CHEA Announces New President, Dr. Nasser Paydar

HEADLINES

CHEA Welcomes New President, Dr. Nasser Paydar, (CHEA.org, April 1, 2025) Nasser Paydar, Ph.D. has been named the new President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the CHEA Board of Directors announced today. He will begin as CHEA’s President on August 1, 2025. “The search was robust, and many leaders in higher education were part of the process,” said CHEA Board Chair Dottie L. King, Ph.D. “We recognize the remarkable leadership of Dr. Cynthia Jackson Hammond as well as the challenging atmosphere in higher education today.” Dr. King added, “Dr. Paydar stood out among a gifted array of candidates. He brings with him an abundance of knowledge and experience relative to accreditation and quality assurance, in addition to a long history of leadership and interacting with higher education and governmental leaders.”

Under Pressure, Psychology Accreditation Board Suspends Diversity Standards (The Philadelphia Tribune, March 28, 2025) The decision comes as accrediting bodies throughout higher education scramble to respond to the executive order signed by President Trump attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Cynthia Jackson Hammond, the president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which coordinates more than 70 accreditation groups, said it is “unprecedented” for such bodies to receive direct orders from the government. “The government and higher education have always worked independently, and in good faith with each other,” she said. “Throughout the decades, what we have had is a healthy separation, until now.”

How Federal Law Could Hinder Trump’s Plans to Dismantle the Education Dept. (Inside Higher Education, March 31, 2025) Many of the agency’s offices and programs are codified in federal law, raising questions about how much USDE Secretary Linda McMahon can reduce the department without Congress. For example, the Higher Education Act, first passed in 1965 and amended over the years, authorizes federal student aid programs and outlines the role of states and accreditors in overseeing colleges, including how the government recognizes accrediting agencies.

New Study: Graduates of Accredited Healthcare Management Programs Have Higher Employment Rates and Starting Salaries (CAHME.org, March 28, 2025) A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Health Administration Education demonstrates the tangible benefits of accreditation in graduate healthcare administration programs. The study, led by Dr. Daniel Fisher of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, found that graduates of Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)-accredited programs consistently have higher employment rates and earn more in their first year after graduation compared to graduates from non-accredited programs.