You submit your site visit report response, substantive change, or annual report and wait to hear back from the Council. What does it take to get that answer to you? Preparing for one of the four Council meetings takes a lot of behind the scenes work. At any given time of the year, there are approximately 50 decisions that need to be made. This includes full accreditation reviews, interim reports, substantive changes, applications, and extensions. Each winter, there are even more as the Council also reviews annual reports from each of the accredited schools and programs.
The CEPH staff works hard in the weeks leading up to the meeting to prepare each submission for the Council, collating and organizing the materials to facilitate a smooth decision-making process. One month prior to the Council meeting, all applicable documents are sent to the Council. Throughout that month, Councilors review each of the documents to prepare for their decision-making discussions.
CEPH is committed to continuous improvement, including in our own processes. We work to streamline processes, examine trends, and discover opportunities for improvement and education. Staff prepare data analyses and informational reports to support the Council in these efforts.
Council meetings are two- to three-day events, filled with decision-making and strategic discussions on emerging topics. After each long day of decision making, the staff and Councilors meet for dinner, taking advantage of the opportunity to continue discussing the future of the field.
Once the meeting adjourns, staff get back to work to prepare approximately 100 letters informing each school or program of the Council’s decision. The president of the Council reviews each letter before it is sent to you.
The road that a decision travels is long, but each step is designed for a specific purpose and is carefully executed.
--Written by: Olivia Luzzi, MPH