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Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump targets accreditors responsible for Ohio law and medical schools' certification
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — President Donald Trump is working to overhaul American higher education through accreditors, calling out three that are responsible for approving Ohio universities and colleges for federal funding. In one of seven executive orders signed April 23, Trump directed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to hold collegiate accreditors accountable by suspending or terminating their certification if they require colleges to incorporate diversity, equity or inclusion. McMahon is to reform the accreditation system by: Recognizing new accreditors for more competition Requiring universities to submit program-level student data without referencing sex or race Prioritizing intellectual diversity Beginning an experimental site for new accreditation pathways Making accreditation more efficient New NIH rule could ban Ohio universities from grant funding To be eligible for federal resources — including Pell Grants and student loans — all colleges and universities must be accredited by a Department of Education-approved private accrediting company. In Ohio, most universities are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, including Ohio State and Ohio universities. The Higher Learning Commission was not included by name in the executive order, but still falls under its umbrella. 'While we firmly reject President Trump's mischaracterization of accreditors' role in the nation's postsecondary education system, we stand ready to work with the Secretary of Education on policies that will advance our shared mission of enhancing quality, innovation, integrity and accountability,' the Higher Learning Commission said in a statement. The commission does have a standard about diversity of society, but it does not say institutions are required to have diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying: 'The institution provides opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within its mission and for the constituencies it serves.' According to the commission, campus definitions of DEI and strategies for access and inclusion can be used as evidence that an institution is meeting this standard, but they are not required. Trump says Columbus Day will now just be Columbus Day Some programs undergo separate accreditation, including law schools at Capital University and Ohio State, which are accredited by the American Bar Association. The ABA was called out by name in Trump's executive order for requiring law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion. In February, the ABA suspended its diversity and inclusion standard until Aug. 31 to ensure it can be updated to comply with federal law. Nevertheless, Trump quoted from the suspended diversity and inclusion standard in his executive order, saying the 'discriminatory requirement blatantly violates' the Supreme Court's 2023 decision on affirmative action. The ABA told NBC4 it has no comment at this time about the executive order and its inclusion in it. Ohio State also chose not to comment at this time, directing questions to accreditors. The executive order also called out the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which addressed its concerns on Monday. Established in 1981, ACGME accredits 677 programs in Ohio alone, including specialty programs at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State's hospitals and Riverside Hospital. 'The ACGME takes this very seriously and is evaluating the executive order and its implications for the accreditation standards and processes as a high priority,' representatives said. ACGME said it will share more updates once it has examined what this means for the team. It does require a 'diverse and inclusive workforce' for programs to be accredited and prioritizes diverse education. ACGME said patients come from diverse backgrounds, and understanding diversity in gender, age, sex, religion, etc. is crucial to providing appropriate patient care. U.S. Supreme Court likely to side with Ohio group on student opt-outs for LGBTQ+ lessons The third accreditor named in the executive order is the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the only federally approved accreditor of Doctor of Medicine programs. It serves as the accreditor for MD programs at Wright State, Case Western, Northeast Ohio Medical University, OSU, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Toledo. The LCME has been recognized by the federal government as an MD program accreditor since the 1950s. LCME does have one policy requiring each university to prioritize achieving diversity among its students. LCME administrators told NBC4 they have read the executive order and agree that medical programs should be held to a high standard. 'In pursuit of this shared goal, the LCME will work with the Administration to provide requested information and to provide evidence of our ongoing commitment to outcomes-based evaluations of medical education program quality with the goal of producing outstanding physicians,' an LCME spokesperson said. Trump has long promised action toward accreditors, calling the accreditation system his 'secret weapon' for minimizing liberal influence on college campuses. 'When I return to the White House I will fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics,' Trump promised in a campaign video from May 2023. Full surveys of universities typically happen every ten years. Ohio University was accredited this past March, and Ohio State will need its accreditation reaffirmed in the 2026-2027 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WVSOM receives 10-year accreditation from Higher Learning Commission
LEWISBURG, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) was granted continued accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). According to a press release, the accreditation will continue for 10 years, when the next reaffirmation will take place. The important milestone marks the product of a years-long effort to prepare for review from HLC. The commission expressed no concerns regarding the accreditation, signifying that the institution has no areas currently needing improvement. T-Pain announced for the 100th State Fair of West Virginia One of seven national institutional accreditors, HLC accredits approximately 950 colleges and universities, particularly in the central portion of the United States, the release stated. They serve in 19 states, stretching from institutions in Arizona to West Virginia. Besides WVSOM, 12 other osteopathic medical schools have or will be seeking accreditation from the commission. James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., WVSOM's president, stated he is happy with the commission's findings, and expressed appreciation for the staff, administrators, and faculty that play a role in meeting the HLC requirements. The Higher Learning Commission's report shows that WVSOM is adhering to the highest standards of compliance while preparing students for careers as competent, compassionate physicians. I'm proud of all those who have helped make this accreditation a success. A stamp of approval from a prestigious organization like the HLC will have positive implications for WVSOM for years to come. James W. Nemitz, Ph.D. | President, WVSOM The thorough evaluation included a review of arguments and evidence given by the institution that shows compliance with the commission's accreditation requirements, and a student survey. Also included in the review is an on-site evaluation performed by peer reviewers to score the way the institution follows and applies the requirements of the commission. The final review and action, based on the team report, was reached by an HLC body, the release stated. Andrea Bucklew, J.D., WVSOM's Director of Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement, stated that the HLC requires institutions to demonstrate that they meet criteria. The Fayette County Commission has grant funding for demolition of old buildings First, we have to show that our mission statement guides our decisions. Second, we have to act with ethics and integrity. The third and fourth criteria deal with teaching: Are our students learning? Do they have good outcomes? Are they able to match to residencies? And the fifth criterion deals with planning and institutional resources. Andrea Bucklew, J.D. | Director of Accreditation and Quality Improvement, WVSOM Bucklew expressed that the school's high performance prompted the HLC commission to allow WVSOM to choose an 'open pathway' for its next accreditation cycle, the release stated. Institutions approved to use the open pathway are considered to have little concerns regarding accreditation, a strong culture of compliance, as well as more financial stability. The open pathway requires an institution to determine a strategic initiative and report the progress of that initiative to the HLC. The timing is good because we're already in the process of doing that as part of our strategic planning. Andrea Bucklew, J.D. | Director of Accreditation and Quality Improvement, WVSOM Machelle Linsenmeyer, Ed. D., WVSOM's Assistance Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Resources state that the successful reaccreditation will lay the foundation for continuous growth. Accreditation shows that we are a school with processes in place and continuous quality improvement projects that meet the standards not only of our programmatic accreditor, but of an institutional accreditor. We're thrilled that we got the highest recommendation, and we now have the opportunity to move forward with the open pathway, which is important for the expansions we want to make for new opportunities at WVSOM. Machelle Linsenmeyer, Ed. D. | Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Resources, WVSOM Concord University announces 13th President The programmatic accreditor for the school's D.O. program is the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, the release noted. WVSOM possesses continued accreditation for the program through 2029-2030. Linsenmeyer also stated that Bucklew's predecessor, Mary Norris, Ph. D., was vital in the process. Dr. Norris worked closely with the on-site teams who wrote the assurance arguments and collected supporting evidence, was the editor for the final report, and oversaw the logistics of the site team visit including close communication with site visitors throughout the process. I'm thankful to her, our teams and everyone at WVSOM for successfully navigating this process. Machelle Linsenmeyer, Ed. D. | Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Resources, WVSOM For more information regarding the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill aiming to stop accreditors from targeting law-abiding state universities heads to governor
The Iowa Senate passed legislation to bar accreditors from taking negative actions against universities for following state law. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Senate has sent a bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds's desk that would bar penalization from accreditors to universities for following state law, despite concerns from some lawmakers that it would not prevent universities from potentially losing accreditation. House File 295 would bar higher education accrediting bodies from taking negative action against state universities that follow or refuse to be noncompliant with state law, like legislation passed in the state prohibiting universities from funding or maintaining diversity, equity and inclusion offices. The bill also removes mention of the Higher Learning Commission and replaces it with 'any federally recognized accreditor of postsecondary educational institutions,' a move Sen. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, said could lead to universities choosing lower-quality accreditors and 'call into question' students' degrees. 'I think that we are heading down a path that is creating political cover for laws that are being passed that conflict with gold standards of higher education,' Winckler said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sens. Janice Weiner of Iowa City and Herman Quirmbach of Ames agreed with Winckler, saying if Iowa universities stop using the 'gold standard' Higher Learning Commission, students may choose to take their tuition dollars somewhere else and education in Iowa could deteriorate as a result. Weiner reiterated that legislation to create a center for intellectual freedom at the University of Iowa could endanger the university's accreditation, and said the introduction of House File 295 told her 'the majority party knowingly is putting the university's accreditation at risk.' 'We could be voting, and we could be focusing on helping UIHC find a cure for the cancer plague in this state. Instead, we're dealing with a bill that knowingly risks the school's accreditation,' Weiner said. 'It's like we've stepped through the looking glass.' Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott, said there was 'a little bit of exaggeration' in the comments from his colleagues about the dangers of Iowa universities losing accreditation or using lower-quality accreditors. He doesn't expect any problems to arise with current or proposed legislation, including the bill to establish the UI intellectual freedom center. The bill passed with a 32-15 vote. 'You know, these past couple weeks, we have heard a lot of concern about intellectual freedom, diversity, allowing both sides to speak,' Gruenhagen said. 'Instituting this in a college should have been an easy 'yes' vote for both sides of this chamber, according to floor arguments that I've been hearing. Unfortunately, we did not hear those. We did not receive a yes. Here's another chance to say 'yes' to provide opportunities.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
