Washington
A memorandum released Thursday threatened severe discipline against the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. But the accrediting agency will not lose its authority anytime soon to award institutions the right to distribute federal student aid.
The Higher Learning Commission is one of six regional accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a gatekeeper for such financial aid.
The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Education recommended this week that the department consider limiting, suspending, or terminating the commission's status as an accrediting organization. At issue is whether the Higher Learning Commission should have accredited American Intercontinental University, a for-profit institution that provides online education. The inspector general's report asserts that the accreditor did not set or enforce adequate standards for measuring credit hours and program length.
While the reaction from other accrediting groups and from Wall Street was swift -- sending the share price for American Intercontinental's parent company into a tailspin -- the process for taking action against the Higher Learning Commission promises to be lengthy and is likely to have little or no effect on the more than 1,000 institutions it accredits in 19 states.
The Education Department's Office of Postsecondary Education has already begun a review of the issues raised by the inspector general, but before the secretary of education can act on the inspector general's findings, the department must issue a report and any recommended action to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an 18-member advisory committee that must review any accreditation actions.
That committee, however, has yet to be fully formed since its previous incarnation was terminated in the most recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The education secretary, Arne Duncan, nominated six members to the commission this week. but the remaining 12 members have yet to be nominated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi of California, and Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, president pro tempore of the Senate.
And even if the committee and Secretary Duncan make the unlikely decision to terminate the Higher Learning Commission's status as a regional accreditor, the colleges accredited by the commission would have 18 months to seek approval from another regional accrediting agency, according to information from the Department of Education.
Comments
1. jbarman - December 18, 2009 at 05:17 pm
Reading the OIG report (or at least what is not redacted), the inspector, Wanda Scott, based her evaluation on a judgment regarding the appropriate amount of credit awarded for online "contact time" at one institution. Finding the amount of credit inappropriate, Ms. Scott concludes that the DOE should be concerned about the quality of education at HLC-accredited schools. Further, she believes that a determination should be made regarding limiting, suspending, or terminating DOE's recognition of HLC.
Holy cow! A government factotum finds something to disagree with in a 40+/- page assurance section and then calls for the accreditor's head. Further, HLC had already required corrective measures from the institution on the same issue.
Peer reviews take hundreds of hours of preparation, investigation, and consideration on the part of the peer reviewers. Their recommendations to accreditors take a myriad of considerations into account. To have a holistic accreditation recommendation negated by someone who has merely read a report is absurd.
I was going to put together a finance exam over the weekend; however, I will wait for Ms. Scott to tell me what should be tested.
2. la4097237 - December 18, 2009 at 09:20 pm
Actually this is not an uncommon problem. You can compare many universities who award semester hour credits vs. those who offer quarter hour credits for supposedly the same courses. In most cases those using the quarter system have at most a third less class contact hours than the semester equivalents. And they do this over less than a three month period. Students simply don't have time to absorb the information, much less being being reasonably qualified to go to the next level in their required courses.
3. la4097237 - December 18, 2009 at 09:22 pm
And by the way. I've never seen a college or university that lost its accreditation for any regional or special accreditor if their check cleared. The worst they could expect would be to have some harsh words on the accreditors' reports if the hospitality wasn't up to snuff
!
4. cdwickstrom - December 19, 2009 at 02:23 pm
From what is noted in the article, all the IG ought to be concerned about is whether the credit granted was worthy of the Title IV funds received in the process. From what I recall, there is no other factor associated with DoED recognition of an accreditor. Doesn't the CHEA have the say on recognition of accreditors in regards to quality of education. Am I confused or are wires crossed again in the ongoing question of who shall guard the guardians?
5. karennokill - December 26, 2009 at 03:01 pm
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6. karennokill - December 26, 2009 at 03:04 pm
Take The Higher Learning Commission out and watch all the "diploma mills" come running out desperately seeking accreditation with another regional accreditor.
7. rjsmn - December 30, 2009 at 03:47 pm
I think karennokill has an ax to grind!
Why are there so many UP students who have defaulted on student loans? Could it be that it's because there are so many UP students to begin with? Even the link that you cite shows that the CDR is 9.3 percent. The DOE doesn't take action until the CDR is at 25% for three years.
Why don't they report faculty information? Might it be because they have 22700 part-time faculty, and 1300 full-time faculty?
8. 11331315 - December 30, 2009 at 04:15 pm
la4097237: you are sorely misinformed. Quarter credits transfer in at 2/3 of a semester credit. The total number of quarter credits required for a bachelor's degree are much higher and proportional to the total number of semester credits required for a bachelor's degree. I can name several colleges that have lost accreditation from a regional accreditor. It happens, and you would know this if you read the Chronicle when these actions are announced.
9. wepstein - December 30, 2009 at 04:36 pm
Good for you Karennokill.
10. cougar114 - December 30, 2009 at 04:53 pm
I am a graduate of UOP. I am gainfully employed as a campus director. I could not have achieved this status without my degree. My EdD was not given to me. I earned it with dedication and hard work. UOP has prepared me for the future. I do not know of any college that will guarantee employment upon graduation.
11. tbanning - December 31, 2009 at 02:04 pm
Oh Karennokill...
I am also a graduate of UOP. Having completed my BS in business admin I went on to become a certified teacher here in Texas. After four years I went back to UOP for an MBA conferred in 10/2007. From that time I have become department head for the social studies group at my campus, have taught online for Walden University and now moonlight at El Paso Community College teaching BCIS courses.
To become a teacher of record for the state of Texas you have to hold a bachelor's degree, complete an ACP program, and pass two exams - pedagogy and content - for the area you want to teach in.
To become a BCIS instructor for EPCC you have to have a master's, and be certified by Microsoft by taking a plethora of exams, and have teaching experience.
My road to success was long and difficult. Nobody gave me anything. My time and work invested in my studies have made me a consummate education professional - and all made possible by UOP.
At present I am a secondary educator, adjunct professor, and training consultant. AND I KNOW MY STUFF!!
Courgar114 was right, no college can guarantee employment. Furthermore, ALL colleges are criticized and rampant with controversy.
That said, let me get back to preparing my lesson plans for this next term.
;0)
12. bardinger - January 04, 2010 at 07:40 pm
It may take time to sort this out, but it could be time worth investing. Hundreds of millions of federal dollars are at stake as well as the quality of degrees of hundreds of thousands of potential graduates.
It is no accident that the HLC is the home to dozens of institutions that probably could not get accreditation with one of the other five accrediting agencies. Why else is it well-known that HCL is the preferred accreditor from which to seek initial accreditation? Is it entirely coincidental that HCL has a disproportionate number of non-traditional and for-profit institutions in its stable of colleges and universities? For the past several decades HLC has been moving toward the most subjective set of standards for awarding accreditation among the six accrediting bodies. Check it out and compare the criteria. Better yet, let the most conservative members of Congress do it if they want to save taxpayers money.
13. dmaratto - January 05, 2010 at 08:23 pm
"It is no accident that the HLC is the home to dozens of institutions that probably could not get accreditation with one of the other five accrediting agencies."
For example?
Making vague statements is silly