COM-FSM Update from the President's Office No. This activity is part of an overall review and revision of the accreditation standards which has been named Project Renewal. The initial discussion focused on the proposal restructuring of the accreditation standards into four as opposed to the current ten.
Resources includes sections on human resources, physical resources, and financial resources.
Although nearly all of the current standards have been retained under the proposed standards, a new emphasis on student learning outcomes can be noted throughout the proposed version. Another change that is being proposed is to make the self study a two-part process with the first part focused on quality assurance and minimum standards for accreditation and the second part focused on quality improvement plans. Under the proposed process, colleges could choose how to demonstrate to the evaluation team and the Commission how it is meeting the minimum accreditation standards through portfolios or written reports. Colleges would also be encouraged to provide information via its web site in lieu of bulky documentation. The work of the five task forces will be compiled and submitted as a progress report to the Commission for review at its June meeting with the hope that a set of draft standards will be ready for field review by January 2002.