Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, President of SACS, stated at the January 15-16, 2008, meeting of the Board of Regents:
“The significance of the accreditation process is that … it is important for citizens to have access to a variety of affordable institutions to prepare themselves for life in the 21st century. …Higher education institutions are now in a global market. …The new concern is whether or not people from other parts of the world are outperforming U.S. students. There are changes in the labor markets. There are jobs right now that did not exist, and institutions have to be assured that students are prepared to take those jobs. There are more knowledge based jobs now than there are physical strength jobs than ever before.
"It is imperative that students are prepared to work in those fields that are making innovations in technology and finding new ways to do things. Those science and mathematics skills are extremely important in every career field now. The bottom line is, accrediting bodies and their member institutions have to make sure that students are prepared to take on those positions.”
She seems to be calling for a more rigorous, traditional core curriculum, not one that enables students to “function as an effective member of a team with others who may have conflicting viewpoints” (Preliminary Conceptual Model A) or one that “expand[s] knowledge of self to learn of social roles, obligations and contributions as global citizens” (Preliminary Conceptual Model B).
From an English Professor
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