ACICS President Timothy. Arndt

E-mail : timothy.arndt@acics.us

Accrediting Council of International Certificates and Societies (ACICS), is a non-profit organization and a global advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation accrediting organization quality through high standard accreditation. ACICS is an association of many recognizes institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations.

ACICS governed by a group of board of college and university presidents, institutional representatives and public members and ACICS is a primary voice for accreditation and quality assurance to the international accreditation organizations. It's focus on worldwide accreditation community to international audiences with concern on the importance of international certification, value, and practicality of audit and certification body's legitimacy. Members of ACICS must present their high standards of international legality and high academic certification quality.

 

Our Services

  • International leader in identifying and articulating emerging issues in quality assurance.
  • International forum to address issues of mutual interest and concern in voluntary certifying.
  • Authoritative source of data and information about regional, faith-based, private career and programmatic accreditors.
  • Projects and initiatives to strengthen accreditation and its role in serving the public interest.
  • Conferences and meetings.
  • Mediation and dispute-resolution service.
  • Databases and directories of accredited institutions and programs and accreditation or quality assurance bodies.

 

Recognition

Recognition is the scrutiny and certification of the quality of regional, faith-based, private career and programmatic accrediting organizations.

 

Recognition Standards

  • Accreditors have a clear description of academic quality and clear expectations that the institutions or programs they accredit have processes to determine whether quality standards are being met.
  • Accreditors have standards that call for institutions and programs to provide consistent, reliable information about academic quality and achievement to foster continuing public confidence and investment.
  • Encourage, where appropriate, self scrutiny and planning for change and needed improvement. Accreditors encourage self scrutiny for change and needed improvement through ongoing self-examination in institutions and programs.
  • Employ appropriate and fair procedures in decision making. Accreditors maintain appropriate and fair organizational policies and procedures that include effective checks and balances.
  • Demonstrate ongoing review of accreditation practice. Accreditors undertake self scrutiny of their accrediting activities.
  • Possess sufficient resources. Accreditors have and maintain predictable and stable resources.

 

Since its inception, ACICS has served accrediting organizations, academic institutions and society in following major ways:

  • ACICS is a major international voice for accreditation to the public, consistently making the case for accreditation as a system of successful private sector self-regulation of accreditation organizations.
  • ACICS is a forceful and persistent advocate for accreditation with congress in meeting the challenge of reauthorization of the higher accreditation act and in its work with accrediting organizations. ACICS provides ongoing service to the general public and the press to influence and inform their thinking about the value of accreditation.
  • ACICS assures the quality and rigor of accrediting organizations, scrutinizing these operations for their effectiveness in advancing academic quality and serving higher accrediting organizations and the public.
  • Through its recognition policy and procedures, ACICS holds institutional and programmatic accreditors responsible for meeting ACICS standards of quality. Additionally, the ACICS award for outstanding Institutional practice in accreditation outcomes provides for the recognition of leadership in meeting current accountability challenges.
  • ACICS is an international authority on accreditation enterprise, providing profiles and analyses of accreditation practices, policies and emerging issues. Through its print and electronic publications, ACICS provides authoritative and reliable information at the national level about accreditation operation, accomplishments and impact. Through its database of institutions and programs accredited by recognized worldwide accrediting organizations, ACICS maintains the largest and most comprehensive web-based compilation of accredited institutions and programs with information on institutions and programs.
  • ACICS is routinely in the forefront of the latest developments that affect accreditation, including international quality assurance. ACICS has also played an international leadership role in taking on the challenges of accreditation mills that threaten legitimate accrediting organizations and society.
  • ACICS supports and strengthens the role of accreditation in maintaining the core values of accrediting organizations - commitments to institutional autonomy, academic freedom and institutional mission. These are the essential characteristics that have driven the success of ACICS. Positioned at the intersection of institutional and accreditation interests, ACICS plays a key role in keeping the importance of core academic values before these communities through publications, meetings and research.
  • ACICS serves as a major international forum for communication and exchange among accrediting organizations, institutions and programs.
  • ACICS conferences, workshops and meetings bring together key actors in accreditation from around the world. ACICS has extended this forum to embrace new and sometimes challenging issues vital to the future success of accrediting organizations.