Answering to Two Masters: Strategies for Designing a
Self-Study Process When Both Professional and
Regional Accreditation Standards Exists on Campus
Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD
Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs
Accreditation Liaison Officer
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Annual Conference
December 9, 2010
Presentation Roadmap
• Provide a brief profile of the University of
Maryland, Baltimore
• Discuss the accreditation reality on a
graduate and professional campus.
• Frame the questions and challenges facing
the ALO at UMB.
• Discuss what worked well in designing and
managing the self-study process.
• Share lessons learned and how they inform
planning for future accreditation activities.
About UMB
• Founding campus (1807) of the University System of Maryland.
• Located in Baltimore City.
• Enrollment: 5,577 Graduate and Professional Students.
772 Undergraduate.
• Schools: Dentistry, Graduate, Law, Medicine, Nursing,
Pharmacy, and Social Work.
• Sponsored research exceeded $550 million in Fiscal Year 2010.
UMB’s Mission
The University of Maryland is the state's
public academic health and law university
devoted to professional and graduate
education, research, patient care, and
public service…UMB is committed to
ensuring that the knowledge it generates
provides maximum benefit to society,
directly enhancing the community.
An ALO’s Dream vs. The Reality
The ideal we wish for
The reality we live with
1. Professional Standards
are similar and
interchangeable
2. Accreditation cycles
complement and are
synchronized with each
other
3. The university and the
schools are focused on
both set of standards
1. Regional and
professional standards
or not fungible
2. Accreditation cycles
clash and overlap
3. Schools are focused
primarily, if not
exclusively, on their
accreditation
Getting a Handle on the Accreditation Cycle
Accrediting Body
Last
Next
Accredited Accreditation
UMB
Middle States Commission on
Higher Education (MSCHE)
2006
2016
Dentistry
Commission on Dental
Accreditation (CODA)
2004
2011
Law
American Bar Association (ABA)
2003
2010 - 2011
Medicine
Liaison Committee on Medical
Education (LCME)
2008
2015 - 2016
Nursing
Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education (CCNE)
2009
2014
Pharmacy
American Council on Pharmacy
Education (ACPE)
2006
2011 - 2012
Social Work Council on Social Work Educations
(CSWE)
2008
TBD
Graduate
Periodic
Periodic
Peer Reviewed
Questions to Consider
1. How does the Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Academic Officer, and Accreditation Liaison
Officer navigate this seemingly complicated
accreditation maze?
2. Are there opportunities that can be
exploited and economies of scale that can
be achieved in designing the self-study
process such that it benefits both the
institution and the schools?
What Worked Well
• ALO adopted a “community organizer”
approach to getting the schools into the
sandbox.
• Found the “Influential Person (IP)” person in
each school to partner with.
– IP not necessarily the big dean
– IP identified the “Reliable People (RP)”
• RP not necessarily people with the titles
• Created work groups around the 14 standards.
What Worked Well
• Created an accreditation matrix.
• Read the schools most recent self-study
– Schools can be mysterious places and can
be reluctant to share information,
especially if there are major dings in their
accreditation report
• Tasked one person to pull the self-study
report together in one voice
– This more than just editing the work
groups’ reports.
Lessons Learned
From the Last Self-Study Design
• Keep the president focused on the
MSCHE accreditation all the time—
don’t wait until a visit is pending.
• Capitalize on the “culture of
accreditation” and expertise in the
schools.
• Establish a standing “University
Committee on Accreditation” which
includes partners from each of the
schools.
Lessons Learned
From the Last Self-Study Design
• Build and maintain an accreditation matrix of
standards.
MSCHE
CODA
ABA
LCME
CCNE
ACPE
CSWE
Mission and
goals
1
1-1
301
ED-1 to
ED-3
I
1
2
3
1.0
Resources
3
4.5
201
ER-4
ER-11
ER-12
II
27
28
29
30
3.5
Assessment
7
1-2
203
ED-46
ED-47
IV
15
4.0
Student
Leaning
14
2-9
2-23
302
303
MS-31 to
MS-37
IIII
11
15
2.0
3.0
• Insist that accreditation standards are
considered when the university sets its strategic
priorities in the strategic planning process.
Questions & Comments
E-mail: rward005@umaryland.edu