Spring 2016 Updates

Thank you for your nice comments on the inaugural blog entry. As we begin March 2016, the ACCET staff is finishing up visits with team evaluators in preparation for the April Commission meeting. The weather has raised havoc on a number of occasions for some teams but with the support and flexibility of our member institutions scheduled for visits, we have been able to cover all of our bases. Like all of you, we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring!

The agenda for the April Commission meeting is a crowded one with a number of carryover items from December 2015 and consideration of those member institutions visited in the last two months. In addition, the Commission will take an afternoon to focus solely on our Strategic Priorities. In the two years since the priorities and action items were initially approved, there has been tremendous and rapid progress to the degree that we need to develop a new set of tasks to be accomplished and possibly add an additional strategic priority or two. (An updated copy of the Strategic Priorities Scorecard can be found on this website to give you a better idea of the accomplishments to date.) The Commission will continue to focus on assuring that ACCET will remain relevant and vibrant in this rapidly changing environment. It is no secret that increased government regulations and negative publicity about career colleges has impacted our vocational schools while the strong dollar and less financial support from some key overseas governments have negatively affected our language schools. The Commission will keep these realities in mind as it charts a course for ACCET and its members in the future.

It is hard not to be subsumed by Presidential politics during this election year but a reminder that local congressional races and elections for state legislatures and other positions often impact our member institutions to a very great degree. It is important to assess where all the candidates, not just the incumbents, stand on key issues related to for-profit education. Inviting candidates to visit your schools, holding town meetings and candidate forums on your campuses and educating your communities on key issues are vitally important for future viability.

We are off to a good start here in 2016 and look forward to our continued interaction with our members. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. My best wishes to all.