Any Time Now
Accreditation apathy harms school

It has been seven years since TCU was re-accreditated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the university is still not in compliance with the re-accreditation criteria that was set in 1994.

What is taking so long?

Provost William Koehler said TCU is for the most part in compliance with the criteria, but if someone was to take a close look at what the university has accomplished then it really is not in compliance.

Well which is it? The university is either in compliance or is not, there is no in between.

When SACS’s visiting committee’s evaluation on TCU was released, it said the university was not communicating enough with the faculty and staff. When asked about the communication problems, TCU administration said they have supplied enough information to everyone.

After that evaluation TCU set up a four-year plan to meet the criteria, but the plan was retracted by Koehler. A second statement was issued which indicated plans were in the making to meet the criteria by the next re-accreditation, which is in 2003.

That’s not that far away. If TCU was unable to make the changes in seven years, what makes them think they can do it in two years?

To those of you who have an office on the third floor of Sadler Hall, the people you are hurting are the ones whose tuition pays your salary. SACS doesn’t set the criteria just for the fun of it, the criteria are there to benefit the university as a whole.

By leaving people out of the advancement process and by taking so long to comply with the rules, the administration issetting TCU up to fall into an even lower rank among universities.

Although TCU may have gone about this the wrong way, accreditation is important to the university and the future of the faculty, staff and students who call TCU their home.

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