Council for Accreditation

Purpose

The Council for Accreditation (CFA) serves as the official accrediting body of AAFCS conducting activities for the accreditation of family and consumer sciences units in higher education. 

Members


Members of the Council for Accreditation include: Six (6) representatives from accredited Units elected by the Collegiate Assembly; two (2) practicing professionals appointed by the CFA; and one to two (1-2) public members appointed by the CFA.  

2023 - 2024 Council for Accreditation 

  • Chair:   Barbara Stewart, EdD, CFCS, (2021 - 2024)
  • Chair-Elect:  
  • Secretary:   Susan Turgeson, Ed.D., CFCS 
  • Members:
    • Linda Kirk Fox, PhD (2021 - 2024)
    • Jacqueline Holland, Ed.D, CFCS-HDFS (2022 - 2025)
    • Donna W. Bell, PhD, University of Montevallo (2022 - 2025)
    • Vacancy
    • Practicing Professional
        • Susan Turgeson, Ed.D., CFCS 
  • Public Member:  Amanda L. Willig, PhD, RD, University of Alabama Medical Center 
  • Workshop Leader:  Frances Andrews, PhD, CFCS

Commitment to Public Reporting

For its accredited units, the AAFCS-CFA further clarified and strengthened its requirements for public reporting and adopted the following Student Performance/Achievement Policy:

 Each Fall academic term, the Unit shall update the public reporting of reliable and accurate aggregate student performance/achievement data and other outcome measures. For each of the programs specifically accredited by AAFCS-CFA, the number of graduates from the Unit, graduation rates, retention rates, and performance on national exams for the last three (3) years are required. Units are encouraged to provide other data that are routinely collected and reported such as job placement rates in the field, post-baccalaureate internship placements, graduate school placement, etc.

To ensure consistency and clarity in reporting of data, accredited units will annually complete Form D:  Annual Public Reporting of Student Achievement.  Form D should be submitted to the Director of Accreditation and be accessible by the public from a link/tab on the homepage of the Unit website. Data must be updated and submitted annually by the 3rd week of the Fall academic term.  The link/tab to the form should be labeled as “Student Performance & Achievement.”  

Fall 2023 Cycle


The following publicly available information is provided by the AAFCS Council for Accreditation (CFA) concerning the accreditation status of programs reviewed by the Council for Accreditation during its meeting on November 1, 2023. For additional information regarding the AAFCS accreditation process, access the Accreditation Manual.

Accreditation Granted: 

  • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Department of Human Sciences in the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences
  • San Francisco State University, Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel Department in the College of Health & Social Sciences
  • Tennessee State University, Department of Human Sciences, Nashville, TN


Site Visit Granted:  

  • Fort Valley State University, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Fort Valley, GA
  • University of Tennessee Martin, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Martin, TN


Other Actions: Self-Study Report Accepted:  None

Other Actions: Interim Reports Accepted:  

Other Actions:   None

Previous Actions 

Definition of Accreditation Actions

  • Accreditation Granted: Accreditation is granted to a family and consumer sciences Unit that has successfully completed the accreditation process and has been found to meet or exceed stated standards and criteria of educational quality. A program is accredited for a period of 10 years.
  • Provisional Accreditation: Provisional accreditation is granted for a 2-year period to a Unit that meets most of the standards and criteria for accreditation and shows evidence that all standards and criteria can be met within this period of time. The CFA informs the Unit which standards and criteria have not been met.
  • Denial of Accreditation: The decision to deny accreditation is made by the CFA when a Unit fails to comply with relevant standards and criteria. If this decision is made, the Director of Accreditation will notify the chief executive officer of the institution, the college or school dean, and the Unit administrator. The written notice will include the relevant standards and criteria that were the basis of the decision. The CFA’s decision to deny accreditation of a Unit is a final adverse decision. It may be appealed using the Procedure to Appeal for Reconsideration.
  • Revocation of Accreditation: Grounds for revocation of accreditation from any Unit accredited by the CFA include: noncompliance with the standards and criteria; failure to submit appropriate materials such as reports in years 3, 5, and 7, a self-study report, progress report, or a response to a show cause action request by the deadlines set by the CFA; and failure to pay financial obligations related to accreditation. A Unit is entitled to appeal the revocation decision in accordance with the Procedure to Appeal for Reconsideration.
  • Suspension of Accreditation: Units will be suspended from accreditation for a period of 6 months if: (a) self-study reports are not submitted by the designated February 1 or September 1 deadlines, unless the Unit has submitted notification of its intention to withdraw voluntarily from accreditation following the current accreditation period; or (b) 3-, 5-, or 7-year interim reports of Units are not submitted by the February 1 deadline; or (c) accreditation fees have not been paid without submitting an acceptable justification. Units that have been granted an extension of the due date for submission of materials to the CFA will not have their accreditation suspended. If a Unit’s accreditation is suspended and the conditions that led to the suspension are not corrected before the next CFA meeting, the Unit’s accreditation will be revoked. Any publications developed and published by or for a Unit under suspension of accreditation may not describe the Unit as being accredited.