CHEA Government Affairs Advocacy Update for Member Institutions and Accrediting Organizations

CHEA Met with Incoming House Majority Committee Staff to Discuss Accreditation (118th Congress)

CHEA met with incoming House majority (Republican) education staff to discuss the institutional view of appropriate accreditation provisions for the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and short-term Pell programs. CHEA specifically advocates for: Institutional Autonomy, Academic Freedom, Protection of Institutional Mission, and Peer Review in Accreditation. When advocating for Institutional Autonomy, CHEA promotes institutional decisions on the academic offerings with accreditor review for quality. Furthermore, CHEA does not support the U.S. Department of Education setting accreditation standards or academic benchmarks for institutions. CHEA reviewed with staff their current draft proposal for accreditation in the draft reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Met With Prior Congress Majority Committee Staff (117th Congress)

CHEA met with House majority (Democrat) education staff to discuss the outline of the accreditation provisions for the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. CHEA supports the institution and student prospective in these discussions, specifically advocating for: Institutional Autonomy, Academic Freedom, Protection of Institutional Mission, and Peer Review in Accreditation. When advocating for Institutional Autonomy, CHEA promotes institutional decisions on the academic offerings with accreditor review for quality. Furthermore, CHEA does not support the U.S. Department of Education setting accreditation standards or academic benchmarks for institutions.

Amicus Brief in the Harvard and North Carolina Admission Cases

CHEA continues to participate with the higher education association community in support of institutional autonomy. Most recently (2022), CHEA joined with ACE and other members of the Higher Education Secretariat on an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court in the Harvard and the University of North Carolina admission cases. The Brief argues that institutions should be able to use a variety of factors, including race, in determining who to admit to their institution. This case will be decided by the Supreme Court.

Florida Requires Public Colleges to Seek a New Accreditor Each Accreditation Cycle

Florida approved legislation (2022) that requires public colleges to seek a new accreditor each accreditation cycle. CHEA’s concern is that obtaining new accreditation is both time and resource intensive and is not in the best interest of students. CHEA drafted a letter indicating the negative consequences of such actions sent to the Governor, Education Commissioner, and members of the Florida Senate and House. The CHEA letter was quoted on the Florida House Floor in opposition to the bill. The U.S. Department of Education reached out to CHEA seeking a joint position on the deleterious impact of the Florida legislation.

Work with Washington Associations

Over the last two-and-a-half years, CHEA has worked extensively with the Higher Education associations advocating for assistance to students and institutions. CHEA has participated in seventy community letters. These letters of advocacy to Congress and a number of administration agencies supporting higher education. Twenty of these letters have been sent during the Biden Administration. The topics discussed in these letters include pandemic funding for institutions; pandemic funding for students, research fund for institutions, permanent protection for DACA students and all dreamers, increased support for HBCU and minority serving institutions, and broadband infrastructure improvements for institutions and students, licensing reciprocity for telemedicine, approval for the Veterans Administration to provide funding for programs that moved online, supporting tax-free forgiveness of student loans and supporting the doubling of the Pell grant.

America Competes Act

U.S. Senate: In October, Minority Education Committee Staff requested draft language workable for accrediting organizations for the accrediting scope provisions on the America Competes Act. U.S. House: in December incoming majority Education Committee staff requested draft language workable for accrediting organizations for provisions on the America Competes Act. CHEA drafted language that would permit currently recognized accreditors to review these programs allowing institutions to accept Title IV funds immediately upon implementation of the legislation.

Paper on Public Member of Accrediting Commissions

In summer 2022, CHEA, working with higher education consultant Kathryn Dodge, fielded a survey to determine how public members are chosen, trained, and utilized by accrediting organizations in the United States. The survey was developed, in part, to inform the discussion occurring at the Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity to advance understanding of the recruitment and value of public members in accreditation.

Communications to U.S. House, U.S. Senate and U. S. Department of Education

CHEA regularly emails CHEA-prepared documents to education legislative assistants in the U.S. House and Senate Education Committee offices and to the Members of Congress’ education legislative assistants and to accreditation-related individuals in the Department of Education. These include the Federal Update, Accreditation in the News, the CHEA Videos and other documents.

Negotiate Rulemaking with the U.S. Department of Education

CHEA has participated as a resource to negotiators during multiple negotiated rulemakings. CHEA acts as a resource to negotiators at times and other times as a resource to the Department of Education, depending on the issue and the position taken on the particular issue.

U.S. Department of Education Releases Accreditation Handbook

In June 2020, the acting Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, released a revised Accreditation Handbook at the CHEA Summer Roundtable. The revised Handbook provides clarity to accrediting organizations regarding current requirements under the law and regulations, as well as additional clarity on guidance on the documentation for submission of a petition from accrediting organizations seeking recognition from the U.S. Secretary of Education.