Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 21, 2000

Volume 28, Number 29

Accreditation panel concludes
that 'Yale is as good as they come'

Compared to other universities around the world, "Yale is as good as they come," an accreditation panel told the University in a glowing report.

The nine-member panel, led by Stanford University President Gerhard Casper, praised Yale's nationally and internationally distinguished faculty, world-class library, strong finances and effective planning processes.

The panel visited Yale last fall as part of the University's successful accreditation process, to which it submits voluntarily every 10 years as a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The panel examined the University to ensure that it met the association's standards, and it submitted its evaluation report to the association's Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, which then accredited Yale for another 10 years.

In addition to meeting all the standards for accreditation, Yale received high marks from the commission, which notified Yale officially in a letter to President Richard C. Levin.

In his letter, the commission's chair, Adrian Tinsley, president of Bridgewater State College, wrote: "In its many fields of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, the University has earned a well-deserved international reputation of the highest order, and its extraordinary human and fiscal resources have been marshaled effectively on behalf of continuous efforts to attain an even more impressive level of academic accomplishment; the range of programmatic options now available to students at every level is unusually rich in both breadth and depth."

"The Commission," Tinsley went on, "takes very favorable note, too, of the fact that the University has paid particular attention in the past decade to the acquisition and management of financial resources to support its ambitious long-term plans, as well as to the renewal of its existing physical facilities and the construction of new ones.

"Moreover, though this is beyond the scope of an institution of higher education as normally construed, the University has made an admirable and effective effort to share its programs and facilities with the larger New Haven community."

In examining Yale's adherence to the accreditation standards, the outside evaluation team of faculty members and administrators led by Casper included the following findings in its report:

Planning -- Yale's strengths include its established and effective planning processes at the crucial levels and a climate of trust and consensus between the senior faculty and the administration.

Faculty -- The Yale faculty is nationally and internationally distinguished for its research productivity and excellence and, unusual among research universities, for its commitment to the teaching of undergraduates.

Student services -- The Yale environment reflects a "culture of concern" for students, and the bonding that is fostered within residential communities leads to a sense of connectedness that is enduring.

Library -- Yale University's library collections are among the finest in the world. Their breadth and depth meet educational needs of undergraduate students and the research needs of graduate students and faculty

Facilities -- The University has recognized and addressed its difficulties with facilities, and is on a trajectory to restore complete health to an extraordinary physical resource.

Finances -- Good financial management, innovative thinking, the willingness to assume risks, all of which are reflected in the day-to-day management of the institution and in its long-term plans, should enable Yale to achieve the priorities that it has established for itself.

Although the next comprehensive accreditation review of Yale will be in 2009, Yale will submit an interim report to the commission in five years. The commission said it hoped to learn in the interim report of Yale's efforts to reach more quickly its goals for the achievement of greater diversity of race, gender and ethnicity among the faculty. The commission also recommended that Yale ensure that it is adequately communicating its tenure policies to junior faculty, and that it consider whether its "enormous range of programmatic offerings" may be proliferating in a way that draws resources from other areas of need.

Schools seeking to be accredited also are asked to "engage in comprehensive and rigorous self-examination" lasting a year to 18 months. This self-study, which a school uses to measure and verify its achievements and to identify ways to better fulfill its objectives, is also reviewed by the commission.

To complete Yale's self-study, Levin, after consulting with Provost Alison Richard, Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead and other top administrators, appointed 11 committees, one for each of the standards by which Yale would be measured in the accreditation process. (See box, page X.) Levin also chaired the reaccreditation steering committee. In their review of accreditation standards, the committees, where appropriate, were asked to direct their thinking in the broadest way to Yale College, reflecting the fact that many of Yale's professional schools have their own accrediting agencies.

"My gratitude goes to the more than 85 members of the Yale community who have given their time and energy to make this a united and valuable effort," Levin said. "I asked the committees to reflect on issues that -- because of time constraints -- sometimes escape sustained attention. Identifying these issues and the ways to address them will help Yale meet the challenges of is fourth century."

The University has established a reaccreditation website (www.yale.edu/accred) that includes Yale's self-study report, the report of the evaluation team and the letter of reaccreditation received by the University.

Yale's Reaccreditation Committees

Steering Committee
President Richard C. Levin, chair

Standard 1: Mission and Purposes
Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, chair

Standard 2: Planning and Evaluation
Associate Dean of Yale College Judith Hackman, chair

Standard 3: Organization and Governance
Vice President and Secretary of the University Linda Lorimer, chair

Standard 4: Programs and Instruction
Deputy Dean of Yale College Joseph Gordon, chair

Standard 5: Faculty
Deputy Provost of the University Charles Long, chair

Standard 6: Student Services
Associate Dean of Yale College Betty Trachtenberg and
Dean of Calhoun College Stephen Lassonde, co-chairs

Standard 7: Library and Learning Resources
University Librarian Scott Bennett and
University Director of Information Technology Services Daniel Updegrove, co-chairs

Standard 8: Physical Resources
Associate Provost J. Lloyd Suttle, chair

Standard 9: Financial Resources
Director of Capital Budget Management Morten Engstrom, chair

Standard 10: Public Disclosure
Associate Dean of Yale College John Meeske, chair

Standard 11: Integrity
Assistant Vice President, New Haven & State Affairs Michael Morand, chair

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Accreditation panel concludes that 'Yale is as good as they come'

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Remembrance gathering for Chester Kerr

Communiversity Day 2000

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