CCCU Joins Higher Education Community in Support of Bill to Repeal State Authorization and Credit Hour Regulations
February 27, 2012 http://www.cccu.org/news/articles/2012/CCCU-Joins-Higher-Education-Community-in-Support-of-Bill
WASHINGTON – The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities has signed on to a letter delivered today to House members urging them to vote for H.R. 2117, the “Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act.” The bill is expected to be voted on in the House of Representatives this week. If passed, it will repeal the new federal definition of a credit hour and the federal parameters for how states must authorize the institutions that operate within their state. Both of these provisions were included in the Education Department’s “Program Integrity” rules, which were completed in 2010 and went into effect on July 1, 2011.
The two provisions have been vastly unpopular in the higher education community, as evidenced by the 51 higher education associations (including the CCCU), seven regional accreditation organizations, and 41 other accreditation organizations that signed onto today’s letter sent by the American Council of Education on behalf of all of these entities.
The letter notes that, except for the state authorization and credit hour provisions, the “Program Integrity” rules are part of a laudable attempt by the department to curb abuse and bring greater integrity to the federal student aid programs. “However, given the almost total lack of evidence of a problem in the context of credit hour or state authorization, these two portions of the package miss their mark,” states ACE in today’s letter. “We see no justification for two regulations that so fundamentally alter the relationships among the federal government, states, accreditors and institutions. We believe the outcome of this unprecedented regulatory overreach will be inappropriate federal interference in campus-based decisions in which the faculty play a central role.
The end result will be a curtailment of student access to high-quality education opportunities.”
Since the “Program Integrity” regulations were proposed in June 2010, the CCCU has consistently opposed the provisions that H.R. 2117 will appeal. The CCCU’s August 2, 2010, comments to the Education Department are available here. Last June the CCCU signed on to a letter sent to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, supporting her introduction of H.R. 2117.
A related Senate bill, S. 1297, was introduced last June but has not yet been considered by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Updated February 29, 2012: The U.S. House of Representatives passed The Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act (HR 2117) on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 with a bipartisan vote of 303 to 114.
The two provisions have been vastly unpopular in the higher education community, as evidenced by the 51 higher education associations (including the CCCU), seven regional accreditation organizations, and 41 other accreditation organizations that signed onto today’s letter sent by the American Council of Education on behalf of all of these entities.
The letter notes that, except for the state authorization and credit hour provisions, the “Program Integrity” rules are part of a laudable attempt by the department to curb abuse and bring greater integrity to the federal student aid programs. “However, given the almost total lack of evidence of a problem in the context of credit hour or state authorization, these two portions of the package miss their mark,” states ACE in today’s letter. “We see no justification for two regulations that so fundamentally alter the relationships among the federal government, states, accreditors and institutions. We believe the outcome of this unprecedented regulatory overreach will be inappropriate federal interference in campus-based decisions in which the faculty play a central role.
The end result will be a curtailment of student access to high-quality education opportunities.”
Since the “Program Integrity” regulations were proposed in June 2010, the CCCU has consistently opposed the provisions that H.R. 2117 will appeal. The CCCU’s August 2, 2010, comments to the Education Department are available here. Last June the CCCU signed on to a letter sent to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, supporting her introduction of H.R. 2117.
A related Senate bill, S. 1297, was introduced last June but has not yet been considered by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Updated February 29, 2012: The U.S. House of Representatives passed The Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act (HR 2117) on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 with a bipartisan vote of 303 to 114.
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About the CCCU: The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of 185 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. The 116 member campuses in North America are all fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 69 affiliate campuses from 25 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth. Visit www.cccu.org.
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