NAVIGATING ACCREDITATION IN THE U.S.-AFFILIATED PACIFIC

Abstract

Accreditation has evolved into a cornerstone of U.S. higher education, and reflects the histories, norms, and values of the U.S. academic system. It is an institutional process with visibility at the highest levels of federal government with far-reaching consequences for the institution and local communities. However, despite its importance, relatively little is understood about how institutions, especially those institutions that continually face challenges during each cycle of renegotiating their status, navigate accreditation. For the last two decades, accreditation has been a challenging process for postsecondary institutions in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific (which includes the territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and islands in free association with the U.S. including the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau). The following research question guiding this study: How have institutions in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific navigated accreditation? To address this question, I engaged in an Indigenous inquiry project to collect organizational sagas related to accreditation, the stories that institutional leaders circulate and remember about how institutions of higher education in the U.S.- affiliated Pacific have successfully achieved accreditation. Fifteen institutional agents (faculty, staff, and senior level administrators) from two institutions (American Samoa Community College and the University of Guam) participated in the study, providing detailed accounts of their experience with the accreditation process. Findings reveal that accreditation sagas exist and circulate within institutional communities, and that these sagas include a diverse array of strategies deployed by staff to navigate accreditation. Two accreditation sagas are presented, along with a comparative analysis, which reveals how institutions navigated accreditation through specific processes, (re)shaping attitudes about accreditation, relying on or reframing Indigenous culture, and with the support of leaders, to meet accreditation demands and achieve reaccreditation.