Re: Slippery Sylvans Sliding Sleekly -Reply -Reply (fwd)

[Eric Crump <wleric@showme.missouri.edu>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 12:55:12 -0500
From: Jon Olson <olsonj@cla.orst.edu>
Reply-To: wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list <wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu>
Subject: Re: Slippery Sylvans Sliding Sleekly -Reply -Reply

Joan, I found Kevin's definitions really helpful.  He clarified the
issues.  I think of "accreditation" the way he defined it.  Is it
fair to say that what you (and Joe and Sara and Margaret and Neal)
are talking about is what Kevin calls "outside evaluation"?  If I
read Jeanne right, I think she's talking about "accreditation" as
Kevin defined it.  

Maybe what we're all searching for is a structure that gives us the
stamp of professionalism (authority?) that comes with "accreditation"
but which carries the substance and methodology (and sensitivity to
local nuances) of "outside review."  

Are we trying to create a new critter?  Would this stamp of
endorsement be the gov'ment sort of thing Kevin articulated, or would
it be purely an NWCA thing?  If the latter, would it be useful to use
a different word than "accreditation"?  --Jon, olsonj@cla.orst.edu

>>> Joan Mullin <jmullin@uoft02.utoledo.edu>  9/25/96, 08:53am >>>
Jon,
I think we're looking at accredidation in the same way that the WPA
looks at writing programs:
>As far as I can tell, accreditation is applied to *schools*, and
it's
>mainly a curricular thing.  

With maybe a step beyond interms of a basic list of "things that are
present. You know when I see writing centers, the reason they may not
meet everything in my mental check list is often not because the
director or staff are doing anything "wrong"--in fact right or wrong
is not the way to approach this at all. Things often don't happen in
writing centers--the global things anyway--because of a lack of
understanding or budgetary support on the part of the administration
that holds the purse and staff strings as well as the paradigms.
(Sometimes, just a letter to the faculty
--from the President-- which indicates his support of the WC can do
wonders!) So, it is my understanding that we are still batting around
what this "accredidation" means.

I would find it difficult to go around the country with a stamp that
marks writing centers "good" or "bad"--maybe I've been hanging around
asssessment committees too long. I just don't think that's the way
accredidation has to be done.

joan

Writing Center
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio 43606-3390
419-530-4913
419-530-4752 (fax) jmullin@uoft02.utoledo.edu