MOUNT VERNON — Cornell College President Les Garner was featured in an “Inside Higher Ed” article addressing the significant national conversation about assessment and accountability. Garner said that increased pressure from higher education accrediting agencies—rather than pressure from the federal government—has helped colleges improve performance.
At issue is the “fight between federal officials seeking to hold colleges more accountable from the outside and college officials who prefer methods of assessment that focus on internal improvement,” writes reporter Doug Lederman.
Garner is a board member of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the country’s largest regional accrediting association. In the article, he said that while accrediting agency pressure helps colleges improve their performance, demands from the feds are less effective.
“I worry sometimes that with all the time and energy we spend collecting data, we’re going to spend more time collecting it than using it to improve ourselves,” Garner said.
The full article can be found at insidehighered.com.