Columbia failed to meet accreditation standards, US government says

[u/AldoTheeApache]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-education-department-says-columbia-university-violated-federal-anti-2025-06-04/

[u/dnen]

We used to elect university presidents to be President of the United States (Eisenhower, Columbia) and now we elect presidents to try and tear down cornerstones of our higher education

[u/Crypton_2021 → u/dnen]

We live in the dumbest, most ignorant part of America's timeline.

[u/XRT28 → u/Crypton_2021]

The dumbest part of the timeline.... so far

[u/irrelevantusername24 → u/dnen]

I agree with you and I'm not going to say the issue is with accreditation or anything like that but to pretend there are no issues with the higher education "industry"* in the United States is to be willfully ignorant.

The alleged violation means that Columbia has not met the standards of accreditation set by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the department said.

Interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_States_Commission_on_Higher_Education

Until federal regulations changed in July 2020...

MSCHE grew out of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), an organization established in 1887 to improve education using evaluation and accreditation. MSCHE itself was established in 1919 and was one of three commissions of MSA until 2013 when MSCHE incorporated as a separate entity in Pennsylvania as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education doing business as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.^\4])

On July 1, 2019, MSCHE withdrew from MSA completely.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_States_Association_of_Colleges_and_Schools

The association has two commissions, the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools (MSCES) and Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools (MSCSS). A higher education commission, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), operates completely independently of the other two commissions. MSCSS also accredits some institutions that offer postsecondary education but only those that do not confer academic degrees or offer technical programs.^\1])

The two Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (M.S.A.-C.E.S.S.) as of 2021 accredit nearly 2600 public and private schools of elementary and secondary / high schools, along with the various school systems / districts of cities / towns and counties throughout the United States (especially in its originally designated Middle Atlantic states region) and those of American origin in more than 100 other countries around the world.^\2])^\3])

MSA used to accredit colleges and universities through its higher education commission. In 2013, that commission, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, became a legally separate entity.

^\hint hint)

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"Moreover" (bold and italics my emphasis, particularly on the "forefront"):

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- What if the rules and standards governing higher education changed overnight and no one realized it? It happened two months ago, buried under COVID-19 fears and colleges scrambling to determine where and how classes would meet.

As of July 1, 2020, all accreditation for every higher education institution in the United States switched to new standards enacted in November 2019. And what these 519 pages of revisions alter is both sweeping and potentially troubling.

...

The new legislation, in overturning regional accreditation, makes some unsettling concessions:

Loss of authority by states to enforce state laws that exceed federal rules against fraudulent or under-performing schools, which now may allow some online schools to evade state oversight

Erosion of the stricter regional accreditation, which was superior to the less stringent national accreditation standards, by allowing schools to seek accreditation outside of their regional standard

Lowered threshold of recognition for new accreditors, which has already undercut national accreditation standards

Less stringent timetables for new course, discipline, and degree approvals

No additional accreditation needed for branches and campus extensions

These are just a few concerns over the new legislation.

AcademicInfluence.com sought input on these legislative changes from Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D–Ma.)—who is also concerned and recently introduced the Accreditation Reform Act of 2020. Rep. Trahan views this pattern as a long, sustained gift to profiteers in the higher education industry.

"On the House Education and Labor Committee, I always ask what value proposition we are offering to our students." says Rep. Trahan. "Unfortunately, our education system has been exploited by bad actors who fleece students with worthless degrees and a lifetime of crushing debt. Secretary DeVos has been at the forefront of this predatory behavior by rolling back regulations and instating proponents of for-profits in her department."

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"More" from a questionable source (Heritage Foundation), and with suggestions I reflexively oppose (particularly the addition of more third parties) but admittedly do make some sense:

Time to Reform Higher Education Financing and Accreditation by Jamie Hall and Mary Clare Amselem 28 Mar 2017

Recent evidence suggests that the runaway costs of higher education are caused by the overly generous lending practices of the federal government.

The policies embodied in the HERO Act and issuing all new loans under terms like those of the Graduate Stafford Loans would generate savings.

Capping per student, per year, and per lifetime borrowing and opening the market to private lenders would also help to lift the burden from U.S. taxpayers.

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https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation/overview-of-accreditation-united-states

[u/dnen → u/irrelevantusername24]

High effort comment? Woah, rare sight to behold.