News from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation-Spring 2023
The Value of CHEA Recognition for the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®)
Teresa Brininger
Director of Accreditation (ACOTE)
The commitment to advancing academic quality, ongoing quality improvement and public accountability are just a few reasons that the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) chooses to be recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
ACOTE has been accrediting occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) educational programs in the United States since 1923 and internationally since 2011 with continuous recognition by CHEA since 2002. ACOTE’s mission to ensure quality occupational therapy education aligns with CHEA’s primary focus, advancing academic quality. Maintaining recognition with CHEA has contributed to ACOTE’s overall success as a programmatic accreditor and demonstrates to the public that ACOTE is a trusted accrediting agency.
ACOTE recently completed the rigorous CHEA recognition review process. The process required that ACOTE thoughtfully and intentionally review all standards, practices, policies, and procedures to ensure CHEA guidelines are being met. This internal review served as an essential part of ACOTE’s continuous improvement process and validated several positive changes to ACOTE policies and procedures. The external review resulted in CHEA determining that ACOTE has an accreditation organization and structure that are effective in advancing academic quality in the programs it accredits. This recognition ensures the public that ACOTE is held to high standards, as is expected from ACOTE accredited programs.
In addition to the rigorous recognition process, CHEA is a valuable information resource for national and international accreditation policies and forums. Having access to CHEA as a resource has proven to be increasingly beneficial as the number of accredited OT and OTA programs continue to grow in the United States and its territories and the ACOTE footprint continues to expand across the globe. CHEA communication forums foster invaluable exchange among national and international accrediting organizations and help to ensure that ACOTE continues to be an effective agency that accredits high quality academic OT and OTA programs.
CHEA Recognition: What it Means to Higher Education Accreditation
Loretta Waldron
Vice President for Recognition Services
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is the only nongovernmental higher education organization in the United States that engages in and awards recognition to institutional, regional, national faith-related and programmatic accrediting organizations. CHEA “accredits the accreditor” through a rigorous process designed to assess and affirm the quality of the accrediting organization.
When seeking recognition, regardless of the size or type of accrediting organization, the application must address in narrative form with supporting evidence, CHEA Standards 1-3 (Academic Quality and Student Achievement, Accountability and Transparency, Accreditation Structure and Organization) and their subparts. If engaging in accreditation outside of the US, Standard 4, Capacity and Compliance for International Accreditation, and its subparts, also must be addressed. The entire application is reviewed by the Committee on Recognition, individuals who represent higher education leadership, faculty, accrediting organizations and others with expertise and experience in accreditation and academe, and are appointed by the CHEA Board of Directors. Upon review of the written documentation and after meeting in public session with individuals representing the accrediting organization, the Committee makes a recommendation on the recognition action to the Board. The Board takes final action on the recognition status of the accrediting organization.
The US Department of Education (USDE) also recognizes accrediting organizations. While there are some similarities between CHEA’s Standards and USDE’s regulations, there are some significant differences between the recognition processes and the Standards and regulations. They are:
- CHEA does not focus on funding; the USDE focuses on Title IV financial aid funds;
- CHEA’s standards encourage innovation and focus on academic quality, insisting that the accreditor hold institutions to an academic standard and promote student achievement. The USDE’s regulations are prescriptive and reach through the accreditor to demand certain practices by institutions;
- CHEA is forward looking towards improvement, while the USDE looks at current and past compliance; and
- Since CHEA is nongovernmental, it is not subject to political influence. It offers consistency and a lack of political interference.
Upon attainment of CHEA recognition, the higher education community and the public know that the accrediting organization:
- Serves institutions and programs with the highest regard for integrity of practice and ethical behavior and demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
- Promotes academic quality and continuous improvement;
- Serves higher education, students, and the public by communicating its accreditation decisions;
- Makes determinations about academic quality in higher education;
- Implements and enforces its standards and policies; and
- Acknowledges and affirms the institution and program mission and purposes. (from Purposes, CHEA Standards and Procedures for Recognition).
Government Relations
Jan Friis
Senior Vice President for Government Relations
Update on the 118th Congress
HELP Committee Members
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) has announced its Membership for the 118th Congress. The Democrats have the majority in the Senate. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will Chair the Committee. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will serve as the Ranking Member of the Committee. There are three new members of the Committee, one Democrat and two Republicans.
House Education and Workforce Committee Members
The Republicans have the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) is Chair of the Committee with Bobby Scott (D-VA) as Ranking Member. The new Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment is Burgess Owens (R-UT) and the Ranking Member is Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL). Thirty percent of the Republican Members of the Committee are new to the House and to the Committee. All the Democrat Members are returning Members of the Committee. (See Federal Update 105)
U.S Department of Education Proposes Rulemaking for 2023
The Biden administration announced its intent for the Department of Education (USDE) to hold negotiated rulemaking beginning this spring on a series of topics including accreditation, state authorization and distance education. The announcement did not include specific information about the topics to be addressed. Possible topics may include codifying in regulation some of the guidance USDE proposed in the wake of the Florida accreditation legislation. USDE’s agenda is ambitious since it has not finished promulgating rules from the last negotiated rulemaking. The list of topics to be considered are:
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CHEA Launches Arbitration Program
CHEA has launched an impartial arbitration process to facilitate non-binding arbitration between higher education institutions and accreditors consistent with the statutes and current U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regulations.
The newly launched CHEA Arbitration Program is designed to provide an opportunity for parties to address and potentially resolve disputes regarding adverse final accreditation decisions such as denial, withdrawal, or termination of accreditation of an institution. The arbitrators are trained by CHEA and are selected by established criteria.
This arbitration process is available to CHEA members, all recognized post-secondary accreditors and accredited institutions to resolve accrediting decisions.
The Arbitration Program opened January 2023, and a comprehensive overview of the program was provided to those attending the 2023 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
Please review the program in detail by reading the CHEA Arbitration Program, learn details by reading the program’s FAQs, and click to review CHEA’s Call for Nominations for its Arbitrator Class of 2023 – 2026.
CHEA also produced a short video with questions and answers about the Arbitration Program. The video is available on the CHEA Arbitration Program webpage. Please take a few minutes to view this video to learn how the new program will benefit CHEA members and the higher education accreditation community.
Webinar: New Standards for International Enrollment Management at Higher Education Institutions: What Institutional Leaders Need to Know
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) invites you to attend a jointly sponsored webinar with the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) and CHEA on Wednesday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m. EST.
A collaboration between the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), this new webinar is designed for higher education institutional leaders to learn more about new standards that provide guidance on all areas of international enrollment management. In fulfillment of its SDO role, AIRC has developed new International Enrollment Management (IEM) Standards for Higher Education Institutions to provide an effective tool that institutions of all types and sizes can use to develop, implement, assess and improve international enrollment strategies. This webinar will demonstrate through actual case studies how the new standards are being implemented to advance cross-institutional collaborations, improve overall IEM operations, and meet enrollment targets.
Register today at: www.airc-education.org/airc-webinars