Institutions Administration Rolls Back Regulations and Other Accreditation-Related Issues

DeVos Will Roll Back 2 Obama Regulations, a Blow to Consumer Advocates (Chronicle of Higher Education[Subscription Required], June 14, 2017) “The U.S. Department of Education is beginning the process of rolling back two Obama-era regulations aimed at holding for-profit colleges accountable and helping students who may have been misled or defrauded by them.”

Glasgow Caledonian University New York Campus Wins Degree Status (BBC, June 13, 2017) “The New York campus of Glasgow Caledonian University has been given permission to award degrees. The degree-granting charter from New York State Education Department (NYSED) makes it the first foreign institution in the state with this status.”

Bipartisan Bill on Competency-Based Education (Inside Higher Ed, June 12, 2017) “The proposed legislation would require an annual evaluation of each competency-based education program in the project to measure quality, student progress toward degrees and their ability to pay off loans and find employment after graduation. It also would require accrediting agencies for participating institutions to set standards for competency-based education.”

5 Steps to Check If an Online Program Is Accredited (U.S. News & World Report, June 12, 2017) “Prospective students should verify accreditors are recognized by the Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, by visiting the department or council websites. They can also view this list of recognized accrediting agencies.”

Quality Assurance in U.S. Higher Education: One Size Does Not Fit All (Times Higher Education [Subscription Required], June 9, 2017) “Martin Kurzweil and Wendell Pritchett cast their eye over the possible future direction of quality assurance under Trump.” (See also Why Accreditation is in Need of Regulatory Relief, The Hill, June 2, 2017)

Don’t Tear Down Accreditation. Build on What’s Right About It. (Chronicle of Higher Education [Subscription Required], June 8, 2017) “Lawmakers and policy analysts should recognize the differences among accreditors and not be tempted to base their decisions and calls for improvement on ideas that dismiss a sophisticated peer-review system that has served the nation well for 100 years.