ABSTRACT
There are several brief, cogent surveys of higher education accreditation, the most useful of which may be An Overview of US Accreditation by Judith Eaton, president of CHEA, the Council of Higher Education Accreditation. Accreditation has always reflected the values and priorities of those it accredits. That is one of its strengths, according to one perspective, and a considerable weakness, according to another. College administrators and faculty members comprise the majority of accrediting organization boards, review committees, and evaluation teams. National accrediting agencies offer accreditation to institutions and programs that do not qualify for regional accreditation, choose not to pursue regional accreditation, or find the priorities and scope of a national accreditor more consonant with their mission and character. An appreciation for the heterogeneity of US higher education as a distinct American advantage appears fairly early in the history of accreditation.
