Effects of Regional Accreditation of Full-time Faculty on Community College Graduation Rates

Abstract

This national study assessed the broader issue of the negative impact of the community college employment practice of hiring excessive part-time faculty. The model was conceptualized using variables identified from prior research for institutional effects on graduation rates, and it included variables for the regional accreditation for the adequacy of full-time faculty. Data used in the study were retrieved from the National Center for Education Statistics and from the nation’s six regional accrediting agencies. Among the major findings in the study, graduation rates were found to be significantly correlated among schools belonging to different regional accreditation agencies. Ratios of full-time faculty, institution size, instructional spending, and ratios of full-time students were also found to correlate significantly with increased graduation rates.