Interesting perspectives indeed. Now, imagine one
alternative: institutions hiring IR'ers as consultants
and paying them accordingly, as opposed to hidden
intents to hire them for a one- or two-year stint
while effectively attempting to demonstrate a deep
commitment to quality assurance; visiting teams seem
to be accepting or ignoring patterns quite apparent at
some private/not-for-profit institutions.
It seems the need to demonstrate true continuous
quality improvement would create a sustainable, rather
than a temporal, demand for IR'ers--certainly,
continuity is a basic tenet behind the AQIP endeavor.
As an AQIP design consultant and a member of the first
class of it strategy facilitators, I find the
disconnect very interesting and perplexing.
Is gaining accreditation on the cheap really
fulfilling the public charter and trust (NPOs are
expected to operate accordingly) and serving students,
society well?
Certainly, there are some valid rumblings created by
the Spellings' group...okay...okay...I will stop now
and seek a more appropriate (offline) forum to address
these concerns. All ideas are invited and welcome.
Thanks again for tolerating my indulgence!
Steve
--- "Fenton, Kathleen" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Sustainability is a good way to approach the topic.
> Kudos for Greg for
> putting the issue in a strategic perspective.
>
>
>
> Kathleen Fenton
>
> Rhodes State College
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Ohio Association for Institutional Research
> (Ohio AIR)
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Greg Grady
> Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 11:06 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Possible topic for future meetings
>
>
>
> "Accreditation prostitutes" what a great term.
> Can't you just see them
> on a street corner hustling their institution
> statistics? While it is
> true that the demand for institutional research,
> effectiveness and
> strategic planning increase during the accreditation
> process, one should
> not feel that once the institution is accredited
> there should be the
> same demand. Hopefully the self-study and the
> recommendations of the
> accrediting body will require the institution to
> establish indicators
> that need to be updated on a regular basis. However
> the effort and time
> needed to update these indicators may not be as
> great as during the
> accreditation process. Nature of the beast - isn't
> that why we hire
> consultants sometimes on special projects? I would
> hardly consider them
> "prostitutes" (well maybe some people would).
>
> So would there be an interest in a topic about
> institutions ramping up
> for accreditation, and then ramping down? Maybe, in
> the sense that, how
> much extra man-power, new hires, consultants were
> needed to complete the
> self-study, etc. and how much extra man-power, new
> hires, consultants
> were needed to sustain the goals of the institution
> and the accrediting
> body?
>
>
>
> Greg Grady
> Xavier University
> Strategic Information Resources
> Research Analyst
> 3800 Victory Parkway
> Cincinnati, OH 45207-5121
> (513) 745-3631
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "S. Hoagland" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sunday, February 11, 2007 3:52 pm
> Subject: Possible topic for future meetings
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> > Hello IR'ers,
> >
> > I wonder how many of our colleagues would have
> > interest in topic related to screening prospective
>
> > employers. How about a topic like "A profile of
> > institutions that appear to make a mockery out of
> > quality assurance practices and accreditation
> > processes."
> >
> > A workshop or presentation along these lines could
>
> > help our hardworking colleagues steer clear of
> those
> > (small, private?)institutions that appear to have
> a
> > track record of ramping up for accreditation,
> > receiving a stamp of approval, and then ramping
> down.
> > It could also help them avoid periods of
> unemployment.
> >
> > Statistics such as retention and graduation rates
> and
> > financial ratios are a good place to start. Better
>
> > yet, one might consider visiting
> >
>
http://www.ncahlc.org/index.php?institution=&state=OH&submit=Search&form
> _submitted=TRUE&option=com_directory&showquery=
> > or http://www.chea.org/search/search.asp.
> >
> > I am uncertain about your recent experiences, but
> some
> > recruiters and search committees with which I had
> > recent interactions seem baffled by the question
> "What
> > commitment does your institution have toward
> > institutional research, strategic and
> effectiveness
> > planning, etc.?"
> >
> > Those answers of late seem to indicate a
> commitment to
> > the cycle referenced above. By the way, exercise
> > caution when reviewing current and future
> employment
> > opportunities even those posted on the AIR
> website.
> > IMHO, there are some institutions around that are
> > always looking for a few good what might be called
>
> > "accreditation prostitutes" for the lack of a
> better
> > phrase.
> >
> > Is there any interest in such a topic? If so, do
> you
> > know anyone who could effectively speak to the
> topic?
> > As a plausible research project, it would be
> difficult
> > to obtain informed consent from the research
> subjects.
> >
> > Thank for your attention and consideration!
> >
> > Best wishes,
> >
> > Steve Hoagland
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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>
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