After loitering in the shadows of higher education for decades, accreditation has over the past 10 years or so become an increasingly prominent topic of inquiry, discussion, and—frequently—criticism. Heightened interest can be traced to a report, "Can College Accreditation Live Up to Its Promise?," published in 2002 by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Since then, half a dozen agencies and people have addressed the strengths and weaknesses of the process. The most influential document was probably "A Test of Leadership," the work of a commission appointed by Margaret Spellings, secretary of education under President George W. Bush.
Today, millions of dollars and tens of thousands of hours are expended in the hundreds of accreditation exercises that take place across the country each year. Faced with their periodic accreditation review, managed by one of the accreditation committees that have divided the country into six regions, colleges typically appoint committees of faculty members, administrators, and students who are responsible for preparing internal studies. Those studies—often hundreds of pages in length and chock full of data—serve as the basis for multiday site visits, in which four or five faculty members from other universities and colleges meet with scores of colleagues in the host institution.
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