Accreditation has allowed the academy to set its own standards for scholarship, creativity, and experimentation, without having to worry about efficiency or popularity every step of the way. But mandates are usually stifling rather than energizing. In essence, through accreditation the higher education community has emphasized the importance of high standards without standardization rather than resorting to high standards through standardization. If we acknowledge that accreditation is essential for a healthy and vibrant academy, then we must rethink its role and how accreditation can become a more positive and proactive force. Basic to this reframing is a commitment to genuine peer review.
Accreditation is built on both self and peer assessment.
Communication is important because higher education needs to tell its story more effectively, campus by campus, so that others will better understand before judging quality. In demonstrating the contributions of higher education to society, higher education must, however, learn how to figure student learning and development as well as campus resources into the formula of quality. Moreover, the communication must be two way, and take the form of a true bilateral negotiation. This negotiation must involve more fully all the stakeholders-professional practitioners, representatives of the public as well as the higher education and accreditation communities. With a more inclusive dialogue, trust can replace the temptation to rely on regulation and erase the current schism among various communities of interest.