Biden Leaves Behind a Graveyard of Higher Ed Policies

January 16, 2025

HEADLINES

Biden Leaves Behind a Graveyard of Higher Ed Policies (Inside Higher Ed, January 9, 2025) Three efforts to update the rules for state authorization, accreditation, and cash management made it through a key step of the rule-making process—negotiation—but then were withdrawn. The Biden administration has come the closest to actually requiring college accreditors to set benchmarks for student achievement.

Colleges Prepare for New Legal and Political Terrain Under Trump (The Hill, January 8, 2025) A concern is accreditation, the process that approves universities and grants them federal funding—and a new target for Republicans. In September, Trump said schools could lose accreditation over “antisemitic propaganda.”

Linda McMahon’s Confirmation Hearing Remains Unscheduled (Inside Higher Ed, January 9, 2025) The Senate committee hearing to confirm President-elect Trump’s education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, likely won’t happen until after Inauguration Day, Politico reported.

Six Higher Education Trends to Watch in 2025 (Higher Ed Dive, January 9, 2025) The U.S. Department of Education recognizes and oversees accreditors, which act as the gateway to federal funds — a resource few colleges can live without. Project 2025 suggests that state agencies be allowed to act as accreditors themselves, or that Congress remove the Education Department’s oversight of accreditors and turn the system into one of “voluntary quality assurance.”

Yes! There is Still Time To Register for This Month’s 2025 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference – Join us later this month at the 2025 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference scheduled for January 27-30, 2025, at The Westin Washington D.C. City Center Hotel 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 the four-day conference is “Quality Assurance in an Era of Change: Reflect, Reimagine, Recommit,” a powerful message that seeks to engage the global CHEA/CIQG community. Register now!