10 Universities Seek Recognition by a New Accreditor

"Just four months after the launch of the Commission for Public Higher Education, the aspiring accreditor has received letters of intent from a cohort of 10 institutions, making them the first potential members. The initial group to submit a letter of intent seeking CPHE accreditation comes from four states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. All are currently accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges."

"With its inaugural cohort and draft standards in place, the newly formed commission-introduced by Florida governor Ron DeSantis at a June press conference in which he railed against existing accreditors -is making progress toward its eventual goal of recognition by the U.S. Department of Education, which is a years-long process. Now the first 10 potential member institutions will offer CPHE a chance to show how it might offer a different approach to accreditation, even as it simultaneously battles accusations that it is aligned with DeSantis and his partisan attacks on higher ed."

"The aspiring members are all public colleges or universities-in keeping with CPHE's stated mission-and represent a range of institution types. Several, including Florida Atlantic, are large research institutions, while NCCU is a historically Black university and Chipola College mostly offers two-year programs, though it does confer some bachelor's degrees as well. "I think it's an extraordinary group. It's beyond, both in terms of number and in terms of breadth, where I think anyone could have reasonably thought we would be when we started this project," said Daniel Harrison, vice president"

Four months after launching, the Commission for Public Higher Education has received letters of intent from ten public institutions across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas seeking CPHE accreditation. The institutions are currently accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and include large research universities, a historically Black university, regional institutions and a primarily two-year college that also grants some bachelor's degrees. CPHE was introduced by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and aims for recognition by the U.S. Department of Education, a multi-year process. The initial cohort will allow CPHE to demonstrate an alternative accreditation approach while facing accusations of political alignment.

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