Accreditation and Academic Freedom

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and have released an advisory statement on Accreditation and Academic Freedom. “This advisory statement addresses the role that accreditation plays in sustaining and enhancing academic freedom in the context of review of institutions and programs for quality,” said CHEA President Judith Eaton. “It is a response to concerns that academic freedom is increasingly challenged in today’s environment and that accreditation can play an even more helpful role in meeting this challenge.” AAUP Senior Program Officer Anita Levy noted “This effort emerged from a desire to reaffirm the importance of academic freedom and its central role in the success of colleges and universities and the work of faculty. The advisory statement is designed to stimulate discussion of academic freedom among institutions, faculty and accrediting organizations.” In early 2012, CHEA and AAUP agreed to work together to address the issue of academic freedom and the role of accreditation. CHEA and AAUP brought together a group of accrediting organizations, members of the AAUP Committee on Accreditation and others to develop an advisory statement. The advisory statement has been approved both by the CHEA Board of Directors and the AAUP Committee on Accreditation. The statement provides guidance to CHEA institutional members, recognized accrediting organizations and AAUP members. For further information, see AAUP’s 1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure and The Role of Faculty in the Accrediting of Colleges and Universities and CHEA publicationsThe Condition of Accreditation: U.S. Accreditation in 2011 andThe Value of Accreditation. To send questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact Anita Levy at alevy@aaup.org. If the link to the statement does not work, please copy and pastehttp://www.aaup.org/NR/rdonlyres/330AEBD1-569D-49AD-ADCA-F4D33FDCF04C/0/AAUPCHEAFINAL.pdf into your browser.