SFU seeking U.S. accreditation
Jon Driver, 778.782.3925; (c) 604.561.6672; driver@sfu.ca
Glynn Nicholls, 778.782.6702; gnicholl@sfu.ca
Stuart Colcleugh, PAMR, 778.782.3219; colcleugh@sfu.ca
With no comparable national quality-assurance organization in Canada, Simon Fraser University has applied for formal accreditation from the Washington-based Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
The NWCCU is one of six independent regional agencies officially sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate post-secondary school educational quality and institutional effectiveness.
The independent, non-profit NWCCU approved SFU’s application in January 2009. The full accreditation process, which is based on a series of SFU self-assessments and NWCCU member peer reviews, will take between five and seven years to complete.
“When we investigated joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) we realized we’d have to decide about accreditation,” says VP-academic and accreditation sponsor, Jon Driver, “because the NCAA requires all its members to be accredited by a U.S. regional accreditation agency.
“As we did our homework, it became clear that accreditation could also lead to numerous academic and other non-athletic benefits.”
Accreditation will enhance both the university’s reputation for academic quality and the value of an SFU degree for alumni abroad, while improving internal assessment and accountability, says academic planning and budgeting director, Glynn Nicholls, accreditation project manager.
“It will establish clearer benchmarks for assessing learning outcomes as well,” says Nicholls, “and will smooth the progress of curriculum reform and benefit students’ learning experiences.”
What’s more, “Canada is the only developed country that doesn’t have a national post-secondary accreditation system, so while we’re fulfilling an obligation we’re also taking advantage of a huge opportunity,” says KC Bell, SFU’s special projects director and primary accreditation author.
“University accreditation is increasingly important to international students and their families, particularly in B.C. where several private colleges have failed in recent years.
“A globally recognized guarantee of quality will increase SFU’s profile abroad and help us attract the best international students.”
But “the value of accreditation is not limited to quality assurance alone,” says Driver. “It also fosters public confidence in an institution’s ability to fulfill its stated mission and goals.”
SFU will be the first major Canadian post-secondary research institution to be accredited in the U.S., although Capilano University is also seeking accreditation and Alberta’s exclusively online Athabasca University was accredited in 2006.
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BACKGROUNDER: The accreditation process
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) currently classifies SFU as an “applicant,” a status that will last for the next two years. During that time, the university must conduct a very detailed self-study examining how its policies, procedures and practices relate to five overall standards prescribed by the NWCCU.
A team of senior administrators and academic peers from U.S. institutions will visit SFU and issue an evaluation report to which SFU will respond. If all goes well, SFU will be granted “candidate” status by the end of 2011. Candidacy can last up to five years, during which SFU will produce regular reports expected to lead to accredited status. Once accredited, member institutions begin a regular seven-year cycle of annual reports and two visits from the NWCCU.
Each cycle concludes with a full self-study and reaccreditation. SFU is funding the accreditation initiative from its Fraser International College revenues.
The accrediting organization
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation. It is one of six regional organizations recognized as accrediting authorities for post-secondary institutions by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The NWCCU is responsible for accrediting 163 universities and colleges in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and now British Columbia. Its decision-making body consists of as many as 26 commissioners who represent the public and higher education institutions within the region.
Comments
Comment GuidelinesCongratulations to SFU for taking this important step towards accreditation. Capilano University, which is about a year ahead of SFU in the accreditation procedure, has been happy to help this institution in answering questions about the process. Best of luck!
Congratulations SFU once again for demonstrating the trailblazing spirit and initiative that you've become known for. I'm proud to be an SFU student and soon I'll be an even prouder alumnus.
I can give a living, tried and true testimonial as an Alumni (2003) of Simon Fraser University - one who has spent the last 7 years in the U.S. in the career path of a public accounting firm auditor and an advocate of the IRS.
S.F.U. has given me the necessary tools (BBA - Accounting) of objectivity and well-roundedness (due to its strict curriculum/criterias of a BBA; the bell-curving of particular courses, and its credits mix) to do my job to the best of my abilities. A great foundation of booksmarts (2D thinking) was garnered here, to bridge to the real world (3D thinking - for lack of better analogy).
I can appreciate the differences and commonalities of CDN and US GAAP as well as tax treatments that are built to suit various nations with their unique societies and economies. Everything must be taken in balance, from the lands of MNCs to emerging markets and ideas exchanged diplomatically.
Thank you SFU; to a faculty and a communial group of students working collectively to better the future.
I absolutely agree S.F.U. should be US accredited so that more fellow students can experience the land of endless opportunities.
Best
I'm going to echo what Mariam Bajwa Ghumman has said. I am a SFU alumni pursuing postgraduate studies in the UK, and it is only now, that I'm interacting with peers from around the world, that I realize the quality of education I received at SFU. Thank you SFU for a fantastic founation.
Fed up with the worst president ever
congrats for selling out Canada to u.s interests and downgrading the Canadian education to the lower u.s level. all of the above congratulations refer to the quality of education that existed before the current president stepped in and ruined SFU.
Holly Christie
I would like to make note that Lansbridge University, a private university in New Brunswick gained DETC accredition in 2005. The Distance Education Training Council is a national accrediting body based in Washington, DC. Lansbridge is the only post-secondary institution in Canada to hold DETC accreditation.