Major College Accreditor Proposes to Delete DEI And Go It Alone
HEADLINES
Major College Accreditor Proposes to Delete DEI And Go It Alone (Forbes, December 10, 2024) The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of the seven regional bodies tasked with accrediting U.S. colleges, has proposed to delete all mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from its standards. The move prompted concerns from free speech advocates and other higher education organizations. “The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) does not prescribe DEI actions for institutions,” says CHEA President Cynthia Jackson Hammond. “However, we do require a DEI standard for the internal accrediting organization’s operations. CHEA is committed to DEI constructs because those constructs give support to inclusion, a sense of belonging and respect for the diversity of experiences.”
Colleges Scramble to Shield Programs Amid Growing Hostility From GOP (The Washington Post, December 9, 2024) University leaders are bracing for an onslaught of aggressive legislation and regulations amid growing hostility from an ascendant Republican Party that depends less and less on college-educated voters. One tool the administration could use to make colleges yield to Trump’s conservative expectations could be accreditation, a process meant to ensure colleges and universities meet standards to participate in the federal student loan program. The president-elect has already vowed to use accreditation as his “secret weapon” to reclaim colleges from the “radical Left.” He has promised to fire current government accreditors. Tensions between Republicans and higher education have been rising over questions of free speech, the cost of college, diversity, race, and more.
Break the Monopoly on Higher Education Pathways (Fast Company, December 9, 2024) Key to a transformation are innovations in educational design and accreditation, where new approaches are breaking through. Under recent policy shifts, the U.S. Department of Education has opened the door to new accrediting bodies focused on raising academic quality and accountability standards. These new policies address the current system’s limitations, where accreditors often have close ties to the institutions they regulate. A higher bar for accreditation would ensure that institutions are models of efficiency and equity grounded in performance indicators that matter to everyday Americans.
Race-Conscious Admissions Can Continue at Naval Academy, Federal Court Rules (Chronicle of Higher Education, December 6, 2024) A federal judge ruled that the United States Naval Academy may continue to consider race or ethnicity in its admissions process. That decision stemmed from dual lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, overturned a decades-old precedent by barring colleges nationwide from considering race in admissions. But the opinion penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, exempted the country’s service academies.
Registration Open – 2025 CHEA/CIQG Annual Conference – “Quality Assurance in an Era of Change: Reflect, Reimagine, Recommit.” – Join us 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 today!