Accreditation Bill Introduced in House of Representatives and Other Accreditation-Related Issues

Proposed Bill Would Grant Waivers to Accreditors (Inside Higher Ed, September 29, 2017) “A newly proposed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would grant broad waivers to accreditors aimed at allowing them to bypass federal requirements in order to encourage innovation and to reduce ‘administrative burdens.’”

The Spellings Commission: Same Story, Different Decade (New America, September 26, 2017) “Noting that accreditors are focused too much on inputs in approving and ensuring the quality of institutions, the Commission report recommended that accreditors make student outcomes an integral part of their process. Yet few accrediting agencies have taken this challenge seriously, instead opting to gloss over--and continue to fully approve--many of the schools with the most egregiously bad outcomes.”

Betsy DeVos’ Flawed Regulatory Rollback (Center for American Progress, September 26, 2017) “Some institutions and accreditors have called for increasing flexibility in substantive change regulations to ease the burden on well-established institutions. But weakening substantive change regulations just to reduce burden on elite colleges would also give a free pass to risky colleges that do not serve students well. Colleges relying on taxpayer money should prove they are capable of maintaining quality when they make big changes that could potentially have a negative impact on students.”

Our View: College Accreditation Critical for Many Reasons (Wlkes-Barre Times Leader, September 20, 2017) “The plight of McCann School of Business and Technology campuses serving the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton areas is a teaching moment on the complex topic of school ‘accreditation.’ Yes, the word glazes eyes, but it impacts college access, success or failure of colleges themselves, and a graduate’s earning power.”

Get the Early Bird Rate! The CHEA 2018 Annual Conference – January 29 (early evening reception) to midday, January 31 – and the CIQG 2018 Annual Meeting – January 31 (late afternoon session) through February 1 – will be held at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. Click here to register now!