Paul L. Gaston – författare

Originally published in 1981, this concordance can afford particular benefits to the critic and textual scholar because of several specialized problems that The Arrow of Gold presents. It should be able to shed light on problems distinct to The Arrow of Gold even as it provides information on questions pertinent to Conrad’s work as a whole. This volume is part of a series which produced verbal indexes, concordances, and related data for all of Conrad’s works.

Originally published in 1981, this concordance can afford particular benefits to the critic and textual scholar because of several specialized problems that The Arrow of Gold presents. It should be able to shed light on problems distinct to The Arrow of Gold even as it provides information on questions pertinent to Conrad’s work as a whole. This volume is part of a series which produced verbal indexes, concordances, and related data for all of Conrad’s works.

Is the accreditation system “broken” as claimed by successive Secretaries of Education and some recent reports? This book addresses this question head-on, asking whether accreditation is indeed in need of radical reform, and whether the agencies’ authority should be curtailed; or whether in fact the changes now underway – that accrediting agencies contend ensure rigorous and consistent standards and degrees that are a reliable gauge of student attainment – are moving the academy and the nation in the right direction. In a sweeping and ambitious book, Paul Gaston deploys his knowledge and experience as a peer reviewer for three regional accrediting agencies, a former board member and chair of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, and his involvement in the early stages of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, to go beyond the polemics to explore whether a strategy that builds on the emerging values and good practices can achieve the substantive and positive improvements the public is demanding.As an introduction for readers new to the debate, he provides a brief overview of the development of accreditation, its terminology, and structure, describing how it currently works, and what it has achieved; and offers insight into the proliferation of the missions of accreditation – as well as the multiplicity of stakeholders with an interest in its outcomes – to question whether the mandate of accreditation should, as some contend, be expanded, or particular missions reassigned or abandoned. This established, he undertakes a dispassionate analysis of the arguments and recommendations of critics and supporters of the current direction of accreditation to identify common ground and explore constructive ways forward, paying specific attention to current and potential reforms of the three sectors of higher education accreditation: the seven regional accrediting associations, the national accreditors, and programmatic, or “specialized” accreditation. The book concludes by outlining a comprehensive approach to reform. His proposal would preserve practices that already work well while advancing important changes that can be incrementally implemented. The result would be a higher education accreditation structure more cost effective, more efficient, more transparent and accountable, and more responsive to institutional and public needs.

The credentials environment grows more complicated by the day, but key questions help us understand why we need this book to help us grapple with those complexities: • Given the expansion in the variety of higher education credentials and in approaches to earning them, why are so many students disappointed with their post-secondary credentials?• Despite the proliferation of credentials tailored to specific careers, why do so many employers complain that the preparation of their new hires is inadequate? • Despite their investment in new programs meant to attract new enrollees, why are so many colleges and universities facing issues with student persistence, timely credential completion, and career success?The plan of the book reflects the authors’ practical aim. In the first of three parts, they offer a broad view of the credentials environment—how credentials work, how a proliferation in credentials has created an unprecedented array of educational choices, and why this abundance is a mixed blessing. In the second part, they focus on categories of credentials, from the associate degree to doctoral degrees to non-degree credentials. The book concludes with two chapters that consider the implications of the information the authors provide for leadership in volatile times: one discusses the importance of maintaining a priority on equity; the other offers 12 propositions for action. To help make the book useful, each chapter begins with a paragraph that summarizes the emphases to follow, and ends with a list of initiatives, i.e., “takeaways,” that leaders (and those attentive to what leaders are doing) should consider.

The credentials environment grows more complicated by the day, but key questions help us understand why we need this book to help us grapple with those complexities: • Given the expansion in the variety of higher education credentials and in approaches to earning them, why are so many students disappointed with their post-secondary credentials?• Despite the proliferation of credentials tailored to specific careers, why do so many employers complain that the preparation of their new hires is inadequate? • Despite their investment in new programs meant to attract new enrollees, why are so many colleges and universities facing issues with student persistence, timely credential completion, and career success?The plan of the book reflects the authors’ practical aim. In the first of three parts, they offer a broad view of the credentials environment—how credentials work, how a proliferation in credentials has created an unprecedented array of educational choices, and why this abundance is a mixed blessing. In the second part, they focus on categories of credentials, from the associate degree to doctoral degrees to non-degree credentials. The book concludes with two chapters that consider the implications of the information the authors provide for leadership in volatile times: one discusses the importance of maintaining a priority on equity; the other offers 12 propositions for action. To help make the book useful, each chapter begins with a paragraph that summarizes the emphases to follow, and ends with a list of initiatives, i.e., “takeaways,” that leaders (and those attentive to what leaders are doing) should consider.

This book provides a palette of practical strategies that higher education leaders—administrators, faculty members, academic advisors, and the like—can apply to the task of rebuilding support.Once closely associated with the common good, higher education is now regarded principally as a benefit for individuals. As a consequence, support for colleges and universities has declined dramatically over the past 50 years, having serious implications for both public and private institutions. After summarizing the erosion of public funding, acknowledging examples of “self-inflicted damage,” and proposing tactics for improvement, this book suggests how to engage natural allies and advocates of higher education, describes three key priorities that every higher education leader should pursue, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining rigorous and conspicuous transparency.Offering a clear-eyed account of this widely lamented issue and innovative approaches for addressing it, this book is essential reading for new, seasoned, and aspiring leaders in higher education.