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Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Southern states join forces to break free from 'woke accreditation cartels'
Southern states banded together Thursday to establish their own accrediting body in higher education in order to "upend the monopoly of the woke accreditation cartels," according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee formed the Commission for Public Higher Education, a consortium of six public universities offering a new accreditation model. The Commission will create a "first-of-its-kind accreditation model for public higher education institutions that will offer high-quality, efficient services prioritizing academic excellence, student outcomes and achievement." DeSantis said at a press conference at Florida Atlantic University that there was a need for "alternative accreditation." DeSantis said that the commission will "upend the monopoly of the woke accreditation cartels, and it will provide institutions with an alternative that focuses on student achievement, rather than the ideological fads that have so permeated those accrediting bodies over the years." He explained further that the accreditation process affects undergraduate schools as well as law and medical schools. He said that accrediting bodies were trying to deny credentials to Florida institutions that prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming on their campuses. "The accreditors are telling them they have to do these things. So, when we said, 'No DEI,' the accreditors are telling these universities, 'No, no, no, you're not going to get accredited unless you do DEI.' Who the heck are they to say what our universities have to do? They're telling them they can't follow state law? Are you kidding me? Nobody elected them to make that judgment at all. "What we've seen develop is an accreditation cartel and the accreditors by-and-large are all singing from the same sheet of music and it's not what the state of Florida wants to see reflected in its universities in many different respects." He added that the process "requires approval" from the current Trump administration's U.S. Department of Education and that the accreditation overhaul agenda would not have passed under the Biden administration. "They believe in overhauling this accreditation process. They want to have new blood in the system. They want to have competing accreditors," DeSantis said about the Trump administration. When reached for comment, a Department of Education spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to President Donald Trump's executive order issued in April that called for accountability and reform to the accreditation process in higher education after past accrediting bodies "abused their enormous authority." The Executive Order cited accredited institutions offering "undergraduate and graduate programs with a negative return on investment" and compelling the "adoption of discriminatory ideology, rather than on student outcomes" in order to access federal aid. DeSantis said the members of the new accrediting body have been working with the Department of Education to expedite the process of acquiring approval from the federal government. "We need these things approved and implemented during President Trump's term of office, because the reality is, if it doesn't get approved and stick during that time, you can have a president come in next and potentially revoke it, and they could probably do that very quickly," DeSantis said. DeSantis predicted that more conservative states in the South will seek to gain accreditation from the new body. A Florida education official sent Fox News Digital the following statement: "I am proud to be joined by leaders of five other public university systems to establish an accreditor that will focus on ensuring institutions provide high-quality, high-value programs, use student data to drive decisions, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process," Chancellor Ray Rodrigues of the State University System of Florida said.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Public Universities In Six Southern States Form New Accrediting Agency
Public universities in six southern states have formed the Commission for Public Higher Education, a ... More new university accrediting body. getty Public universities in six southern states have come together to create a new higher education accreditor that will offer an alternative to existing nationally recognized accrediting agencies overseeing the nation's colleges and universities. The formation of the Commission for Public Higher Education was led by a consortium of public universities that includes Texas A&M University, the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, the University of Tennessee System, the University of North Carolina System and the University of South Carolina System. Public universities in those states are currently accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The establishment of the new college accreditor comes partly in response to President Trump's long-standing and frequent attacks on accreditors and the accreditation process itself. All six of the consortium states voted for Trump in the last presidential election. '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 said in a July 2023 campaign video. 'We will then accept applications for new accreditors who will impose real standards on colleges once again and once and for all,' he added. Trump has referred to accreditation in the past as his ' secret weapon, ' which critics have feared means that he wants to force accreditors to apply evaluative criteria aligned with his political ideology. In April, Trump issued an Executive Order, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education , that claimed that accreditors 'routinely approve institutions that are low-quality by the most important measures.' That order also railed against accreditors setting standards for diversity, equity, and inclusion. And it called for 'recognizing new accreditors to increase competition and accountability in promoting high-quality, high-value academic programs focused on student outcomes.' Announcing the new accrediting organization at a press conference on Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis echoed those themes, claiming that Florida had set an example for the nation by "breaking the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.' 'Today, I announced that a new accreditor, the Commission for Public Higher Education, will offer an alternative that will break the ideological stronghold," said DeSantis. "With transparent, rigorous, outcomes-based standards, this accreditor will help ensure the Free State of Florida leads the way in higher education for decades to come.' In 2022, Florida passed a law that required its public universities and colleges to periodically change accreditors. The Commission for Public Higher Education promises a new accreditation model that will focus on 'student outcomes, process efficiency, and the pursuit of excellence," according to the announcement from DeSantis's office. At this point, it appears it will cover only public institutions, and it's possible other states may join the effort in the future. University leaders praised the creation of the new organization, emphasizing issues such as institutional efficiency and student outcomes rather than employing the political rhetoric that flavored much of DeSantis's comments. 'The University of South Carolina (USC) System accepted the invitation to join five other excellent U.S. university systems to form the Commission for Public Higher Education because innovating accreditation provides great benefits for universities, colleges, and our nation,' said Thad H. Westbrook, Chair of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees. 'We'll be representing North Carolina's interests and vision, true to our traditions,' University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans told The Assembly . 'Associating with numerous other strong public institutions and engaging in true peer review, that's going to bolster a meaningful exchange of best practices [that] ultimately support the reputation of institutions that choose to participate.' It's expected that it will take at least two years before the new accreditor gets formal recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. DeSantis said higher education officials are working with the Department of Education to gain an expedited approval of the new accreditation model. 'We need these things approved and implemented during President Trump's term of office, because the reality is, if it doesn't get approved and stick during that time, you can have a president come in next and potentially revoke it, and they could probably do that very quickly,' DeSantis said, according to The Hill . Accrediting agencies are responsible for determining whether colleges and universities meet certain minimal standards of educational quality and financial integrity. Their gate-keeping role is important for several reasons, not the least of which is that in order for an institution's students to receive federal financial aid, it must be accredited by a "nationally recognized" accrediting agency.
