Department of Education Regulatory Agenda Includes Accreditation

January 9, 2023

HEADLINES

An ‘Ambitious’ Regulatory Agenda (Inside Higher Ed, January 6, 2023) The Department regulatory agenda does not include details… “One can suspect that [the Education Department] will want to codify in regulation some of the guidance that it propounded in the wake of the Florida legislation concerning accreditation as well as other subjects,” Cynthia Jackson Hammond, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, said in a statement. “With CHEA’s expertise in accreditation it will be important to have CHEA involved in the negotiations.”

U.S. to Review Rules on Accreditation, Distance Education and More  (Inside Higher Ed, January 5, 2023) The Biden administration announced late Wednesday that the Education Department would hold a series of negotiated rule-making sessions this spring to propose new rules regarding accreditation, distance education, student loan deferments and a range of other topics.

Is Florida Planning to Sponsor an Apolitical Higher Education Accrediting Agency? Or Shopping For One? (Legal Insurrection, December 19, 2022) "It seems reasonable to suppose DeSantis’ administration is focused on identifying – or helping to create – an accreditor who will focus on ensuring standards and methods, rather than imposing ideology."

North Idaho College's Future Is Uncertain If Accreditation Is Lost  (KREM2, December 19, 2022) "If North Idaho College loses accreditation, two things are certain: credits earned won’t be transferable and students won’t be eligible for federal financial aid."

University of Arizona Pursues Switch to Western Accreditor (Inside Higher Ed, December 19, 2022) "Days after it became evident that Florida's public universities are considering leaving the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges in response to a change in state law, the University of Arizona revealed that it was seeking accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission, which currently accredits the University of Arizona Global Campus, the online university that Arizona purchased and absorbed two years ago."