Accreditation Reaffirmation Community Update: Compliance Standards
3 min readYEREVAN, Armenia — On February 24, the American University to Armenia (AUA) held a campus-wide briefing to update the University community on the status of the current AUA reaffirmation of accreditation process.
Accreditation Liaison Officer and Dean of General Education Dr. Sharistan Melkonian opened the meeting with a brief overview of the process, highlighting the importance of seeking and maintaining accreditation as a key indicator of quality for prospective students, parents, industry, faculty, and staff. She also affirmed AUA’s commitment to continuous quality improvement.
AUA is currently undergoing its second reaffirmation of U.S. accreditation with the WASC Senior College & University Commission (WSCUC), one of seven regional accreditation agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education.
Dean Melkonian further explained the current reaffirmation process, expanding on the two main themes that AUA chose to explore: integrity of the undergraduate degree and the academic program review process at AUA. She described two additional areas of exploration: diversity, equity, and inclusion; and AUA’s adherence to the WSCUC standards of accreditation, which was the focus of the update.
Dr. Brent Anders, director of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment and a member of the reaffirmation of accreditation task force, then made an exhaustive presentation on AUA’s compliance with all four of the WSCUC standards of accreditation: defining institutional purposes and ensuring educational objectives; achieving educational objectives through core functions; developing and applying resources and organizational structures to ensure quality and sustainability; and creating an organization committed to quality assurance, institutional learning, and improvement. Within these standards, 41 criteria for review were discussed. Prior to the event, students, faculty and staff received a copy of the draft that describes how AUA complies with the WSCUC standards of accreditation. Dr. Anders illustrated how AUA has addressed the standards and criteria through various policies, procedures, publications, activities, and other types of evidence.
Additionally, Dr. Anders informed the audience about the new standards for accreditation that WSCUC had recently introduced, effective 2024. The accreditation task force has begun studying how AUA would address the new standards and collect evidence to demonstrate the successful achievement and adherence to the new WSCUC standards as well. A timeline for tracking progress along with dates of future campus updates and the draft report were also provided.
Dean Melkonian then led a discussion soliciting feedback on how AUA could best express its commitment to quality education and continuous improvement, as well as identify areas that require attention. Participants provided constructive input highlighting how the University community promotes student success and development, particularly supporting students who experience mental health conditions; processes to consider new academic programs to address the evolving needs of the country and region; and ongoing feedback loops from faculty, staff, and students through surveys and other instruments. One area that was noted that needs further attention was ensuring that students were better informed of and encouraged to participate in ongoing quality assurance processes.
Dean Melkonian ended the presentation by mentioning that a copy of the WSCUC Standards of Accreditation and the draft of AUA’s compliance document will be shared campus wide along with a short survey for additional feedback and comments.
The reaffirmation of accreditation timeline:
- Summer 2022 – Summer 2023: Self-study conducted
- March 22: Onsite community update – Review of Academic Program Review
- April 17: Onsite community update – Review of Integrity of the Undergraduate Degree
- May 25: Onsite community update – Review of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- June: Draft shared campus wide for final input
- Summer 2023: Finalized self-study report submitted to WSCUC
- October 24-26, 2023 WSCUC site visit to AUA
- February 2024: WSCUC Commission action.
Additional information about AUA’s accreditation can be found at https://aua.am/accreditation-affiliations.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.