Dr. Nasser H. Paydar is President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). He previously served as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education and as chancellor of Indiana University Indianapolis. With more than 36 years of leadership in higher education, he is committed to strengthening public trust, defending institutional autonomy and advancing student success.
Higher education is, at its heart, a promise -- to learners and society. CHEA protects that promise by sustaining public trust through recognition of accreditors, safeguarding autonomy and academic freedom, and affirming quality and integrity. We are committed to ensuring access and opportunity for every learner, while leading with integrity in a shifting landscape.
In November, 2025, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the CHEA–ANQAHE Gateway, a platform designed to enhance collaboration on higher education quality assurance across the Arab region. Signed during the 6th ANQAHE Conference in Riyadh, the agreement outlines joint work on research, policy dialogue, events, and capacity-building. CHEA will focus on recognition and institutional membership, while ANQAHE will lead regional outreach. Leaders from both organizations emphasized their shared commitment to strengthening global and regional cooperation in academic quality.
In this episode of Changing Higher Ed with Drumm McNaughton, CHEA President and CEO Nasser Paydar draws on decades as a campus leader, federal higher-ed official, and now CHEA’s chief to outline his priorities for accreditation and institutional autonomy — and how CHEA is expanding its work to better align accreditors and institutions to ensure that accreditation remains not just a process of accountability, but a beacon of trust, equity, and possibility.
