Council for Higher Education Accreditation Introduces First Fellow, Rachel Smith

June 16, 2021

Rachel Smith

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is pleased to announce Ms. Rachel Smith as the first Fellow with the organization. Ms. Smith is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Higher Education Administration at the College of William & Mary School of Education. The Fellows program will engage Ms. Smith for three months in the Washington, D.C. office with CHEA staff.  Ms. Smith completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics and Sociology from the College of William & Mary and her Master s degree in Theological Studies from Regent University.

"I am excited to partner with CHEA this summer to learn more about accreditation--a field in which I am passionate and enjoy,” she said. “Currently, my accreditation experience exists at the institutional level, which provides an important but somewhat limited perspective of accreditation. With CHEA, I look forward to gaining a new perspective that I can integrate into my degree program and future endeavors, and use to advocate accreditation’s importance in the higher education landscape."

The CHEA Fellows Program provides senior-level graduate students with experiences in higher education accreditation, policy development, recognition processes for accrediting organizations, nonprofit board oversight and operations, communications, business finance and government affairs. The Fellows Program is available only to graduate students enrolled in colleges and universities that are current CHEA members.

Listen to Rachel's comments on her experience as CHEA's first Fellow.

To learn more about the CHEA Fellows Program, click here.