Why Become Accredited?

Why should your program pursue ACCE accreditation? You are in the best position to answer that for yourself but here are what others who have achieved accreditation through ACCE have to say about why it was important to them.

Thomas M. Akins, Executive Director (ret.), Georgia Institute of Technology
Kettil Cedercreutz, Associate Provost and Director, University of Cincinnati
Scott Maynard, Director, Mississippi State University
Mary Rose Tichar, Director, Case Western Reserve University
Col Warren Lee Riles, Director, Georgia Southern University

 

Since the inception of its program in 1912, Georgia Tech has striven to be a leader in the field of Cooperative Education. Consequently, when the possibility of a formal accreditation of the Co-op Program arose, this institution wanted to be among the first to be recognized in such a manner. The question that seemed to resonate in the minds of Tech’s administration was not “Why pursue ACCE accreditation?” but rather, “Why NOT pursue it?” In contemporary vernacular, it was a “no-brainer” for Georgia Tech to desire this recognition of its Co-op Program. Being the largest totally optional program in the country, with a rich tradition among the students and alumni, it is considered a privilege to be among the leadership in the co-op community. With that privilege comes responsibility.

Since the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) no longer provides any type of standards or real benchmarking specifically geared toward co-op programs, it seemed only fitting that co-op practitioners develop a mechanism by which such programs might be able to gauge their effectiveness and quality. Thus, it seemed necessary to the leaders in co-op that a set of attributes, or some benchmarking tools, be developed to determine the quality level of any school that applies for accreditation. These were finalized in 1998 with the first “class” of accredited programs announced in 1999.

However, the emphasis here is not just on the formal acknowledgement that one’s program meets certain criteria. Rather, Georgia Tech viewed it as a way to perform a self-assessment of sorts, and follow that up with outside evaluators (appointed by ACCE) who conducted a thorough review of all aspects of the program. The gathering of information through introspection and self-study was invaluable and the report given by the visiting practitioner team has been of great assistance.

But “How has this process helped?” one may ask. Actually, three great benefits have resulted from this effort:

1. A certain level of credibility and respect among the academic units and higher administration has come about, as they have learned of the program’s accreditation status. This is not to say it did not exist prior to accreditation, but the relationship has been enhanced.
2. The Co-op Program is able to enforce its policies, procedures, and requirements much better with its students and employers. When operating an optional program this can be difficult, as students can enroll and withdraw with much flexibility. Employers sometimes attempt to operate in a manner that may not benefit the educational aspects of co-op. Having standards set forth by an independent organization, that one can refer to, makes that enforcement more palpable and sends a definite message to students, parents, and employers.
3. Accreditation has also helped in developing resources for the Co-op Program at Georgia Tech. Not that accreditation criteria sets things such as student to advisor ratios, or budgetary needs. However, the administration at Georgia Tech knows that in order to maintain quality standards, it is important to supply the necessary resources to adequately support programs to the optimum level.

Georgia Tech operates a world-class co-op program. Accreditation by ACCE is a method to provide the necessary feedback to continue to operate in a world-class fashion. Why would a school seek ACCE accreditation for its co-op program? The real question is: why wouldn’t it?

Thomas M. Akins
Executive Director
Georgia Institute of Technology
Division of Professional Practice
Atlanta GA 30332-0260
Phone: 404/894-3320
Fax: 404/894-7308
tom.akins@profpractice.gatech.edu

Quality is the most important measure of success when evaluating higher education. For universities committed to offering quality cooperative education programs, it is important that their work be acknowledged, and the quality of their pedagogy recognized. At the University of Cincinnati, the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education (ACCE) guidelines have proven to be an invaluable help when expanding Cooperative Education to the graduate level. The framework offered by ACCE is well established and wins resonance within the greater academic community. ACCE must be recognized as having done extensive work in defining the processes that characterize quality Cooperative Education. ACCE has made it possible for the public to distinguish between multiple forms of experiential learning, such as Cooperative Education, Internships, Service Learning, etc. When standardizing their processes, building blocks, and vocabulary, the groundbreaking work of ACCE stands as a model for faculty and practitioners who are engaged in other experiential learning methodologies.

A coherent model of experiential learning accreditation, which I hope the future will bring us, would contribute to establishing a defined set of definitions within higher education. As of today, however, ACCE is still the forerunner in this area of academic process definition.

Dr. Kettil Cedercreutz
Associate Provost and Director
University of Cincinnati
P.O. Box 210115
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0115
Phone: 513/556-4636
Fax: 513/556-5061
kettil.cedercreutz@uc.edu

The impact of ACCE accreditation on the Mississippi State University Cooperative Education Program has been very positive. Internally, it provides the Cooperative Education Program an enhanced level of status with faculty, staff, and the administration.  Externally, it shows all who utilize our services that the Cooperative Education Program has aspired to and achieved a high set of standards in which it operates.  The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation review noted the accreditation status of the Co-op program by the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education.

Mr. Scott N. Maynard
Director
Mississippi State University 
P.O. Box P
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Phone: 662/325-3344
Fax: 662/325-7975
smaynard@career.msstate.edu

The co-op staff and faculty at Case Western Reserve University regard our students as highly talented individuals who have tremendous potential for being future leaders in industry and business. Thus, the co-op procedures and requirements are carefully constructed to support this vision. To maintain this high standard of cooperative education for our students and employers, the Case School of Engineering has elected to adhere to the standards set forth by ACCE. ACCE standards and accreditation reminds us internally and sends a strong message to our constituents that co-op learning is taken seriously at CWRU. ACCE optimizes and strengthens the Case Co-op Program and holds us accountable for everything we do within the program. We are quite proud to have this standard of excellence associated with our Co-op Program and proudly display this in our written literature and communications with students, faculty, staff, and prospective students and employers of Case Western Reserve University.

Mary Rose Tichar
Director, Cooperative Education Program
Case Western Reserve University
Nord Hall, 304B
Cleveland, OH 44106-7240
Phone: 216/368-4447
mrt2@case.edu

The CO-OP Program is an educational program which supports the University goal of Academic Excellence. Georgia Southern University CO-OP Program applied for ACCE Accreditation for the following reasons: To improve the quality of GSU’s CO-OP Program Obtain additional university support from faculty, staff and senior management Support the University Accreditation reviews   Attract quality employers with a long-term CO-OP commitment Provide enhanced services to our Customers Creation of a competitive advantage: Recognized as one of the best Cooperative Education Programs in the country Demonstrate high-quality standards Creation of an efficient and cost effective recruiting tool for high ability high school students

• Identified/validated our “Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities”
• Marketing strategies
• Force us to re-examine the CO-OP Program vision, mission, assessment of student learning, standards and the development of a long term strategy plan

Program improvements that came about as a result of the Process:

• Addition of a “Parallel” CO-OP Program and a “Combination” CO-OP Program
• Additional manpower support
• Realistic CO-OP budget

Impact of Gaining ACCE Accreditation:

• Job promotions
• Status increased on campus
• More employers are requesting the establishment of a CO-OP with GSU
• Increased resources for CO-OP Program
• Creation of a Job Shadowing Program and a Paid Internship Program

Col Warren Lee Riles
Director, Career Services
Georgia Southern University
P.O. Box 8069
Statesboro, GA 30460-8069
Phone: 912/478-5197
Fax: 912/478-0564
rileswl@georgiasouthern.edu