Two Georgia universities have volunteered to join what is effectively a test run for a new accreditation agency.
The Commission for Public Higher Education, an agency being formed by Georgia and five other Southern states, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month Columbus State and Georgia Southern are among the 10 members in the first cohort it will accredit. The CPHE must demonstrate that it can work with an initial cohort of schools before it is approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
Accreditors are quality assurance bodies for American universities. Without accreditation, a school cannot access federal funds.
Conservatives have repeatedly criticized “woke” legacy accreditors. President Donald Trump’s administration has made it easier for schools to switch accreditors, and in November announced $7 million in grant funding to support the creation of new accreditors and for schools seeking to switch.
The CPHE aims to compete with existing accreditors, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, based in Decatur. Most Georgia universities, including Columbus State and Georgia Southern, are currently accredited with SACS.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Because both were up for reaffirmation with SACS in 2025 or 2026, the schools were among those identified as “natural candidates for simultaneous accrediting activity with CPHE,” according to a July email from CPHE official Cameron Howell, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through a public records request.
Both schools will remain accredited with SACS as CPHE seeks recognition from the Department of Education.
Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero expressed interest in August, saying in an email that the school was “well-positioned in serving as a pilot institution.” He noted that the school is on track to become a “R1” or “Research I” institution, a title granted when schools spend significant money on research. University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue thought that Georgia Southern “would be a good addition,” according to an email.
Credit: Sarah Peacock
Credit: Sarah Peacock
In September, Columbus State University President Stuart Rayfield wrote a letter of intent to join the CPHE. The primary motivation, she said, was the university’s commitment to student success and academic excellence. “As a commission uniquely created by and for public colleges and universities, CPHE understands the mission, challenges, and responsibilities of public higher education,” Rayfield wrote.
To become accredited, a school must meet an agency’s accreditation standards. CPHE’s standards are much shorter than those of many existing accreditors, part of its goal of reducing bureaucracy and costs. “We are painfully aware of standards that accreditors have adopted that create onerous burdens on institutions in a way that creates real costs,” Howell previously told the AJC.
In July, after reviewing a draft of those standards, Rayfield applauded the “focus on simplicity.” But she added that they needed more explicit information. A frequent thought her staff had while reading the standards, wrote Rayfield, was, “what does this mean exactly?”
Credit: University System of Georgia
Credit: University System of Georgia
Rayfield also raised questions about “viewpoint diversity,” the most controversial piece of CPHE’s standards. The term has been used by conservatives who claim college faculty are too liberal.
Rayfield asked how institutions could provide evidence of viewpoint diversity, saying it “may fly in the face” of equal opportunity employment.
In the current standards, the term was changed to “intellectual diversity,” a phrase embraced by the Trump administration.
“I don’t think any college would disagree that there should be diversity of views among their faculty,“ said John Przypyszny, a lawyer who specializes in accreditation. “What’s controversial is how you enforce that. Who’s determining what an (intellectually) diverse view is?“
While CPHE says the group is apolitical, some worry that its current standards would not protect schools from undue influence. “It’s beyond simplified,” said Bridget Trogden, an accreditation expert who was previously in charge of a quality enhancement program at Mercer University.
“CPHE is trying to undercut institutional autonomy and academic freedom so politicians can have more control of what goes on at universities,” Trogden said.
The commission does feature some credible people, said Nasser Paydar, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. He pointed to Mark Becker, who chairs the CPHE board and was previously the president of Georgia State University.
Paydar said CHEA has reviewed CPHE’s standards and provided them with feedback. Does he agree that CPHE is not political?
“Time will tell,” Paydar said.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
