Hello and welcome back to The Markup, Inside Higher Ed’s weekly roundup of all things higher ed policy. I’m your host, Katherine Knott, IHE’s news editor who definitely does not wish she was back in the Scottish Highlands.
While I was out exploring castles, the Education Department finalized another set of regulations and 25 states challenged the graduate loan limits set to take effect July 1. And in the states, new laws regulating firearms on college campuses reflect partisan divides, and Oregon’s free college program could be on the chopping block.
This Week’s Big Story
An advisory committee signed off Thursday on the Trump administration’s sweeping overhaul of accreditation regulations, moving the proposed changes another step closer to taking effect.
The administration’s proposed changes could dramatically change how accreditors oversee colleges and what institutions need to do to remain accredited. For instance, accreditors will now have to set minimum standards for student achievement and protect viewpoint diversity. The regulations also would make it easier for new accreditors to gain federal recognition and for institutions to change accrediting agencies.
Overhauling accreditation is a top priority for the administration, which views this leg of higher ed oversight as a key lever to imposing its will on institutions. Critics of the administration’s proposal say it is illegal, it threatens academic freedom and it will increase the burden on institutions. Proponents say the changes are necessary to hold colleges accountable for poor graduate outcomes and lack of affordability.
Throughout the negotiations, Education Department officials largely declined to make significant changes to its proposal despite numerous concerns from committee members. In the end, only two committee members abstained from the vote, which allowed the committee to reach consensus.
Trump officials argue that the changes will overhaul a broken accreditation system, which they call a costly barrier to innovation and competition.
“Accreditation is no longer a reliable indicator of quality, but with this committee’s work, we are moving toward a system where accreditation once again means something,” Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent said Thursday.
And with Thursday’s vote, y’all won’t have to hear about neg reg for some time, though the department still has many items on its regulatory to-do list.
