Abstract

In this book, William H. Bergquist draws on thirty years of experience in both traditional and nontraditional colleges and universities to take a provocative look at the often tense interplay between the objectives of quality and access in American higher education. Quality without access, Bergquist argues, is untenable in light of today's diverse student populations, just as access without quality is sham education. Bergquist begins by showing how traditional definitions of quality, which tend to reflect the world of four-year residential colleges and universities, fail to embrace the realities of today's commuter students, returning adults, and multicultural populations. Using the example of a hypothetical collegiate institution, Bergquist reveals the pressures that can build up in traditional academic settings when quality and access are in conflict with each another. He then redefines quality in light of the need for access and points to the experience of nontraditional institutions to demonstrate how quality and access can be equal and achievable objectives in today's postsecondary environment. Achieving access with quality, Bergquist notes, will require changes not only within academic institutions, but also in assessment and accreditation policies and practices. He proposes new methods of assessing and determining quality, sets out quality-management procedures for ensuring ongoing commitment to access with quality, and concludes with advice to institutional leaders for promoting these dual and essential objectives.