This study shows that faculty members want to be a part of the accreditation process and
highlights yet another important view that faculty members hold about the accreditation
process. Giving faculty members a sense of empowerment ―also went a long way in
[making the accreditation] process work for the improvement of the institution‘s
academic programs‖ (Nichols, 1995, p. 18). Increased responsibility in creating and
evaluating learning objectives was yet another influence of the accreditation process on
faculty academic life (Nichols, 1995). This study did highlight the faculty members‘
voices as they relate to the accreditation process, but singularly illuminating their stories
would have provided even more valuable data on the views and assumptions of the
faculty members‘ experience with the accreditation process.
Another interesting finding by Fisk and Duryea (1977) was that as a result of
accreditation processes, faculty unionization increased. It seems that faculty members felt
threatened after the experience and felt a need for bargaining power with accreditation
agencies and other governing bodies. Hearing the faculty members‘ stories about the
experience has the potential to give a clearer understanding of why unionization
increased and to focus on how faculty members arrive at their perceptions about the
accreditation process. Yet, there is a gap in understanding because this research does not
fully represent the faculty members‘ voices and how they make meaning of the
experience.
Faculty Perception and Resistance to Accreditation Processes
Faculty perceptions of the accreditation process and accreditation related
activities like assessment are not positive and result in a resistance to accountability
efforts like the accreditation process. In an article entitled ―Differing Administrator,
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Faculty, and Staff Perceptions of Organizational Culture as Related to External
Accreditation,‖ Claire H. Procopio (2010) stated,
For accreditation to have what is termed intrinsic value (i.e. value beyond the
accrediting agency‘s stamp of approval and access to federal student loans and
grants), college accreditation leaders are told they must overcome the perception
of faculty and staff that accreditation is simply a pro forma hoop through which
they must jump every five to ten years. (para. 7)
There is no wonder that faculty perceive the accreditation process differently when
Procopio (2010) further states that ―It is probable that leaders of an accreditation effort
receive more information, are more highly involved, and are, in fact, in supervisory roles
more than their non-committee counterparts,‖ and ―Least satisfied [with the process] are
the two groups reporting active and minimal involvement‖ (para. 27). The study reports
that the minimally involved group is faculty. Procopio (2010) goes on to say that those
who are ―minimally involved‖ in the accreditation process commonly experience
―frustration.‖ Furthermore, ―the additional meetings in reality and/or in perception do not
strike personnel as affording everyone the opportunity to be included in discussions, to
tap creative potential, to result in decisions being enacted, or to be time well spent‖
(Procopio, 2010, para. 28). One of the most relevant findings in this research article is:
Faculty need a voice in crafting what they perceive to be a healthy climate,
effective information flow, useful meetings, and appropriate levels of
involvement.... These findings seem to indicate that very high-end involvement
yields some satisfaction with the organizational culture, but simply being asked to
participate (actively or minimally) in the [accreditation] process by those who
lead drives up frustration. (Procopio, 2010, para. 30)
Schilling and Schilling (1998) identified the perception that faculty have about
assessment, one of their main roles in the accreditation process, as one of disdain. Faculty
members see it as just one more command for accountability (Procopio, 2010; Schilling
& Schilling, 1998). The contempt that faculty feel towards assessment was also attributed
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to faculty members feeling ―overburdened‖ with yet another responsibility on already
―full plates.‖ Schilling and Schilling (1998) further stated that faculty members are still
uncertain about assessment and this leads to some of their resistance. Another study
suggested to counteract faculty perceptions and resistance to accreditation, ―encourage
teamwork and team building through brainstorming, dialogue and discussion, and joint
projects‖ (Palomba & Banta, 1999, pp. 65 66); and ―to set clear and defined roles in the
assessment process‖ (Palomba & Banta, 1999, p. 53).
The faculty perspectives emerge as a result of how faculty experience
accreditation. Therefore, it is apparent that the way in which faculty experience
accreditation is the greatest predictor of the faculty‘s perspectives on the experience