It's a good thing there is more than one person involved in an accreditation review, but imagine if ONE atheist, for example, was charged with reviewing a religious college for accreditation. It would be impossible for his/her bias not to have an effect on the outcome of the accreditation process.
In the United States we have no clear cut answers to accreditation and state laws vary widely regarding licensing/approval. It's bad enough coming from public officials (Mr. Oregon) who really don't have any accreditation experience, but it certainly doesn't help matters when institutions place themselves on a pedestal. One quick visit to Indiana Wesleyan University's FAQ's section and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.iwuonline.com/iwuonline-faq.htm
Q: "My last college was nationally accredited. Why doesn't IWU accept its credits for transfer?"
A: "National accreditation, though it sounds broader in scope, is quite different from regional accreditation. While many national or international accrediting agencies perform valid accreditation of specific programs - and IWU holds several such national accreditations - the majority of national accreditations are technical or specific to a profession, rather than academic, in nature."
WTF? They admit national accreditation is valid and they admit they hold national accreditations (not DETC, etc. of course) and yet they still tell the prospective student national accreditation isn't good enough!
What a mangled, anti-competitive mess.
In the United States we have no clear cut answers to accreditation and state laws vary widely regarding licensing/approval. It's bad enough coming from public officials (Mr. Oregon) who really don't have any accreditation experience, but it certainly doesn't help matters when institutions place themselves on a pedestal. One quick visit to Indiana Wesleyan University's FAQ's section and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.iwuonline.com/iwuonline-faq.htm
Q: "My last college was nationally accredited. Why doesn't IWU accept its credits for transfer?"
A: "National accreditation, though it sounds broader in scope, is quite different from regional accreditation. While many national or international accrediting agencies perform valid accreditation of specific programs - and IWU holds several such national accreditations - the majority of national accreditations are technical or specific to a profession, rather than academic, in nature."
WTF? They admit national accreditation is valid and they admit they hold national accreditations (not DETC, etc. of course) and yet they still tell the prospective student national accreditation isn't good enough!
What a mangled, anti-competitive mess.