AMU Accreditor Not Endorsed by ED
Fri, Dec21, 2007 - Category: University
Ave Maria University's only access to federal
financial aid is through The American Academy for
Liberal Education (AALE). As AveWatch readers know
(see series here),
AALE has been in hot water with the federal
Department of Education since 2001. Earlier this
week, a Department of Education (ED) panel
charged with reviewing accrediting agencies
(NACIQI) voted (again) to not endorse AALE's
renewal as an agency and, instead, chose to
defer the decision to renew or boot AALE for one
year.
Chronicle of Higher Education, Weds. Dec. 19, 2007 (subscription):
AALE returned for its follow-up review this week, with Naciqi's professional staff having graded the accreditor as largely complying with the conditions set out a year ago, though without having fully demonstrated changes through updated assessments of its member colleges.
A department official who prepared the staff analysis, Steve Porcelli, told Naciqi that the accreditor's leadership had been a "failure" in the past. Yet the AALE's member institutions had forced changes that made the academy worthy of another one-year extension of accrediting authority, Mr. Porcelli said. "To not give it a chance would be almost a shame," he said.
Naciqi did endorse the one-year extension, and it also voted unanimously to suggest that the secretary allow the academy to resume accrediting new applicant colleges.
Chronicle of Higher Education, Thurs. Dec. 20, 2007 (subscription):
Naciqi, during the two-day series of reviews for 17 accrediting agencies, endorsed the renewal applications of all but two. Those, the American Academy for Liberal Education and the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council, received deferrals that would grant them continued federal authority while they resolve some problem areas.
AMU was supposed to be evaluated by AALE in November to receive either final full accreditation or to be dropped by the agency; AMU was on its last possible round of temporary pre-accreditation with AALE. Instead of voting to accept or reject AMU last month, AALE recently extended AMU's temporary accreditation "because of AALE's uncertain status with the federal Department of Education". This extension violated AALE's own rules in terms of (a) the number of extensions that AMU has received and (b) AALE's own stated policy of requesting and evaluating public input on the schools that it evaluates. That is, AALE sought no public input on AMU (see here).
Ave Maria and AALE have a history of questionable interactions including, most recently, an offer by AMU to give AALE significant financial assistance. This conflict-of-interest may explain the curious report last month by Naples Daily News in which "the AALE was organizing a third-party site visit to Ave Maria in the spring to evaluate the school." Why would an accrediting agency, whose purpose is to evaluate institutions, want or need to bring in "a third-party" to do AMU's site visit? Strange.
As AALE's existence hangs by a thread, the agency and its member institutions should think long and hard about whether the antics of AMU are worth the added scrutiny that the public and the Department of Education will heap upon them.
AMU's application to another accreditor, SACS, does not look promising and is, according to the former Provost of AMU, "still 3-4 years away".
Chronicle of Higher Education, Weds. Dec. 19, 2007 (subscription):
AALE returned for its follow-up review this week, with Naciqi's professional staff having graded the accreditor as largely complying with the conditions set out a year ago, though without having fully demonstrated changes through updated assessments of its member colleges.
A department official who prepared the staff analysis, Steve Porcelli, told Naciqi that the accreditor's leadership had been a "failure" in the past. Yet the AALE's member institutions had forced changes that made the academy worthy of another one-year extension of accrediting authority, Mr. Porcelli said. "To not give it a chance would be almost a shame," he said.
Naciqi did endorse the one-year extension, and it also voted unanimously to suggest that the secretary allow the academy to resume accrediting new applicant colleges.
Chronicle of Higher Education, Thurs. Dec. 20, 2007 (subscription):
Naciqi, during the two-day series of reviews for 17 accrediting agencies, endorsed the renewal applications of all but two. Those, the American Academy for Liberal Education and the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council, received deferrals that would grant them continued federal authority while they resolve some problem areas.
AMU was supposed to be evaluated by AALE in November to receive either final full accreditation or to be dropped by the agency; AMU was on its last possible round of temporary pre-accreditation with AALE. Instead of voting to accept or reject AMU last month, AALE recently extended AMU's temporary accreditation "because of AALE's uncertain status with the federal Department of Education". This extension violated AALE's own rules in terms of (a) the number of extensions that AMU has received and (b) AALE's own stated policy of requesting and evaluating public input on the schools that it evaluates. That is, AALE sought no public input on AMU (see here).
Ave Maria and AALE have a history of questionable interactions including, most recently, an offer by AMU to give AALE significant financial assistance. This conflict-of-interest may explain the curious report last month by Naples Daily News in which "the AALE was organizing a third-party site visit to Ave Maria in the spring to evaluate the school." Why would an accrediting agency, whose purpose is to evaluate institutions, want or need to bring in "a third-party" to do AMU's site visit? Strange.
As AALE's existence hangs by a thread, the agency and its member institutions should think long and hard about whether the antics of AMU are worth the added scrutiny that the public and the Department of Education will heap upon them.
AMU's application to another accreditor, SACS, does not look promising and is, according to the former Provost of AMU, "still 3-4 years away".