Accreditation Academy

What is the AAFCS Accreditation Academy?

The AAFCS Accreditation Academy is designed to guide units through AAFCS Accreditation by the AAFCS Council for Accreditation. The content can be utilized to guide faculty and staff through each step of the accreditation process.  The asynchronous online format allows participants to complete the sessions at their pace and review areas of specific interest as needed. Presentations, supplemental materials and online links are provided to accompany the sessions. The Accreditation Academy features top AAFCS Accreditation experts who provide insight and practical advice.  The AAFCS Accreditation Academy is available at no cost for a limited time.



Accreditation Academy Registration
Upon registration for the Accreditation Academy, registrants will receive instructions to access the sessions and resources.

Accreditation Academy Sessions

The AAFCS Accreditation Academy is divided into the following sessions:

  1. Benefits of AAFCS Accreditation and Integration of the FCS Body of Knowledge
  2. Accreditation Process and Preparation of the Self- Study
  3. Standard 1 – Institutional Environment
  4. Standard 2 – Instructional Programs
  5. Standard 3 – Discovery, Integration, and Application of Knowledge
  6. Standard 4 – Faculty, Staff and Students
  7. Self-Study Submission in the Online Accreditation Management System
  8. Preparing for an AAFCS Accreditation Site Visit
  9. The Role of Assessment within the Accreditation

    Upon completion of all  sessions, attendees will receive an attendance certificate for  CFCS Professional Development Unit (PDU).

    Learn & Share Sessions

    The AAFCS Accreditation Academy includes recordings of live "Learn and Share" Sessions featuring a variety of topics.  To access these sessions, please register to gain access to the Accreditation Academy:

    1. Stakeholder Engagement throughout the Accreditation Process (45 minutes)
    2. Public Reporting of Student Achievement: Morning Session (50 minutes)
    3. Public Reporting of Student Achievement: Afternoon Session (58 minutes)

      AAFCS Accreditation Academy Presenters
      Carol L. Anderson, Ph.D., CFCS


      Dr. Carol L. Anderson currently serves as the AAFCS Director of Accreditation. She has served faculty appointments as an Extension Home Economist, Human Development Extension Specialist, Associate Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension and Assistant Dean in the Cornell College of Human Ecology. She is a Cornell professor emeriti. Since retirement, she operates a consulting business and manages the day-to-day operation of a family farm. She served a 10-year term on the Iowa County Board of Supervisors.  An active AAFCS member, she served as the President 1999-2000. Involvement in IFHE-US has included collaborating with Mary Warnock to bring the IFHE World Congress to the U.S.A for just the third time in over 110 years. 

      Frances E. Andrews, Ph.D., LDN, CFCS

      Dr. Fran E. Andrews is Emeritus Professor and Former Chair of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Montevallo.  She has served as the team leader for assessment workshops presented at the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences Annual Meeting  and presented, Preparing a Self-Study Report Interactive Workshop at the AAFCS Annual Meeting 2013-2019. Fran has served as a mentor for numerous programs preparing for a self study. and has served as lead & accompanying site visitor. She has volunteered as a consultant for AAFCS Accreditation. Fran has also served as  Chair on the Council for Accreditation. 

      Sue Byrd, PhD, CFCS

      Dr. Sue Byrd is the Retired Chair of The University of Tennessee at Martin, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and Professor of Textiles, Clothing and Fashion Merchandising. During her time at UT Martin, Sue was the Director of the Accreditation Self-Study process and Chair of the Assessment Team.  Sue is very active in AAFCS and served as President of AAFCS in 2010.Sue has served as a Site Visitor for AAFCS Accreditation for past 20 years. Sue is a member of the AAFCS Assessment team which has been presenting Assessment workshops at the AAFCS Annual Meeting each year since 2015.

      Ethel G Jones, PhD, CFCS 

      Dr. Ethel G. Jones is currently serving as the Director for the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.  In 2017, she was honored by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences as one of three Distinguish Service Award winners, and just recently nominated and elected by her peers to the Board of Directors for the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in 2018, in which she is serving  a three-year term. Dr. Jones has a significant record of core accomplishments and distinctions including serving as Chair of the Council for Accreditation for AAFCS.  She has and continues to provide leadership in the reaffirmation of accreditation of programs within the Unit (i.e., Human Ecology, Nutrition & Dietetics, and Early Childhood Education); community and consulting services to various agencies and community groups; make professional presentations at conferences and special interest groups.  

      Linda Kirk Fox, Ph.D.

      Dr. Linda Kirk Fox is the Dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia, a role she has held since July 2011.  Her vision is to build a college of cohesive faculty and staff of well-funded and distinct Family and Consumer Sciences programs of the flagship, research, land-grant university in Georgia. Dean Fox considers it is her job to successfully manage and improve all areas of the college in an innovative, responsive, and entrepreneurial manner, bringing the best science of the university to address the highest priority issues facing individuals and families in the State of Georgia and beyond while delivering the best education to the 2,000 undergraduate students and the 300 graduate students enrolled in the college. In addition to her role in assessment as the university level, she has served on the AAFCS Council for Accreditation.

      Lizabeth Self Mullens, Ph.D., CFCS

      Lizabeth (Liz)Self-Mullens, Ph.D., CFCS, did her undergraduate work in Home Economics Education, with graduate degrees in textiles & apparel and in Human Ecology.  Her career in higher education allowed her to serve as a faculty member, extension educator, director, assistant dean, dean, assistant vice president for academic affairs, and provost (though not in that order!) in colleges and universities in Tennessee, Vermont, Colorado, Maine, and Pennsylvania.  Liz retired in mid-2018 from the position of Dean, College of Agriculture & Human Ecology at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN, where she and her AAFCS member spouse, Russ Mullens, continue to enjoy life and volunteer in their community and serve in their professional associations.  After joining AAFCS (then AHEA) as a college freshman at Miami University of Ohio, Liz serves as the 2020-2021 AAFCS President, serves on the Council for Accreditation, and mentors in the AAFCS Leadership Academy.  

      Lori Myers, Ph.D., CFCS

      Dr. Lori Myers currently serves as the Senior Director of Credentialing, Education, and Research at AAFCS.  In this role, she provides overall leadership and guidance for the association's credentialing programs and serves as the staff liaison to the Council for Accreditation and the Assembly of Higher Education.  Lori was instrumental in the build out and configuration of the online accreditation management system and provides the technical support for the platform.  Prior to her role at AAFCS, she was a faculty member at a four-year university and served as a site visitor for the Council for Accreditation.
      Amy M. Yates PhD., LMFT, CFLE

      Dr. Yates is a Professor in Human Development and Family Science in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University. She has 23 years of experience in administration, teaching, research, and outreach in higher education.  She is the 2020 - 2021 Chair of the AAFCS Council for Accreditation, the former Secretary, and a fourth year member.  Dr. Yates has presented numerous workshops on accreditation and assessment at AAFCS annual conferences.  She is the Co-coordinator of Assessment and the Chair of Accreditation in her unit.  Dr. Yates has a passion for demystifying the accreditation and assessment processes so that all program faculty can truly enjoy being active agents of change in creating quality programs that equip graduates in becoming outstanding emerging professional in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences.