Higher education leaders convened virtually Nov. 19 to discuss the role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and accreditation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prairie View A&M University’s Minority Achievement, Creativity and High-Ability Center (MACH-III) hosted the webcast that was moderated by Dr. Jamal Watson, a professor at Trinity Washington University and contributor to Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.
“The good news is that every institution in the universe is being impacted by COVID,” said Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, president of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. “The bad news is that every institution in the universe is being impacted by COVID.”
She began the webinar by discussing accreditation, saying it is a “process of continued improvement.”
To understand more about the accreditation process from an administrative perspective, Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, president of Huston-Tillotson University (HT), recommended learning the standards and history of the institution.
Wheelan added that getting involved in on-campus efforts and reading the most recent self-study on the institution provide the opportunity to see and understand the current challenges.
“We suggest to institutions that they deal with accreditation every year, not just wait until the two years before the process begins,” she said. “Because that way, you can continually improve and you have fewer recommendations once the team comes in.”
