Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Gallaudet Could Lose Accreditation

I've written about Gallaudet University before, in less than glowing terms. Here's what CNN.com has to say today about the school:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's only liberal arts university for the deaf could lose its accreditation unless it addresses concerns about weak academic standards, ineffective governance and a lack of tolerance for diverse views, an education oversight group warned.

Gallaudet University was rocked by student demonstrations last fall that shut down the university for several days and forced the board to revoke the appointment of a new president.

Afterward, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education said it was delaying a decision on whether to renew the school's accreditation because of concerns raised during the protests and because of a 2005 federal report that rated Gallaudet "ineffective." The federal Office of Management of Budget this month gave Gallaudet an improved evaluation, to "adequate..."

"The extent of the fall protests and repeated allegations of violence and intimidation raise grave concerns" about whether the university fosters respect for different views, Suskie wrote.


So we have a school where the graduation rate is less than 50%, where students protest because the incoming president isn't deaf enough, and where governance is ineffective, and what's cited is whether or not the university "fosters respect for different views". Clearly it does not; it listens only to the views of its deaf students, who apparently aren't getting much of an education.

This place is an educational abomination. To quote Al Gore, "It's time (pause) for them (pause) to go."

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