Accrediting Commission for Law and Justice Education

1. Accrediting Commission for Law and Justice Education Dr. Rick Walker, Ph.D. Executive Director

2. Our Goal • The Accrediting Commission for Law and Justice Education serves to promote the attainment of the highest standards for academic and institutional excellence within the law and justice education professions. • The charter  of the Commission includes the  development and adoption of standards for instructional sufficiency and effectiveness.

3. Why Seek Programmatic Accreditation? • Mission and purpose of the program • Admission standards and acceptance criteria • Teaching and learning methods • Instructional sufficiency • Curriculum relevance to the profession • Academic honesty • Retention and remediation • Qualifications for staff and senior administration • Student support and services • Faculty selection and qualification • Shared governance of the institution • Faculty control over development and delivery of classroom initiatives

4. Three Levels of Accreditation • The first level of accreditation is Initial Accreditation, which is attained by making application and completing the self-study process. • The next step in the accreditation process involves a site visit which examines the practices employed by the institution leading to Program Recognized status. • The final step in the accreditation process involves the award of Full Accreditationstatus.

5. The Commissioners • The Commissioners serving ACLJE represent nearly all geographic regions of the nation and each possesses a wealth of experience and education within the profession. As your review of the Commission’s membership information will disclose, each member of the Commission possesses a demonstrable level of professional experience, achievement, and advanced education within the discipline. • Service as a Commissioner is predicated upon each candidate’s distinction as a member of the law and justice community practitioner, and each was selected for service on the Commission based on their understanding of the issues, their insights relative to the demands of the profession, and their views regarding the importance of higher education to preserving the integrity of the discipline.

6. Is it Affordable? • There are without question, a host of reasons for deciding whether or not to participate in programmatic review and in seeking this form of accreditation, but cost should never be an impediment. The Commission is devoted to assuring that accreditation services are affordable for participating colleges and universities and I am certain that you will discover that the fees charged by ACLJE are some of the lowest in the nation. Initial accreditation is priced at only $1000.00 with annual renewal for subsequent years of membership equally affordable at $2000.00 dollars a year.

7. Conclusion • In today’s collegiate environment, it is essential that we strive to achieve excellence in all aspects of our academic operations, but most importantly, as educators of the law and justice professions, we have a duty to assure that those who graduate from our institutions are sufficiently prepared to meet the demands they will likely encounter and to eventually assume their place as future leaders of the profession. • Only you can decide whether to seek programmatic accreditation, but such recognition can serve to distinguish your institution as a center of academic excellence and one devoted to assuring that graduates of your program are fully prepared to serve the profession.

8. Commission Contact Information Accrediting Commission for Law and Justice Education 1777 NE Loop 410 #600, San Antonio, TX 78217 Tel. 210-820-2682 · Fax 210-820-2609 Email: rick.walker@aclje.org