Universities and Dealing with COVID-19 Outbreaks

August 21, 2020

HEADLINES

Universities Scramble to Deal With Virus Outbreaks (Associated Press, August 18, 2020) "Many schools already have flipped from in-person classes to mainly online in recent weeks, and more are expected to do so, said David Long of Tuscany Strategy Consulting, which teamed up with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to develop reopening recommendations for colleges and universities."

COVID-19 College Marketing Draws Criticism (Inside Higher Ed, August 19, 2020) "When Park University received notice of a complaint by the Century Foundation to its accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission, it immediately removed language suggesting its online class credits would 'transfer easily to any accredited college or university,' said Greg Gunderson, president of Park University."

Additional Student Loan Relief for Former Colorado Art Institute Students (Valley Courier [Colorado], August 19, 2020) "The Art Institute of Colorado lost its accreditation on Jan. 20, 2018, but Dream Center misrepresented to students that the school was institutionally accredited until June 2018. Accreditation is important because it recognizes that an institution of higher education maintains certain quality standards, and it helps students determine if an institution is acceptable for enrollment."

Hampton University Sues Accreditor Over Fate of Pharmacy Program (Yahoo News, August 10, 2020) "After months of appeals, Hampton University has sued the American Council for Pharmacy Education over the university's pharmacy doctorate program. The ACPE withdrew the Hampton University School of Pharmacy's Pharm.D. accreditation earlier this year, citing low performance on licensing exams and high student attrition. The accreditor put the withdrawal on hold after the university appealed."

Health Care Workforce Reform: COVID-19 Spotlights Need for Changing to Clinical Licensing (Cato Institute, August 4, 2020) "To identify reliable accrediting organizations, states could piggyback on the efforts of the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Each engages in periodic reviews of organizations that accredit institutions and programs of higher education in the United States."

How to Reorient Assessment and Accreditation in the Time of COVID-19 Disruption (Wiley Online Library, August 3, 2020) "The disruptions caused by COVID‐19 may also provide an occasion for some useful rethinking of assessment. What those disruptions underscore is that decisions about assessment and accreditation must, above all, be sensitive to current realities and do what is best for students and faculty."