NACIQI Meets Virtually on July 27-29

Publication Number 98 August 4, 2021


National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Meets Virtually

USDEOn July 27-29, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) held a virtual meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The committee is the advisory body that provides recommendations to the Secretary of Education on recognition of accrediting organizations. Recognition by USDE affirms that the standards and processes of the accrediting organizations are in compliance with USDE’s criteria.

At the meeting, NACIQI made the following recommendations to renew recognition for five years for:

  • The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools.
  • The American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
  • The American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
  • The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools.

NACIQI recommended requiring compliance reports within 12 months from several accreditors:

  • The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
  • The American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation.
  • The Council on Occupational Education (additional requirements for the compliance report were added to the USDE staff recommendation).
  • The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Accreditation Commission.
  • NACIQI recommended that recognition of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges be renewed for three years, rather than five years as recommended by USDE staff. Except where noted, the recommendations made by NACIQI were consistent with recommendations from USDE staff regarding length of recognition and compliance reports.

As part of this meeting, NACIQI heard an Administration policy update from Julie Margetta Morgan, Acting Under Secretary of Education. She urged that higher education be reimagined. She talked about the goals of the Biden Administration including 1) additional funding for education and loan forgiveness; 2) affordability using tools such as free community college and doubling the Pell grant; 3) improving outcomes and a grant program to support outcomes improvement and 4) equity and inclusion, to ensure educational quality for all students. Morgan also urged that NACIQI have a policy role in addition to its role in recognition recommendations.

NACIQI also heard presentations on the Accreditor Dashboards and from the Student Success Subcommittee.

In addition, NACIQI members held a policy discussion. Some of the items members suggested were:
An expanded role for the committee advising the Secretary on post-secondary education.

  • More transparency by making more accreditation documents available to the public sooner and prior to the end of the NACIQI comment period.
  • NACIQI having the authority to comment on new rules prior to them taking affect.
  • The ability to bring in outside, unvetted information to recognition reviews.
  • The authority to set standards for accreditors and for USDE and the authority to propose new rules.

USDE Now Considering Comments from Hearings on Higher Education Policy

In June, USDE’s Office of Postsecondary Education held virtual public hearings on potential issues for future negotiated rulemakings. The hearings and the upcoming negotiated rulemakings are part of the Administration’s effort to reconsider several of the prior Administration’s policies such as Title IX and additional items that may be considered for negotiated rulemaking, including borrower defense to repayment and gainful employment. (For more on these hearings, see CHEA Federal Update #97.)

USDE is currently considering comments received during the public hearings and the open comment period that preceded the hearings. These comments will be used to create an agenda for the upcoming negotiated rulemakings. The dates and topics for the rulemakings has yet to be announced.

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