CHEA Advocacy in Action: Issue 2

December 7, 2023

CHEA, as an advocate for member institutions, consistently identifies political issues that may be impactful for accreditation and institutions. The brief below reflects one of those issues.

Issue Summary

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is seeking nominations for an accreditation negotiated rulemaking. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has reviewed the recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Policy Subcommittee, which were released during the summer 2023 NACIQI meeting.

There have been recent discussions within NACIQI regarding processes and policies related to accreditor recognition. The NACIQI Policy Subcommittee, while addressing pertinent concerns, raises issues that warrant a closer examination. The issues are those that may impact institutions.

Institutional Impact

Any changes mandated by the USDE of accrediting organizations may require additional institutional obligations. 

CHEA Recommendation

CHEA recommends that several of the proposed changes suggested by the Policy Subcommittee of NACIQI be critically examined as to how these recommendations might impact institutions and most importantly, how the recommendations will benefit the student experience.  CHEA recommends the current statutory and regulatory requirements on USDE and NACIQI remain in place.

CHEA Action

CHEA forwarded its comments to officials in the Department of Education and the National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity. The comments were also forwarded to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce.

CHEA is a staunch advocate for its member institutions and champions the values of institutional autonomy, academic freedom, mission protection, and peer review. On a national level, CHEA has advocated on behalf of institutions who are its members for these principals to solidify the freedom for faculty to teach, students to learn, administrators to lead, and communities to benefit. These principles have long been at the heart of higher education.