University of Alaska and Accreditation Consolidation

June 5, 2019

2019 CHEA Summer Roundtable: Accreditation and Federal Policy

June 20, 2019 - Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill-Washington, DC
Roundtable

Accreditation and Federal Policy is a one-day roundtable focusing on the latest federal policy developments affecting higher education accreditation. The roundtable is open to CHEA member institutions and CHEA- and U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting organizations. 

Speakers will include Diane Auer Jones, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education; Mary Barry, Policy Advisory to Senator Patty Murray, Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee; Katherine Valle, Senior Policy Advisory to Congressman Bobby Scott, Chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor; and a senior minority staff member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Click here for more information, including a registration form and link to the conference hotel for reservations.

HEADLINES

UA Regent Chairman Assigns Task Force to Study Possible Changes to University (Daily News-Miner, June 4, 2019) “University of Alaska Board of Regents chairman John Davies announced appointments to a new task force that will investigate possible changes to the university structure in an attempt to mitigate anticipated budget cuts. Possible changes could include changing the UA system from three separately accredited universities to one single accredited university with consolidated leadership.”

Embattled Accreditor Projects Losses After Closure of Member Colleges (Inside Higher Ed, June 4, 2019) “After having its federal recognition restored by the Trump administration last year, the accreditor is under review by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s recognition committee. Edwards and her team answered questions from the committee Monday. While ACICS needs federal approval in order for member colleges to access Title IV student aid, CHEA recognition can affect decisions by state authorizers, specialized accrediting agencies, licensing boards and some institutional authorities abroad.”

Virginia College Students Sue DeVos for Reinstating Controversial For-Profit College Accreditor (The Washington Post, June 3, 2019) “A federal judge had ordered DeVos to review a 2016 petition by the council for reinstatement but did not explicitly say the department had to reinstate the accreditor. The Obama administration declared the accrediting body beyond redemption after identifying oversight failures. DeVos restored its status as a federally recognized agency pending her final decision.”

Decision on Hampshire College Accreditation Expected in Mid-June (Mass Live, May 31, 2019) “Hampshire College officials met with the New England Commission of Higher Education [on May 29] and a decision about the school’s accreditation is expected in about two weeks. The meeting followed an April 18 letter to Hampshire College interim President Ken Rosenthal, in which the commission said it has reason to believe that Hampshire College may no longer meet the standards on Organization and Governance and Institutional Resources.”