who may not be acceptable to an institution; |
| n. |
to cooperate with other accrediting agencies in scheduling joint visits when an institution so requests; |
| o. |
to provide for adequate consultation during the visit between the evaluation committee and the faculty and staff of an institution, including the president or the president’s designated representative; |
| p. |
to provide the president of an institution being evaluated an opportunity to read the factual part of the report prepared by the visiting evaluation committee and to comment on the accuracy before the agency takes action on it; |
| q. |
to provide adequate opportunity for inclusion of students in the interviewing process during accrediting visits; |
| r. |
to regard the text of the evaluation report as confidential between an institution and the accrediting agency, with the exception that it may be made available to other recognized accrediting agencies by which the institution has been accredited or whose accreditation it is seeking; |
| s. |
except as provided in (r), to permit an institution to make such disposition of evaluation reports as it desires; |
| t. |
to consider decisions relative to accreditation only after receipt of the comments of the president as provided in (p), and when the chair of the evaluation committee is present or the views of the evaluation committee are otherwise adequately represented; |
| u. |
to refrain from conditioning accreditation upon payment of fees for purposes other than membership dues or actual evaluation costs; |
| v. |
to notify an institution as quickly as possible regarding any accreditation decision; |
| w. |
to revoke accreditation only after advance notice has been given to the president of an institution that such action is contemplated, and the reasons therefore, sufficient to permit timely rejoinder; and |
| x. |
to provide the means for an institution to appeal or request a reconsideration of a decision regarding accredited status. |
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Adopted 1972 |
