Advisory Committee on Accreditation Reconvenes, Turns Political 

After two previously scheduled meetings were canceled, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) met for the first time since President Trump’s appointees joined the Department of Education. The Administration’s accreditation priorities quickly became apparent. 

Although NACIQI meetings are generally dominated by relatively routine reviews of accrediting agencies that are up for renewal of their federal recognition, the opening minutes of the most recent meeting revealed partisan fractures, with a deadlocked vote on a new committee chair and contentious comments on accreditation from Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent. 

In remarks focusing on a need to “fix” a broken accreditation system, Kent echoed many of the Administration’s critiques of the current accreditation model, arguing that accreditation should be about student outcomes above all else.  

Rhetorically posing the question “What should accreditors prioritize,” Kent responded, “Graduation rates. Skills. Academic rigor. Earnings. Debt…. Instead of focusing on student outcomes and accountability to taxpayers, accreditation has functioned as a shield for incumbent institutions, or worse, as a tool for political and ideological enforcement.”  

Kent labeled accreditation as being costly, burdensome, and dominated by a woke ideology that gives rise to unlawful DEI practices, “compulsory sensitivity training and political litmus tests” that “undermine merit” and “chill free speech.”  He further advocated for more competition from new accreditors and hailed the Administration’s efforts to further that goal. He also highlighted the Department’s recent request for comments on accreditation reform and indicated that the agency intends to make further changes to accreditation regulations via negotiated rulemaking in the spring. 

Kent’s remarks followed the surprise nomination of new committee member – and Republican appointee – Jay Greene for committee chair. After a lengthy recess, the initial vote resolved in favor of Greene after one member abstained on the revote. He prevailed over Zakiya Smith Ellis, the presumed incoming chair and a Democratic appointee who currently serves as vice chair of the advisory committee.