University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen told regents Friday that the higher education system should not move from three separately accredited universities to a single accreditation — at least for now.
"It is not off the table," Johnsen said in an interview. "It is put on the side of the table while we continue to work through the Strategic Pathways process."
Strategic Pathways is the university's name for its strategy of restructuring the university system by reviewing its programs, eliminating duplication and focusing on campus strengths. Regents spent a majority of their afternoon at Thursday's meeting reviewing Johnsen's recommendations for the first phase of the process.
Johnsen said he hopes that most, if not all, of the cost savings and other structural changes that officials are seeking can be achieved through Strategic Pathways instead of an accreditation change.
Currently, the universities in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau are each accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. They must meet the commission's standards to maintain accreditation.
Johnsen said earlier this year that he wanted to explore moving to a single accreditation for the whole system, which could potentially save money and reduce the number of top administrators. But a study released in August concluded that the change would likely accomplish neither.
Johnsen told regents at Friday's meeting in Juneau that pursuing single accreditation would be distracting and time-consuming. The change is unprecedented within the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, so it would also come with risks, he said.
"There really isn't a process laid out for us and it would have taken two years to get done," he said.
Jo Heckman, UA Board of Regents chair, said during the meeting that regents would continue to move forward with Strategic Pathways and may decide to talk accreditation again.
"We can reopen this discussion of three vs. one," she said. "That door is open."