Senate Bill Would Block Accreditors From Weighing DEI, Affirmative Action Policies
HEADLINES
Senate Bill Would Block Accreditors from Weighing DEI, Affirmative Action Policies (Higher Ed Dive, June 6, 2023) Higher education accreditors would not be able to consider a college’s policies on affirmative action or diversity, equity, and inclusion during the accreditation process, under a new bill from a leading Republican senator. Cynthia Jackson Hammond, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, was quoted as saying, “Accreditation is about confirming and affirming that every student succeeds because of the rich characteristics that they bring to the higher education space,” she said in an email Monday. The proposed legislation stands in “direct contradiction to institutional autonomy and discredits higher education’s intent to validate and affirm every student’s personal identity and value.”
Kentucky Attorney General Issues Scam Alert (Kentucky Today, June 9, 2023) Attorney General Daniel Cameron warned Kentuckians of a fraudulent website that purports to be that of an accredited business school located in Louisville using the name “Decker College,” a proprietary school that closed its doors in 2005. Despite claiming to be accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), there is no institution named Decker College that has state or federal approval to be operating in the state of Kentucky, according to Cameron.
Higher Ed 101: Accreditation Explained (Future U Podcast, June 6, 2023) Barbara Brittingham, former president of the New England Commission on Higher Education, discussed the history of accreditation, breaks down how accrediting agencies operate, explains how they compare to one another, and she delves into how they might evolve in the future with an eye toward how organizations impact institutional transformation.
What is an Accredited Program, and Why You Should Get One (StreetWise Journal, June 6, 2023) In education, the term “accredited program” holds great significance about the concept of accreditation. Accredited programs undergo rigorous evaluation by external accrediting bodies to meet quality standards.
Taking on the Accreditation Monster Requires the Right Tool (Real Clear Education, June 8, 2023) A higher education institution will seek approval of its faculty, facilities, and curriculum from an accrediting agency, dozens of which exist across the country. What all accreditors have in common is that the process must be approved by the Department of Education.