News from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation – Fall 2023

Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year.  

We are pleased to share with you the latest edition of Accreditation Central. CHEA has been busy with its strong efforts in support of higher education accreditation. CHEA’s unflinching commitment to serve you – our members – students, and society through advocacy for the value of accreditation, institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and commitment to quality in higher education, is in our best interests. 

Thank you to Dr. Mac Powell, President of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, and Dr. Joseph Brimhall, CHEA Board Member and President and CEO of the University of Western States, for their contributions to this edition of Accreditation Central.

Driving Institutional Transformation and Supporting Students – Accreditation Matters

Dr. Mac Powell
President
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Higher education is one of the few American institutions that utilize a non-governmental peer-based quality assurance system known as accreditation. Not only does accreditation provide institutions with access to federal financial aid, but when properly focused on student success, accreditation processes are highly effective catalysts for institutional improvement and transformation.

CHEA represents institutional and public interests in advocating for accreditation and its independence, and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) participates in CHEA’s voluntary system of recognition for member accrediting agencies because it believes in accreditors’ need to go through processes of peer review and self-reflection. We believe that our agency must be responsive to the vastly changing world and to student needs and that we must engage in rigorous transparency for the benefit of all stakeholders. As we and our institutions engage in peer review, we contribute to a collective understanding of academic quality and the drivers that can help all our institutions achieve more equitable outcomes.

Accreditation and the U.S. system of higher education have been under increasing attack. Beyond simply responding to the criticism, ACCJC has spent a year in reflection and transformation: revising our Standards to focus on student outcomes; refining our processes to extend our cycle of accreditation and eliminate reporting that doesn't serve institutional transformation; creating decision-making tools and dashboards to bring greater clarity, transparency, and consistency to our work; and continuing to tell the stories of our institutions. ACCJC has assumed the role of a strong partner with its member institutions. Ultimately, we expect this partnership to foster greater engagement of faculty, staff, students, and the public – and to reinforce and improve this system of continuous quality improvement focused on increased student success and equitable student outcomes.

Quality and Integrity in Higher Education: The Significance of Accreditation

Dr. Joseph Brimhall, DC
Board Member, Council for Higher Education Accreditation
President and CEO, University of Western States

Accreditation plays a crucial role in safeguarding the quality and integrity of higher education.

Institutional accreditation evaluates the overall quality of an educational institution, considering factors such as mission, governance, administration, institutional assessment, student support services, and learning outcomes. Programmatic accreditation focuses on specific academic programs, ensuring they meet industry standards and best practices. Both forms of accreditation work in tandem to assure students, employers, and other stakeholders that the education provided is of high quality and meets established standards.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) provides nonpartisan peer review of accrediting bodies, verifying they adhere to stringent criteria and follow fair accreditation practices while promoting transparency and accountability. In essence, CHEA "accredits the accreditor," reinforcing the credibility and trustworthiness of the entire accreditation system.

CHEA is a trusted advocate for the value and independence of higher education accreditation. By promoting voluntary peer review, CHEA ensures that accrediting organizations maintain their autonomy and avoid undue governmental interference.

CHEA's commitment to quality in higher education is unwavering. Its criteria and processes ensure that only reputable and effective accrediting organizations receive recognition, enhancing the credibility of accredited institutions and programs, and providing assurance to students and employers alike. With the support and non-governmental recognition provided by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the integrity of the accreditation process is strengthened, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and ultimately benefiting students, institutions, and society at large.

Dr. Joseph Brimhall has been President and CEO of University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, since 2003. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Government Relations - USDE Prioritizes Student Loan Forgiveness

Mr. Jan Friis
Senior Vice President for Government Relations
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

Following the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the Biden Administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan to forgive student loan debt, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has scheduled a negotiated rulemaking to begin this October focused on student loan forgiveness. This has taken priority ahead of the accreditation negotiated rulemaking (mentioned in the Summer 2023 issue of CHEA’s Accreditation Central.) The challenge now is that USDE is stretched very thin should they try to move forward on both student loan forgiveness and accreditation rulemaking. 

This effort will take a minimum of 18 months to finalize, and negotiated new rules will not go into effect until July 2025, which is after the next presidential election. In addition, the student loan rulemaking is likely to be challenged in Court.  

CHEA is also watching the following legislative proposals for our member institutions: 

• H.R. 3724 Accreditation for College Excellence Act House Higher Education Subcommittee Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT) bill on keeping accreditors away from Social Justice issues. 
• H.R. 3803 and S.1795 Congressman Banks (R-IN) and Senator Rubio (R-FL) Fairness in Higher Education Act. 
• H.R. 1682 and S.889 Congressman Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Senator Merkley (D-OR) Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act. 

On August 7, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education distributed a letter titled, “Guidance for Ensuring Complaint Procedures for Accrediting Agencies are Timely, Fair and Equitable.” USDE states that factors other than the current regulatory requirements “may be considered” when determining compliance with this guidance provides no consistency. The lack of specific regulations in this area may lead to subjectivity by USDE in determining compliance.  

USDE states that ‘Every review of an accrediting agency’s compliance with §602.23(c)(1) will be a unique, fact-specific evaluation, based on all relevant facts and circumstances available to the Department, on whether the agency has demonstrated that its complaint procedures and the application of those procedures are “timely, fair, and equitable.”’ This may lead to institutions’ complaint procedures being treated differently by accreditors based on the current USDE concerns. 

The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) met in August 2023. The Policy Subcommittee of NACIQI made the following recommendations, which they are recommending USDE to consider during accreditation negotiated rulemaking (if it goes forward) and Congress as they reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The recommendations include a review of institutional and accreditor complaint policies; changes to outcomes/student achievement standards; and changes to the recruitment of public members of accrediting commissions. Each of these proposals could have an impact on institutions if accreditors are required to make changes due to these recommendations. 

CHEA Leadership Meets with Higher Education Subcommittee Chair Rep. Burgess Owens

CHEA leaders met in May with Higher Education Subcommittee Chair Rep. Burgess Owens (second from left in photo) on Capitol Hill, where they discussed the importance of accreditation and institutional autonomy across the country. Rep. Burgess met with CHEA President Cynthia Jackson Hammond, CHEA Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Jan Friis, and CHEA Director of Federal Relations Jahan Culbreath. 

Announcements

Mark your Calendar - 2024 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference – “Quality Assurance Matters”

The 2024 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference is scheduled for January 29-February 1 in Washington, D.C. This year’s in-person event promises to build on the excitement and successes of last year’s Annual Conference. The theme for this year’s four-day conference is “Quality Assurance Matters,” a premise that seeks to engage the entire CHEA/CIQG community. The conference calls for diverse and unique voices to manifest commitment to this proclamation through plenaries, concurrent sessions, and other types of discourse. The Annual Conference is full of information, conversations, and networking opportunities that you will not want to miss! Check out details on the CHEA website.

CHEA Accreditation Arbitration Program Brochure Available

CHEA’s Accreditation Arbitration Program brochure is available to help in non-binding arbitration between institutions of higher education and recognized post-secondary accrediting organizations. The Arbitration Program is an impartial arbitration process to facilitate arbitration between institutions and accrediting organizations and is open to all accredited institutions and to all CHEA-recognized or U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditation organizations to resolve disputes regarding final, adverse accreditation decisions. To read the Arbitration Program brochure, click here, and then click on the document’s cover page for detailed information. To access the CHEA Arbitration Program webpage, click here.

Applications Now Being Accepted for CHEA’s 2024 Spring Fellows Program

CHEA’s Fellows Program is now open for applications for Spring 2024 residency. Candidates are asked to complete CHEA’s application for full consideration. Applicants must be enrolled at the senior level of their graduate program from an institution that currently holds CHEA. Institutional members are listed at https://www.chea.org/chea-institutional-members. Fellows’ terms are delineated by fall, spring, and summer. Each fellowship is limited to one eight-week span. Read additional details of the  CHEA Fellows Program
here. Fellow application submission due dates: March 1- Fall (September-December) July 1- Spring (January-April) December 1- Summer (May-August).