As NAAB works to achieve the priorities established together with the Collateral Organizations in the 2021–2023 Strategic Plan, we will focus on embracing an outcome-based evaluation model while promoting diversity, innovation, stakeholder engagement, and organizational sustainability. All of this is in service to NAAB’s core mission: assuring quality in professional architecture education. In order to accomplish the shared priorities, NAAB anticipates increasing its services to programs and providing additional support to its volunteer evaluators with the help of additional accreditation staff.
Even before COVID-19, NAAB was conducting more of its accreditation work via remote practices, including required digital submissions and expanded web-based trainings, which together reduce the time evaluation teams spend “on the ground.” As of March 2022, all of NAAB’s full-time staff work remotely, eliminating the need for a physical office.
These and other efficiencies, combined with strong financial stewardship, have provided NAAB with strategic reserves that will enable the organization to implement several bold programmatic priorities established in the 2021–2023 Strategic Plan, including:
- Accreditation Teams – Grow the diversity and number of highly qualified individuals selected as accrediting team members; equip and empower these persons to serve.
- Partnerships with Schools – Serve architecture programs with increasing effectiveness and efficiency, given the growing pressure in higher education to balance the needs of students, outcomes, and cost.
- Innovation in Accreditation Process – Manage the accreditation process for institutions and individuals with increasing innovation, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and responsiveness.
- Expanded Institutional Perspectives – Expand efforts to promote unique institutional perspectives, and advocate for expanded access and inclusion of diverse populations to enrich the learning environment.
- Impacts of the Conditions & Procedures – Continuously assess the impact and efficacy of innovation in the instruments of accreditation on architecture programs (including shared values, program innovation, and professional preparation).