Building on more than a decade of success with its Assessment Leadership Academy, the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) is pleased to announce a new professional development opportunity: the Accreditation Leadership Academy (ALA). This program puts WSCUC’s values of inquiry and innovation into practice by strengthening leaders’ ability to examine central issues of higher education and orienting them to action.

The ALA continues WSCUC’s tradition of providing programs that build skills to address contemporary challenges. Through the application of both theoretical and practical frames, the ALA considers the intersections and implications of:

• The assurance of equity and the importance of inclusion and diversity in higher education culture and practice
• The need for effective leadership, systems, and evidence to achieve quality

The ALA addresses these themes through a focus on Equity, Evidence, and Effectiveness in service of:

• Enhancing individual professional practice
• Addressing an institutional need
• Developing skilled leadership for higher education

The curriculum embraces critical issues to produce actionable approaches to a pressing need identified by each participant and their institution, and participants will learn through both collaboration with Academy faculty and mentors and work with peers in small and large groups. Faculty and mentors are leaders in higher education practice drawn from the WSCUC community and from the broader community of international scholars and professionals, WSCUC Fellows, Assessment Leadership Academy alumni, and Community of Practice (CoP) participants. They will help participants identify, shape, and complete a project.

Each segment revolves around foundational ideas and conceptual frames for equity, evidence, and effectiveness in accreditation and higher education practice. These ideas and frames are based on WSCUC Standards, policies, and practices. Activities and case studies based on theory and practical analysis will generate tailored recommendations for evidence-based approaches.

The Academy takes place from August 2022 to mid-January 2023 in three segments, each culminating in a 3 day – 2 night, in-person meeting:

• Session 1: August 3 – 6, 2022
• Session 2: October 26 – 29, 2022
• Session 3: January 11 – 13, 2023

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