September 2016 Updates
Greetings to all of you. I realize that this is a very busy season with new classes and new cohorts all getting underway. I wish you success in these endeavors with hopes that, despite present challenges, you are seeing positive results and continue to be inspired by our students and the importance of our work.
Our annual conference in Pueblo Santa Ana, New Mexico is rapidly approaching and registrations have been steady. I realize that some member schools have financial priorities that may be more pressing but attendance at the annual conference is an excellent way to keep current, make contacts, and re-charge your batteries. Accordingly, please make every effort to attend and benefit from a very strong program and a myriad of professional and personal opportunities.
The ACCET Commission met during the first week of August with a very heavy agenda. Elsewhere on the website you can find a summary of actions. We welcomed five new members and re-accredited twenty institutions. There were, however, five denials pending appeal of either initial accreditation (4) or reaccreditation (1) – an unusually high number. We have finished out the year in between conferences with a modest net gain of total main campuses. Considering the turbulence that both the for-profit and IEP sectors are experiencing, this is a considerable achievement on the part of our membership and remarkable stability for our agency. Congratulations to all involved.
We follow with concern the developments this past week with the closure of ITT Tech and the impact it has had on more than 40,000 students and 8,000 employees. A minimal number of ACCET members have curricula and degree levels that match those of ITT Tech but I am aware and applaud the efforts of those that do to accommodate former ITT students. Some have raised transfer of credit flexibility issues of which we are generally supportive but a quick call here to the ACCET office is in order if you anticipate a temporary loosening of your policy to deal with this emergency.
The ACICS issue remains very live and ACCET is in serious conversation with a good number of ACICS members who are considering a switch of their accreditation. It is still too early to determine the actual number of institutions that will follow through. Most of you are aware that retired ACCET Executive Director Roger Williams is serving as the Interim President of ACICS during these daunting times for the agency. Roger’s expertise and leadership have had a stabilizing effect on ACICS in just a short period of time and we wish him and the agency well.
The end of the conference will mark a change in ACCET Commission leadership as Peggy Tiderman will assume the Chair position bringing many years of ACCET and industry experience to the post. We will honor current Chair Res Helfer during the conference for his strong leadership and commitment to our organization. I look forward to seeing many of you in Pueblo Santa Ana and thank you for continued support.