Class Action Lawsuit Over Campus Shutdown
HEADLINES
Grad Student Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Northeastern University Over Coronavirus Campus Shutdown (Boston.com, May 4, 2020) “Chong’s lawsuit also points to guidelines and principles issued by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association, which provides accreditation for the university’s PhD-level counseling psychology program, according to the filing. Those recommendations say a doctoral program conducted remotely cannot be accredited because 'face-to-face, in-person interaction' between faculty and students is critical for professional training, specifically for 'socialization and peer interaction, faculty role modeling, and the development and assessment of competencies.' [Attorney Douglas] Hartman wrote remote instruction has therefore been 'recognized as pedagogically inferior' by the commission.”
Rightsizing Fed Ed: Principles for Reform and Practical Steps to Move in the Right Direction (Cato Institute, May 4, 2020) “Higher education accreditation should no longer be a de facto federal enterprise and should return to a system of peer review and quality assurance. As critically, student aid would be more efficiently and appropriately handled through the restoration of a robust private lending market.”
As Traditional College Campuses Shut Down, Online Schools Get Their Chance to Shine (CNBC, May 3, 2020) “Before enrolling in an online degree program, students should check whether that school is accredited and if the credits they earn there will transfer to another college.”
MSCHE Endorses Statement of Principles on Acceptance of Credit (Middle States Commission on Higher Education, May 1, 2020) “The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) on April 30, 2020, formally endorsed two statements: a Statement of Principles on Acceptance of Credit issued on behalf of the American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; and National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and a Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit issued by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and American Council on Education.”
Massachusetts Begins Financial Screening of Private Colleges and Universities (Lexology, May 1, 2020) “Massachusetts will begin financial screening of independent institutions of higher education (IHEs) this month after the first-of-its-kind program was postponed until the Board of Higher Education approved internal processing procedures and a memorandum of understanding with the New England Commission of Higher Education.”