CHEA Recognizes First International Accreditor
HEADLINES
CHEA Recognizes Its First International Accrediting Organization (CHEA.org, May 14, 2025) The Council for Higher Education Accreditation announced this month that the CHEA Board of Directors accepted the CHEA Committee on Recognition’s (COR) recommendation for CHEA recognition for EdNet Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, based in the Chüy Region, Bishkek, in Kyrgyzstan. EdNet is the first international accrediting organization to receive CHEA recognition.
McMahon Sharpens Tone on Accreditation (Inside Higher Ed, May 16, 2025) Education Secretary Linda McMahon argued last week that accreditors wield too much power. Some statements raise questions about her understanding of accreditation, but rethinking accreditation is expected to be a priority for her agency.
ACE, CHEA and Others Call on Trump Administration to Reforge Compact with Higher Education (ACE.com, May 14, 2025) More than 50 higher education organizations (including CHEA), representing tens of millions of students, educators, researchers, accreditors, and administrators nationwide, have come together in a statement that expresses broad opposition to recent actions by the administration that jeopardize the longstanding partnership between the federal government and colleges and universities.
How One Ivy League University Has Avoided Trump’s Retribution So Far (NYTimes, May 12, 2025) Some 600 college leaders recently signed a letter opposing the Trump administration’s interference in higher education. The only Ivy League president who did not sign the letter was Sian Beilock, the president of Dartmouth College. Instead, she wrote her own letter to her campus, saying that higher education institutions should strive to do better, “to further our standing as a trusted beacon for knowledge and truth.” In addition to stripping schools of research money, the administration has threatened to increase taxes on university endowments, reshape college accreditation, and even revoke tax exemptions from schools.
U.S. Department of Education Celebrates President Trump’s Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education (U.S. Department of Education.com, May 9, 2025) The U.S. Department of Education celebrated the nomination of David Barker to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. As Assistant Secretary, Dr. Barker will work to improve outcomes and accountability in postsecondary education, including by helping to lead reforms to accreditation, improving federal student aid programs, and ensuring its grant programs are invested in agency priorities.