News from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation – Winter 2024

February 13, 2024

Greetings from CHEA for a Successful 2024. 
 
CHEA is pleased to share 2024’s first edition of Accreditation Central. This year has begun with a flurry of CHEA actions and activities in support of higher education accreditation across the globe.

The 2024 CHEA Annual Conference: “Quality Assurance Matters”

The 2024 CHEA Annual Conference centered on positive collaboration, innovative ideas, and advancing higher education accreditation in support of “Quality Assurance Matters.” It fostered an energetic exchange of ideas and the importance of advancing higher education accreditation globally. With more than 300 national and international accreditation and institutional participants, alongside the enriching contributions of speakers and presentations, this conference stands as a testament to our unified commitment to enhancing quality assurance and academic integrity in higher education for generations.

The Annual Conference brought together national and international leaders from higher education academia, accreditation agencies, and governance bodies to discuss and share ideas related to issues shaping the landscape of higher education. From politics influencing accreditation to the global implications of academic freedom, each session focused on topics impacting quality assurance across the globe. Below is a summary of some of the important topics discussed.

The President’s Plenary kicked off the Annual Conference. Tomikia LeGrande, President, Prairie View A&M University, and Cesar Maldonado, Chancellor Emeritus, Houston Community College, engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue on the unique challenges and missions driving their universities and colleges. From defining student success to preparing campuses for AI innovations, the session highlighted the evolving landscape of higher education in the face of societal and technological advancements.

Politics as a Disruptor to Accreditation included accreditors who discussed the impact of political interference with the accreditation process. Lisa Beatty, Executive Director, Association for Biblical Higher Education, Barbara Gellman-Danley, President, Higher Learning Commission, Belle Wheelan, President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission, and Jeffrey Alderman, President and CEO, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs discussed the amount of political engagement in higher education accreditation, and not all of these “disruptors” have been positive.

Affirmative Action Decision: Impact on Higher Education & Accreditation Considerations. The Supreme Court’s landmark decision against affirmative action that deemed the admissions programs at Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill to be unconstitutional was the focus during the session, Legal experts Julie Micelli, Office Managing Partner, Husch Blackwell, and Lisa Parker, Partner, Husch Blackwell delivered a compelling analysis of the Court’s decision. They dissected the ramifications of the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling. They shared information on its implications for institutional diversity and inclusion efforts, and they provided strategies for institutions and accrediting agencies to adapt to in the wake of the decision while navigating the evolving DEI landscape.

Global Convention and its Worldwide Value to Higher Education was of great interest to CHEA’s audience because of its focus on academic mobility and the recognition of qualifications for faculty and students. Doug Blackstock, President, European Association for Quality Assurance, Allen Goodman, President, Institute of International Education, and Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic, Former Chief, UNESCO Higher Education Section, each spoke at length but zeroed in on the importance of accreditation and reinforced the need for a strong commitment to academic quality assurance within all higher education institutions globally.

Politics of Accreditation, David Baime, Senior Vice President for Government Relations, and John Fansmith, Senior Vice President, Division of Government, American Council on Education, discussed state legislation and lawsuits impacting accreditation and requiring institutions to change accreditors. They mentioned that this challenge is expanding to additional states and shared their perspectives on how these changes will affect students and institutions, in time and money, while adding a layer of complexity to the entire accreditation process. In addition, they commented on the current federal legislative proposals and the U.S. Department of Education negotiated rulemaking impacting accreditation.

The Attrition of Higher Ed Leadership and its Impact on Institutional Quality session focused on the increase in presidential leaders leaving their positions after short tenures. Ellen Chaffee, Interim President and CEO, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Rod McDavis, Managing Principal and CEO, AGB Search, and Lester Newman, Former President, Jarvis Christian College, discussed this unfortunate phenomenon and its aftereffects on institutions, including the rising numbers of presidents choosing to leave their role, and the effects of this change on an institution.

Is Academic Freedom the Same Across the Globe? Carolyn Campbell, Committee Member, European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, Irene Mulvey, President, American Association of University Presidents, and Jamil Salmi, Global Tertiary Education Expert, discussed the decline in global academics over the past decade. Academic freedom has declined in more than 22 countries, representing more than half of the world’s population, according to the Academic Freedom Index: Update 2023 (AFI). The study shared with attendees was produced by researchers at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Institute of Political Science, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, and the V-Dem Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden. It stated that only 0.7% of the world’s population lives in the five small countries where academic freedom has increased. Academic freedom is robust in Czechia, Luxembourg, Sweden, Peru, Portugal, and Canada. For many of the remaining 152 countries, the AFI shows, academic freedom is stagnant.

The Freedom to Learn session focused on the current political environment. Speakers Jeffrey Sachs, Department of Politics and Department of History & Classics, Acadia University, and Jeremy Young, Freedom to Learn Program Director, Pen America, examined the recent difficulties higher education accreditors have faced, including unprecedented scrutiny by lawmakers, commentators, and even presidential candidates. At the same time, colleges and universities are subjected to a wave of legislation testing the limits of academic freedom. Their presentation analyzed future threats and proposed a pathway for accreditation success now and in the future.

Mark your 2025 calendar today to attend next year’s CHEA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., January 27-30.  

CHEA President Cynthia Jackson Hammond Delivers Keynote Address at ANQAHE Conference

CHEA President Cynthia Jackson Hammond delivered a keynote address and gathered with other global Higher Education leaders in Muscat, Oman, at the fifth annual 2023 Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE) Conference.

Hammond and Group Photo at ANQAHE 2023

 

 

 

 

 






Pictured, from left to right, are Dr. Hossam Badrawi, MD, MP professor of Og/GYN, Cairo University, Chairman of the Badrawi Foundation for Education and Development, Dr. Nadia Badrawi, President and Founder, Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and CIQG Advisory Council member, Jamil Salmi, Global Tertiary Education Expert and CIQG Advisory Council member, Cynthia Jackson Hammond, President, Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Government Relations – The U.S. Department of Education and the House of Representatives are Working on Accreditation Statutes and Regulations.

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

This is an interesting time in Washington, D.C., concerning higher education accreditation. The Department of Education and the U.S. House of Representatives are working on accreditation statutes and regulations.
 
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is engaged in negotiated rulemaking. There will be a final negotiated rulemaking session in March 2024. The USDE’s Institutional Quality and Program Integrity Committee will discuss six topics, three of which will impact accreditation: Accreditation, State Authorization, and Distance Education.

The proposals will require significant changes to accreditation.
 
The College Cost Reduction Act, H.R. 6951 was approved by the Education and Workforce Committee on January 31, 2024. This legislation will now be sent to the U.S. House of Representatives floor for a vote. At this time, no date for the bill’s consideration has been scheduled.

Most of this legislation focuses on higher education costs. However, it also recommends several significant changes to the accreditation provisions of the Higher Education Act. There are some challenging accreditation provisions in this bill. For example, one provision related to accreditors would prohibit accreditors from seating board or commission members from their accredited institutions.

H.R. 6585, the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, has successfully passed the Education Committee and awaits a floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

CHEA Committee on Recognition Meeting to be Held
March 11, 2024

CHEA’s Committee on Recognition will meet on Monday, March 11, 2024, in the lower-level conference room at One Dupont Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20036. The public session on Monday, March 11, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.  The following accrediting organizations are tentatively scheduled to be discussed during the public portion of the meeting: