ASPA Role, Function, and Purposes
Role and Function:
ASPA is the only organization whose members are specialized and professional accreditors. ASPA-member accreditors set national educational standards for entry into nearly 60 specialized disciplines or defined professions. ASPA, a 501(c)(3) association, works with higher education and government officials to enhance education and accreditation and functions as the only national voice for this important constituency.
Purposes:
ASPA's Bylaws describe ASPA's Purposes as follows:
The Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors is an autonomous nonprofit corporation organized under the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act exclusively for educational, scientific, research, mutual improvement, and professional purposes and shall have the necessary and incidental powers to carry out its corporate purposes, among which shall be to:
- Promote quality and integrity in non-governmental specialized and professional accreditation of post-secondary programs and institutions.
- Provide a forum for discussion and analysis and a mechanism for common action for those concerned with specialized and professional accreditation.
- Address accreditation issues in educational, governmental, and public policy contexts and communicate with the public about accreditation.
- Facilitate collaboration among programs, institutions, and accreditation organizations.
- Provide a mechanism for continuing education for individuals and organizations with accreditation responsibility.
ASPA members say: "The most important reasons why my organization belongs to ASPA are:"
- ASPA is the only voice that solely represents specialized accreditation; contributes to a unified, national voice for, and supports the importance of, specialized accreditation; gives us a strong common voice on important issues.
- Net-working/interaction with peers; participate in community of specialized accreditors; know what others are doing; opportunity & means to improve our performance.
- Professional development; opportunities to learn from other accreditors and educators.
- Source of up-to-date information on pertinent issues; way to be informed about broad/important developments.
- Representation with/to broader communities.
- Added credibility with institutional personnel.
ASPA members say: "The most important services provided by ASPA are:"
- Conference-interaction with peers; meetings; chances to network.
- Professional development.
- Code of Ethics/Good Practice; information about good practices (sounding board and pitfalls).
- Representation of specialized accreditation to Higher Education and other broad communities (includes both attending meetings and written representation); a voice on Federal legislation and recognition issues.
- Creates interest/work groups around specific issues; helps focus issues and responses.
- Works to enhance credibility/image of accreditation in general and specialized accreditation in particular.