Statement re. The Times Newspaper Article 29th June 2009

A statement by the ASIC Accreditation Committee to express support for Maurice Dimmock, ASIC Chief Executive.

In response to unwelcome and negative publicity in The Times newspaper, the Committee members wish to make clear that Maurice has the relevant experience and integrity to hold the position of Chief Executive of this Accrediting Body.

On leaving his post as International Director at Northumbria University, Maurice was engaged as a consultant in relation to the recruitment of international students by several UK universities and colleges.

He was invited by the Home Office to join the Joint Education Taskforce (JET) and the Visa Workstream Committee. He has also worked with QS, the organisation which arranges postgraduate recruitment fairs and which, in conjunction with the Editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement, publishes the World University Rankings. Maurice has made contributions to several student-related events overseas and has been described as one of the World’s experts in international student recruitment.

In 2007 Maurice established the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC) and, together with a group of former senior staff from Northumbria University, who now form the ASIC Accreditation Committee, successfully applied for ASIC to become a recognised UKBA Accrediting Body. The rigorous approval process was carried out by members of Ofsted and resulted in Ofsted recommending ASIC’s approval to UKBA. This process was identical to that to which other accrediting bodies such as BAC and Accreditation UK were subjected. ASIC was the only new organisation of the several that applied to receive approval.

The Committee can confirm that ASIC was registered with Companies House on 3 January 2007, Company No. 06040297, and that ASIC’s accounts are available for inspection by the public. The Company is a not for profit company and any surplus funding is transferred to a charity, the Rose Education Foundation, established by Maurice and his wife, to support orphans and other disadvantaged children in Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka and to provide scholarships for disadvantaged students. To date nine scholarships have been provided to enable such students to study at UK universities and colleges. It should be noted that none of the directors or officers of ASIC takes any fees thereby increasing the payments to the Rose Education Foundation which was registered in November 2008 with the Charity Commission no.1126903; the accounts have been submitted to the relevant departments.

ASIC has adopted a rigorous, but supportive approach to the accreditation of private colleges, which has been much appreciated by the colleges themselves as evidenced by their written feedback on the process.

Accreditation comprises three Stages:

• Stage 1: submission by the college of the Application and supporting documentation, which is scrutinised by an Inspector, who identifies any shortcomings in the application and requests the college to provide missing documents;
• Stage 2: an inspection visit is undertaken by one Inspector who concentrates on issues such as health and safety, statutory requirements, relations with the awarding bodies, the college’s classroom facilities and student/staff files. Advice is provided on unsatisfactory documentation and records;
• Stage 3: a further visit, normally by two Inspectors, one of whom is the Reporting Inspector, who drafts the final report for consideration by the Accreditation Committee. This visit focuses on management structures of the college and meetings are held with the management team, a group of staff and two groups of students; the approach to learning and teaching, including classroom observations, and quality enhancement are also examined together with student welfare and the college’s relations with the Home Office.

The core group of inspectors, who are identified in the Handbook, comprises largely ex-university staff with extensive experience of international development procedures. All inspectors subsequently recruited have received appropriate induction and training to undertake the roles of Stage 2 Inspector, Stage 3 Reporting Inspector or Stage 3 Supporting Inspector as appropriate. The names of the visiting inspectors are given to the college before the Stage 2 and Stage 3 visits and all accredited colleges have completed the feedback questionnaires alluded to above.

All draft final reports are checked and edited by the Accreditation Advisor to ensure that all relevant points have been covered, and that conclusions have been based on appropriate evidence.

ASIC has externally modest but appropriately equipped and staffed offices. Priority has been deliberately given to investing in responsiveness to all stakeholders in the process, exemplified by the frequency of Accreditation Committee meetings, rather than unnecessarily glossy premises.

ASIC has always worked meticulously to support UKBA’s remit to protect UK borders and has endeavoured to ensure that only colleges which deliver genuine courses to genuine students have been accredited. Any behaviour by colleges which ASIC has considered to be inappropriate or suspicious in any way has regularly been reported to UKBA, leading in some cases to the college being closed. Records of the frequent contacts in this respect have been maintained.

Finally, details of colleges which ASIC has accredited, together with those moving through the accreditation process are readily available on this website: www.asic.org.uk/collegedirectory

Professor (Emeritus) John Wilson (ex Dean of Engineering, Science and Technology, Northumbria University)
Professor (Emeritus) Don Cassells (ex Director of Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University)
Dr Lawrence Watson (ex International Officer, Northumbria University)
Mrs Chris Wilson (ex Faculty Registrar, University of Northumbria)
Mr Lee Hammond.