Background:
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). CHEA’s 12(B) (1) standard expects ACEJMC to require its accredited programs to routinely provide reliable information to the public on their performance, including student achievement as determined by the institution or program. For several years, ACEJMC has required its accredited programs to gather and analyze enrollment, retention, graduation rates, job placement and other aggregate information. Additional language now requires programs to make public their retention and graduation data on their websites and to update the data every year by Aug. 15.
ACEJMC’s Standard 6: Student Services, Indicator e):
“The accredited unit must gather, maintain and analyze its enrollment, retention, graduation rates, job placement and other aggregate information for improving student
services and reducing barriers to student success. The unit annually publishes retention and graduation information on its website.”
Council policy states:
In the interest of public accountability and disclosure, ACEJMC requires accredited units to provide retention and graduation data on their websites. Data must be updated annually by Aug. 15. Data links are listed on ACEJMC’s website at http://www.acejmc.org/accreditation-reviews/accredited-programs/. Units that do not meet the data publication requirement will be placed on probation until the data are provided or until Aug. 15 of the following year, at which time the unit will be suspended.
A unit on probation will be listed as such on the website and in ACEJMC’s newsletter. The program must pay its annual dues while on probation. A suspended program will be listed as such on ACEJMC’s website and in its newsletters. A suspended program will not pay dues. A suspended program will remain on the accreditation review cycle schedule, but a site visit will not be scheduled until the public accountability requirement is met. A suspended program will be reinstated immediately when the data are published and dues are paid. ACEJMC will publish on its website a link to the accountability data of each accredited program. The website also will list programs on probation and those that have been suspended.
Directives:
Retention and graduation data must represent the unit that is accredited by ACEJMC, not a larger entity in which the unit is located. The data should be easily located and identified. If
the data are not published on the homepage, a prominent link to the data should be posted. Programs should submit the direct link to their data page by emailing Cindy Reinardy,
creinardy@ku.edu, in the ACEJMC office.
The design of the data page, as well as any additional data presentation, is at the discretion of the accredited unit. Units should notify ACEJMC of any changes in a link address throughout the year.
If you have questions, please contact Cindy Reinardy, creinardy@ku.edu, 785-864-7640.
Required data:
Retention and graduation rates
Additional data that may be provided:
Enrollment data
Job placement data
Results of alumni surveys
Results of employer and/or internship supervisor surveys
Employment advancement (as appropriate)
Annual assessment reports
