The Voluntary System of Accountability was created in response to the call for higher education to "become more transparent about cost, price, and student success and ... willingly share this information with students and families." It was our hope that a voluntary response would supply information to prospective students that would aid them in their college search while avoiding the harm to the academy that might follow from a legislative or administrative mandate. Panelists will describe the development process, points of controversy that had to be resolved, the resulting VSA-College Portrait template, its California State "public goods" addition, and its current adoption status.

F. King Alexander, President, California State University, Long Beach
Jolene Koester, President California State University, Northridge
David Shulenburger, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges