On Accreditation and
Degree Granting Authority

The Avalon Center for Druidic Studies is a specialized institution of higher learning. It is not presently an accredited college, nor according to Minnesota State law can we legally use the terms "college" "degrees" "masters" or "doctorate." We are in the process of registering our programs with the state of Minnesota and plan to pursue accreditation in the future as Avalon is developed. It is the intention of the Board of Governors that the Avalon Center be developed with the highest academic standards in mind and the intention that it will operate just like any other college even though state law forbids us to use that word until our courses are completely developed and have been approved by the Office of Higher Education. As a result we use the term center instead of "college" and program certification instead of "degree."

It is not our intention to mislead students into supposing that their Avalon diploma will have the same "market" value in the mundane world as a diploma from an accredited college or university. Student records and diplomas will derive their value not from the academic market but rather from the work and discovery each student puts into his or her studies. This page provides information on the legal aspects of Degree Granting Authority and Accreditation for those students who are interested or concerned.

Degree Granting Authority

In Minnesota, as in most states within the USA, the terms "college," "academy," "degree," "masters degree" and "doctorate" (and others) are regulated by law. Since 1975, institutions using these terms are required to register with the state and undergo a thorough evaluation by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE). The Avalon Center for Druidic Studies is currently applying for this evaluation and registration to establish ourselves legally as a college of higher learning. The specialized nature of our curriculum and the fact that we are currently operating only as a distance learning institution may make it difficult for OHE to apply the normal standards of evaluation. We do not presently have a campus or physical facilities such as laboratories and libraries to support the learning of our students or the research of our faculty. ACDS provides what is called, in the parlance of today's higher education business, "distributed learning." That is, our students and faculty are not gathered together in a campus or building where they meet face-to-face.

Among the concerns of the State Office of Higher Education are that a school

1. has a formal agreement with another institution to preserve and make available its student records should the school close
2. has qualified faculty and an administrative structure adequate to support its operations
3. is truthful in all its advertising and recruitment materials
4. offers programs consistent with its organizational mission
5. has a clear policy about granting credit for prior education and experience
6. has clear policies regarding student admission, evaluation, suspension, and dismissal
7. has a plan to oversee the quality of its educational programs

One of the most important of these is the guarantee that the records of a student's academic work will indeed be permanent and will be available to students in an official form to use for applications for employment or further formal education. The ACDS Board of Governors is committed to the security and privacy of official college records.

These laws and regulations are designed to prevent diploma mills from operating in Minnesota and to enforce a certain level of uniformity among schools and colleges. Avalon's certification programs are designed to be academically rigorous and to adhere, wherever financially possible, to the standards of excellence recommended by government and professional organizations such as the American Council on Education, the American Association of University Professors, the US Department of Education, and our regional accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Library Facilities

Our "library" at the moment is the whole Internet. However, ACD does have plans in the works to create an online library of our own, a content management system that will permit us to collect and make available to students and faculty articles and e-books. Students in the Twin Cities area are also welcome to use the Bardic Institute Library located in the same building as our college offices. This is a private library available by appointment only. It is, naturally, our goal to establish an on-campus library once our physical campus is operational. In this library we hope to continue collecting rare and out of print books in the fields of study contained in Avalon's catalog.

In the meantime, students are paying quite low tuition rates reflecting the fact that they are not supporting physical facilities. Students are advised to avail themselves of local library services through public libraries and interlibrary loan, or online libraries such as Questia which may be used by subscription.

Accreditation

Accreditation is a very long and involved process and is the mark of a school's possessing a long track record and substantial resources. Colleges and Universities are accredited by regional accreditation bodies, not by any central ministry of education in the US federal government. Avalon College comes under the auspices of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

To become accredited a school must undergo a rigorous process of self-evaluation and assessment by the HLC. Here is the commission's description of the process from their Overview of Accreditation (PDF download):

The Commission provides two programs for maintaining accredited status: the Program to Evaluate and Advance
Quality (PEAQ) and the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). PEAQ employs a five-step comprehensive evaluation process to determine continued accredited status.

• The organization engages in a self-study process for approximately two years and prepares a report of its findings in accordance with Commission expectations.
• The Commission sends an evaluation team of Consultant-Evaluators to conduct a comprehensive visit for continued accreditation and to write a report containing the team’s recommendations.
• The documents relating to the comprehensive visit are reviewed by a Readers Panel or, in some situations, a Review Committee.
• The IAC takes action on the Readers Panel’s recommendation. (If a Review Committee reviewed the visit, the Review Committee takes action.)
• The Board of Trustees validates the work of IAC or a Review Committee, finalizing the action.

Here are the five criteria for accreditation listed by the commission:

Mission and Integrity. The organization operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff, and students.

Preparing for the Future. The organization’s allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

Student Learning and Effective Teaching. The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.

Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge. The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

Engagement and Service. As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.

For a tiny and new sapling of an institution such as the Avalon Center for Druidic Studies, with very limited resources and staff, meeting these standards can only be something to which the college administration and faculty aspire as we grow and develop our organization. We certainly adhere to the spirit of these five goals.

For further information on the accreditation process in the United States you may wish to read the Overview of Accreditation at the US Department of Education's web site or visit the Higher Learning Commission's web site.

If you have any questions about the legal status or academic standards of the Avalon Center, please do not hesitate to write to the Chancellor, Dr. James W. Maertens alferian@avaloncollege.org.