America’s system of higher-education accreditation is a relic of the late 19th century. Starting in the northeast, colleges and universities formed associations whose membership depended on meeting several standards regarding physical plant, library, and faculty. The point was to distinguish true colleges from places calling themselves such but, in fact, not offering a true college education (e.g., correspondence schools). Membership was voluntary, and maintaining educational standards was up to school officials.
Much later (in the 1950s), the federal government decided to make accreditation a requirement for schools to receive federal student aid money. That gave the accrediting agencies a great deal of power. They have not used it well. Academic standards have steadily fallen even as the accreditors have used their authority to push for leftist objectives like “diversity.” So, why continue with this system?
In today’s Martin Center article, Jenna Robinson advocates for states to establish their own accreditation systems.
She writes, “The benefits of states creating their own higher-education accrediting agencies are myriad and significant. By establishing state-based accrediting bodies, states can reduce duplication of efforts, streamlining the accreditation process to be more efficient and tailored to local needs. This would lead to greater financial certainty and stability for institutions, as they would no longer be subject to the expensive and unevenly applied standards of legacy accreditors.”
Good idea. Things couldn’t get worse and they might get much better. That’s particularly true in North Carolina and other states where the ideologically aggressive Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has held sway.
Robinson concludes, “Competition between accreditors and the emergence of new accreditors will increase innovation, improve quality, and potentially lower costs for universities. It will allow universities to find accreditors that suit their needs and encourage differentiation between institutions. This innovation in accreditation will benefit students, universities, and the taxpayers and citizens who fund public education.”