Latest news with #NewEnglandCommissionofHigherEducation
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Could Trump go after Harvard's accreditation? Here's what to know.
Here are the basics about Harvard's accreditation. Advertisement Who oversees Harvard's accreditation? The New England Commission of Higher Education accredits Harvard, according to the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Harvard was last accredited in 2018, and in 2022 it submitted an interim accreditation report, which was accepted. Harvard The New England Commission of Higher Education was established in 1885 and accredits more than 200 higher education institutions. How do the Commission and accreditation work? Currently, 32 people sit on the New England Commission of Higher Education. Accreditation is done for all colleges and universities in the United States by private nonprofits — though the organizations need to be recognized by the federal secretary of education. Nationally, there are Advertisement Schools are evaluated for re-accreditation every ten years against a set of How does accreditation impact federal funding? Institutions have to be accredited by a recognized accrediting agency for their students to receive federal student aid, including grants, loans, and work study. Without accreditation, schools cannot make their students eligible for federal financial aid, which most students rely on to cover tuition. Maren Halpin can be reached at
Malay Mail
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Who accredits US universities and what does Trump want to change?
WASHINGTON, April 26 — US President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week targeting the non-government agencies that accredit universities and other higher-education institutions, saying that some promote diversity he considers to be a form of unlawful discrimination. The order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to consider terminating government approval of higher-education accrediting agencies that require colleges to show a commitment to having staff and students who are diverse with regard to gender, race and ethnic background. How are US universities accredited? The US federal government does not run any universities or colleges, nor does it accredit them. Instead, under the Higher Education Act of 1965, the education secretary 'recognises' various private educational associations, as well as some agencies run by state governments, that can accredit colleges through a peer review process if they meet criteria laid out by Congress. The government has recognised more than 30 accrediting agencies, including regional agencies and agencies with a narrow focus on particular professional educational programmes. For example, a division of the American Bar Association is the main accrediting agency for law degree programmes in the US; the New England Commission of Higher Education accredits colleges in much of the Northeast, including Harvard University. What does accrediting mean? The Higher Education Act says that the main role of accrediting agencies is to ensure the quality of education received by students and to serve as a guarantor of the diplomas issued by accredited schools. In order to receive Pell Grants or student loans disbursed by the US Department of Education, a student must generally enrol at an accredited or 'pre-accredited' institution. The department issues more than US$100 billion (RM438 billion) in grants and loans each year, according to the White House. The law requires accrediting agencies to lay out clear standards and processes, and that they must assess a college or university by looking at student achievement, graduation rates, curricula, faculty, facilities and admissions practices, among other criteria. What is Trump's criticism of accrediting agencies? Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly criticised US universities for being bastions of what he calls anti-American, Marxist and 'radical left' ideologies, and has said accreditation agencies are partly to blame. In his order, he criticised any agency that sought to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in its accreditation standards with regards to gender, race or ethnic background. He ordered the education secretary to eradicate those criteria within the bounds of existing law. He also ordered McMahon to see that accredited institutions support 'intellectual diversity' in their faculties, which many conservatives consider to be left-leaning. Students demonstrate during a protest where some temporarily locked themselves to the gates to Columbia University's main campus in New York City. — Reuters pic What powers does the education department have over accreditors? Some of Trump's goals may require Congress to amend the law. The Higher Education Act says the education secretary is not permitted to establish additional criteria for accrediting agencies beyond those Congress included in the Higher Education Act. Nor is the secretary allowed to define or prescribe the standards used by an agency to assess a college's student achievement. However, the law does allow accrediting agencies to adopt 'additional standards' beyond those laid out by Congress in making their accreditation decisions. An accrediting agency must reapply for recognition by the education secretary at most every five years. If an accrediting agency fails to meet the criteria laid out in the Higher Education Act, the education secretary can terminate its recognition only 'after notice and opportunity for a hearing'. What does the Higher Education Act say about diversity? The law repeatedly refers to promoting various forms of diversity at US colleges. For example, the law requires institutions provide information for current and prospective students on 'student body diversity', including a breakdown of the gender and racial makeup of full-time students. The law also lays out grant programmes intended for women and other historically under-represented minority groups, and it states that 'underrepresentation of minorities in science and technological fields diminishes our Nation's competitiveness'. — Reuters
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anna Maria College in Paxton put on notice by acceditation panel
PAXTON — After an oversight commission questioned finances at Anna Maria College, the school has heightened its focus on cost-cutting and increasing its enrollment. Anna Maria, which has seen a drop in students in some areas in recent years, is readying for new leadership, with Sean Ryan, an administrator at Bellarmine University in Kentucky, due to replace Mary Lou Retelle in July. The school recently underwent a review of its finances by the New England Commission of Higher Education, an accreditation source. On March 6, the commission determined that Anna Maria is in danger of not meeting its Standard on Institutional Resources. In a joint statement by the commission and Anna Maria, the commission questioned whether changes made by the school "will be sufficient for the institution to return to financial stability and compliance with its debt service covenant." The meeting ended with an agreement that the commission would monitor the school's standing through spring 2026. "We will continue to work in partnership with NECHE concerning the Institutional Resources standard," Retelle, the outgoing Anna Maria president, said in a statement. "The strong work that has been conducted to address variables accentuated by the pandemic is ongoing. We continue to provide our students with a high-quality, service-focused education that advances the mission that has guided this institution for 79 years." Anna Maria in 2022 announced it was discontinuing three of its music majors. At the time, the college said efforts to boost the number of students had fallen short. In July 2024, Retelle, who became the head of Anna Maria in 2015, said that the current school year would be her last. She is retiring, she said. On March 6, the same day as the meeting of the New England Commission of Higher Education, the school announced that Ryan would be the new president. He is a senior vice president at Bellarmine, a school of about 3,000 students in Louisville. Earlier in his career, he was chief enrollment officer at Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire. The New England Commission of Higher Education accredits more than 200 schools that award degrees. Anna Maria's accreditation dates to 1955, not long after Sisters of Saint Anne, a Marlborough-based order, took over the 290-acre Paxton estate known as Mooracres. More: Graphics explain: How has college enrollment changed in the past decade? This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Anna Maria College put on notice by acceditation panel
