Cynthia Requa, '11, '21, Named CHEA 2022 Fellow

The Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has named Dr. Cynthia Requa a 2022 Fellow.

Requa is twice an alumna of UW Tacoma, having received a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences in 2011, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership in 2021. In between, she received an executive master of public administration in 2014 from the Evans School of Public Affairs at UW in Seattle.

CHEA is a leading non-governmental advocate for the process of accreditation and a quality-review organization of higher education accrediting agencies. In the United States, which has no central federal agency controlling postsecondary educational quality, accreditation ensures a basic level of quality. UW, for example, is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

CHEA launched its fellows program in 2021. Requa is one of four scholars in the program’s second year who will work with CHEA on evaluating accrediting organizations, policy development, nonprofit board operations and oversight, communications, business, finance and government affairs topics.

Requa wrote her doctoral dissertation on accreditation. In “Institutional Accreditation: Making the Process More Efficient, Effective, and Meaningful to Colleges and Universities,” she outlines recommendations to “support higher education personnel in integrated planning for greater alignment of resources and continuous improvement; the assessment of student learning and achievement; and institutional effectiveness.”

“I am honored to be selected to serve as a CHEA Fellow,” said Requa. “The Fellowship presents a wonderful opportunity to compliment my Ed.D. and gain another perspective that will enhance my abilities to serve with future endeavors as I move forward with my career.”

At UW Tacoma, Requa’s dissertation advisor was Dr. Rachel Endo, dean and professor, School of Education. “Dr. Requa’s dissertation delved deeply into how institutional accreditation could be more efficient, effective and meaningful to multiple stakeholders,” said Endo. “Through this prestigious CHEA fellowship, she will be able to scale out her recommendations on ways that NWCCU-accredited institutions like UW can better align their daily operations with standards of effective practice.”