The University has already begun preparation for its December 2009 reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
All colleges and universities within SACS' 11-state domain must be reaccredited every 10 years according to requirements set forth by the organization's Commission on Colleges.
"It's a very long, detailed and rigorous self-scrutiny-a means of quality control," said Judith Ruderman, accreditation director and vice provost for academic and administrative services. "The process takes about two and a half years, that's why we're already working on it.... We want to do a good job."
Ruderman, who was also in charge of the University's most recent reaffirmation, said the process will cover all undergraduate, graduate and professional schools.
She added that SACS divides the process into two parts-a Compliance Certification document and a Quality Enhancement Plan.
Three committees-a leadership team, a compliance certification team and an assessment working group-have been formed to work on the reaccreditation.
Committee members include administrators, staff and undergraduate and graduate and professional students.
The leadership team will facilitate the entire reaffirmation, including both the Compliance Certification document and the Quality Enhancement Plan, said Provost Peter Lange, a member of the committee.
"We have a broad oversight role in the process-help identify the big themes for Duke and how we can best use the reaccreditation to advance the broad strategic goals and ambitions," he said.
The compliance certification team's function is to demonstrate how the University meets SACS' requirements for reaccreditation, said Ruderman, who also chairs the committee.
Duke's Compliance Certification document-which outlines how the University fulfills the 75 requirements, standards and federal regulations set forth by SACS-must be submitted to an off-site review committee by Dec. 10, 2008, approximately six months before the scheduled reaffirmation visit, Ruderman said.
"I know it seems like a long time, but it takes a very long time to demonstrate compliance across the University," she said.
The assessment working group will help demonstrate how the compliance requirements are fulfilled, said group co-convener David Jamieson-Drake, director of the Office of Institutional Research. He added that assessment and accountability are closely linked together.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' commission has contributed to the need for assessment and accountability of universities on a national level, Ruderman said.
"The commission wants institutions to be more accountable to the public," Jamieson-Drake said. "Assessment is what enables you to be publically accountable, if you assess how well you're doing then you can tell everybody about it."
Jamieson-Drake said the assessment working group will work closely with not only the Compliance Certification document but also the Quality Enhancement Plan-a self-study topic of choice that deals with student learning.
The group will develop an assessment that can determine if the goal of the Quality Enhancement Plan is reached.
The Quality Enhancement Plan is due approximately three months after the Compliance Certification document and will be examined by an on-site committee, Ruderman said.
Potential topics of study proposed by administrators, staff and students are currently being gathered and considered, Ruderman said.
Appropriate committees will be formed once the topic of study is identified, she added.
"We want to pick a topic that will advance us as past self-studies have," she said. "Not a make-work topic but one that stems from our mission and our strategic planning, and furthers the ambitions and goals of Duke University, making us a better place."
In the last two reaccreditation processes, the topics of self study were "balance of roles of the research university" and "crossing boundaries," Ruderman said.
"It's an important time and it's bound for our benefit," said leadership team member Robert Thompson, dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and provost of undergraduate education. "We should take advantage of the self study so it's not just sitting on the shelf but has implications for the future."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.