In 2002, The University of Texas System Board of Regents made accountability a major priority. The UT System developed an integrated framework for System-wide accountability and performance reporting. Its sixth annual accountability report was published in July 2009.
The accountability and perfromance report framework was re-aligned in 2007 with the UT System Board of Regents' Strategic Plan, 2006-2015.
Over the past five years, accountability in Texas and the nation has matured. The Texas Higher Education Board launched a state-wide accountability system for higher education in 2004, in response to Texas Governor Rick Perry's executive order.
During 2006-07, the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities launched a Voluntary System of Accountability with a new "College Portrait" that will provide easily accessible and understandable information for prospective students about the qualities and outcomes of the participating campuses. All nine academic institutions in the UT System will participate in the College Portrait project.
In October 2005, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings established the National Commission on the Future of Higher Education to lead a national debate on issues of access, affordability, quality, and accountability. Nineteen Commission members from higher education, business, and not-for-profit organizations, together with ad hoc member from a number of federal agencies, addressed questions such as: How can we ensure that college is affordable and accessible? How well are institutions of higher education preparing our students to compete in the new global economy? The Commission submitted its final report in September 2006 with specific findings and recommendations: "A Test of Leadership, Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education" (PDF).
More about the Commission
