Gabrielle Russon
The Florida Board of Governors has voted to create a new higher education accreditor despite some Florida education leaders asking questions and raising concerns about the agency’s independence and structure.
The board approved the nonprofit Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE) which will work with five other state university systems. CPHE will also be founded by the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina System, the University of South Carolina System, the Texas A&M University System and the University of Tennessee System.
“The Board of Governors’ approval of the Commission for Public Higher Education marks a transformative moment for public postsecondary education,” said Chancellor Ray Rodrigues in a statement. “This bold, collaborative effort across multiple state systems reflects our shared commitment to accountability, innovation, and transparency in accreditation, ensuring colleges and universities deliver real value.”
Rodrigues had pushed for CPHE because he argued it will eliminate bureaucracy in the accreditation process and modernize the process.
The Board of Governors will be the nonprofit’s sole member which raises questions about CPHE’s independence or perception as an accreditor, said board member Kimberly Dunn.
“We want this accreditor to be independent in fact and independent in appearance,” Dunn said. “But with us as the sole member, it appears, or could appear to stakeholders, that .. the accreditor lacks independence from the institution being accredited because the Board of Governors, who is the regulator of the institution, is controlling, or at least has reserved powers over the accreditor.”
Dunn also warned it must be clear the accreditor is not imposing or preventing what’s taught in the curriculum, leaving those decisions up to the schools or the state university system.
“Part of the inspiration for moving towards a new accreditor is a belief that … the national accreditors use their authority to push their preferred curriculum on the institutions,” Rodrigues told the board. “So we’re not looking to create an accreditor that removes left-wing ideology and replaces it with right-wing ideology. The point of this is to have an accreditor that’s not involved in ideology at all.”
The Board of Governors will spend $4 million in non-recurring state funds to start up CPHE’s secure website and other expenses, officials said at Friday’s meeting.
CPHE will “prioritize student outcomes, process efficiency, and the pursuit of academic excellence for public postsecondary education,” the Florida Board of Governors said in a press release after the vote. “By establishing rigorous, transparent, and adaptable outcomes-based accreditation standards and practices, CPHE will ensure that colleges and universities meet and maintain academic quality and operational excellence on behalf of their students.”
During Friday’s discussion board chair Brian Lamb said, “I do think the Chancellor and team have a lot of work to do to continue to educate this board, to be blunt, because a lot of the questions that we’re asking — forecast, IT, infrastructure, staffing — every last one of those are appropriate. And I think there’s a big assignment for the Chancellor and staff coming out of here for probably quite frequent updates and briefings.”
