The Annual Meeting of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is wrapping up today and as Insidehighered.com reports: “Virtually all of the national higher education leaders who spoke to the country’s largest accrediting group sent a version of the same message: The federal government is dead serious about holding colleges and universities accountable for their performance, and can be counted on to impose undesirable requirements if higher education officials don’t make meaningful changes themselves.”
In the keynote address for HLC, Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education said, “‘If we fail to act, it is likely that change will be imposed upon us, with potentially serious consequences for the governance structure that has allowed the United States to develop the best, most inclusive’ higher education system in the world.” While those of us in assessment and accreditation are used to the idea of increased accountability, this article reveals a more menacing tone in the national conversation on higher education.
