C-RAC Chair Highlights Accreditor Role in Workforce Pell and Accountability Regulations

Today, Dr. Heather Perfetti, Chair of the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) and President of Middle States Commission on Higher Education, offered comments on behalf of C-RAC during the Department of Education’s public hearing to gather input on the Department’s plans to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee focused on issues around accountability and Workforce Pell.

The full transcript of the remarks is appended below:

My name is Dr. Heather Perfetti, and I currently serve as the President of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and as Chair of the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions, also known as C-RAC.

We thank the Department for recognizing accreditors as a necessary constituency group to be represented on the AHEAD Committee.

We also appreciate this opportunity to speak on several areas of the recently passed Budget Reconciliation Act and the regulations necessary for its implementation.

This new law will undoubtedly bring many changes to higher education affecting institutions and students alike. It will create new opportunities for low-income students to take advantage of high-quality workforce-driven programs. While our institutions have long offered non-credit and continuing education programs, Workforce Pell Grants will certainly expand these and other related offerings. Accreditors stand ready to assist institutions as they navigate both State and Secretarial approval of these programs. Accreditors remain positioned to monitor these offerings, their outcomes and the overall impact on institutional quality through our rigorous review processes.

Another significant provision of the law is related to program accountability. We have a strong interest in protecting students in cases where institutions discontinue a program or lose Title IV eligibility. The impact of the implementation of these provisions will be important as we will need to appropriately consider when a teach-out may be needed for students to minimize disruption in their academic journeys.

C-RAC does want to reiterate that many of our institutions offer programs for critical fields that are unlikely to meet the high bar for earnings. As a result, the negotiators cannot forget about the possible impacts on these students, institutions, and communities. C-RAC represents a range of institutions, and these changes have the potential to impact the very core of diverse missions, institutional dedication to service and their communities, as well as financial viability. Here again, accreditors will work with institutions to nurture institutional quality and student-centered programs and services while ensuring compliance with any new Federal expectations.

Finally, it is important to note the vast amount of data that will be required to carry out the new law effectively. In many cases, existing data will be available, but new processes and collections will also likely need to be established. New data requirements should not be overly burdensome on institutions, and negotiators should take into account current data collections and accountability provisions such as Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency regulations. C-RAC appreciates that the Department has added both of these existing regulations as part of the AHEAD Agenda.

Again, on behalf of C-RAC, we look forward to working with the Department on regulations that can be implemented efficiently without administrative burdens and with clear returns on investments by all constituents.

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About the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC):

C-RAC is a collaborative of the nation’s seven federally recognized institutional accrediting commissions, including the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Higher Learning Commission, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, New England Commission of Higher Education, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and WASC Senior College and University Commission. Collectively, C-RAC is responsible for accrediting approximately 3,000 postsecondary, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States, as well as internationally. Accrediting commissions are private, nonprofit organizations. To learn more, visit www.c-rac.org.