WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education announced Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley, chair of C-RAC and president of the Higher Learning Commission, will serve on the Accreditation and Innovation Committee for the upcoming negotiated rulemaking on higher education issues. Dr. Elizabeth Sibolski, vice chair of C-RAC and president of the Middle States Commission, will serve as an alternate. “Dr. Sibolski and I are pleased to represent regional accreditors in the negotiated rulemaking, which will explore several critical regulations that affect institutional innovation, competitiveness, and quality,” said Dr. Gellman-Danley. “The rulemaking presents a valuable opportunity to assess whether current policies are effectively serving students and taxpayers while also allowing adequate flexibility for institutions. As accreditors, we are keenly aware of the challenges facing the American higher education system and welcome the occasion to collaboratively develop new policies that could strengthen colleges and universities nationwide. We look forward to using our insight and experiences to help shape proposed regulatory changes.” The Accreditation and Innovation Committee will hold its first meeting in Washington, D.C. January 14 – 16, with two additional committee meetings scheduled for February 19 – 22 and March 25 – 28. The meetings will be open to the public and are expected to be livestreamed. There will also be three subcommittees that participate in the rulemaking: the Distance Learning and Educational Innovation Subcommittee, the Faith-Based Entities Subcommittee, and the TEACH Grant Subcommittee. More information about the subcommittee meeting schedule is available here.
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The Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions is a collective of seven regional organizations responsible for the accreditation of roughly 3,000 of the nation’s colleges and universities.
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