The U.S. Department of Education has recommended that a federal panel renew recognition for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, a controversial regional accreditor of two-year colleges in California and other Western states. The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity is slated to review ACCJC's recognition and scope at a meeting next week.
The department and NACIQI had given the accreditor a year to fix several problems, including concerns about the consistency of its decision making, acceptance of its policies by academics and others, and its adherence to due process in the accreditation process. During its last review, the feds also denied the accreditor's request to expand its scope to overseeing new four-year degree programs at California community colleges.
Much of the criticism around ACCJC had stemmed from the agency's longstanding feud over sanctions it imposed on City College of San Francisco. But last month the accreditor renewed City College's accreditation for seven years.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/02/16/feds-urge-renewal-controversial-accreditor