Plenary Sessions Descriptions
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
5:00 − 6:00 PM
Accreditation on the Edge
Marriott Ballroom 2-3 – Lobby Level
Dr. Susan D. Phillips
No one is happy with accreditation: institutions feel burdened, policy makers are frustrated, consumers are unprotected, employer needs are unmet, and accreditors are under fire. However, even with agreement that things need to change, it is no simple task to map a better path forward. Indeed, this is a complex and contested space in which some view accreditation as an invaluable resource to ensure the quality of the system, others look at it as a barrier to needed reform, and all propose solutions that—if taken singly—would have results that are unsustainable. Bringing together the many and often competing recommendations to show the challenges, tensions, and debates that are essential context for shaping the future course of accreditation, the presenters address issues and questions involved with sustainable reform and improvement in assuring quality higher education.
Dr. Kevin Kinser
Presenters: Kevin Kinser, Professor of Education, Department Head of Education Policy Studies, and Senior Scientist at the Center for the Study of Higher Education, Pennsylvania State University; and Susan D. Phillips, Professor, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), and Leadership Fellow at the SUNY Academic & Innovative Leadership Institute
Thursday, November 29, 2018
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Engaging Your Board in the Accreditation Process: Why and How
Marriott Ballroom 2-3 – Lobby Level
Dr. Susan Whealler Johnston
The accreditation process is typically an all-hands-on-deck experience, drawing in leaders from all corners of the campus. But what about your board? How well do you engage its members? Are they in the process from the beginning? Pulled in at the end? Overlooked completely? The new standards of accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the new Requirements of Affiliation are clear about the role of boards. What can your institution do as it prepares for re-accreditation to ensure that your board is engaged and adding value to the process? This session will look at the governance responsibility and role in accreditation, the board’s oversight of student learning assessment, and guidelines for ensuring that board is appropriately engaged to add value.
Presenter: Susan Whealler Johnston, President and CEO, National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)
Friday, November 30, 2018
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Assessing the Rapidly Changing Higher Education Landscape
Marriott Ballroom 2-3 – Lobby Level
Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President, American Council on Education
Today’s higher education landscape is rapidly changing. Colleges and universities are encountering a new demographic of students and new technologies, and facing these developments in a fast-paced and often tumultuous public policy environment. A new Congress will convene in January with the long-delayed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act on its agenda, and legislative or executive branch action on a number of other issues, from immigration to regulations, could also impact higher education institutions. In this keynote address, American Council on Education (ACE) Senior Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Terry W. Hartle will assess the complex and challenging public policy environment for higher education and discuss ACE’s vision for a vibrant democratic society that relies on postsecondary education to expand knowledge, equity, and social progress.
Presenter: Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President, American Council on Education
Please note that due to a scheduling conflict, Dr. Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President at American Council on Education, will speak in place of ACE President Dr. Ted Mitchell at the plenary session on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018.