HLC Recent Actions

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by chrisjm18, Aug 21, 2020.

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  1. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    NA schools are all too quick to embrace the lack of distinction. One HBCU that is a candidate for TRACS accreditation shared the following:
    "Because the United States Department of Education holds all accrediting agencies to the same standards, as of July 1, 2020, it no longer holds a distinction between regional and national accrediting agencies. Both regional and national agencies are now known as institutional accrediting agencies. TRACS accredits many colleges and has authorized several historically Black colleges including Bennett College, Clinton College, Paine College, Paul Quinn College, Shorter College, and Virginia University of Lynchburg."

    https://stupiddope.com/2020/11/10/another-major-win-for-morris-brown-college-accreditation-application-approved/
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.
  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Why would you expect to see it explicitly stated in a job listing or job description? That is hardly a measure of the phenomenon. A person's--in this case, yours--anecdotal memories cannot possibly be reliable.

    To be fair, I don't know of any definitive measure of this.
     
  3. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    Why did you cut a sentence off in the middle, then respond as if that item was the only thing mentioned in the list? I don't see the need for the hostility to what was a sincere question, but please forget I asked.

    Edit: Here's a good example of where I should step away from the keyboard for 5 minutes when something rubs me the wrong way. Sorry Rich, I shouldn't be responding aggressively.

    You're right that my anecdotal experiences are not reliable, which is what led me to ask. I was just noting that I hadn't yet run into that experience of an NA Bachelor's being judged differently (and knowing few people in my bubble even know the difference) which led me to wonder if maybe it's larger companies that make more the distinction more often, that was all.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2020
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Why do you take an opposing view point as hostile? You might want to look within.
     
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    We don't really know. I would start with the hypothesis that large companies are more likely to have specific standards and policies in place, then test that.

    When I did my research on the subject many moons ago, I didn't draw a distinction between the size of the company the HR professional represented.

    It is interesting to note that two huge employers--the US government and the US military--don't make these distinctions. Or, at least, not in very many situations.
     
  6. sideman

    sideman Well Known Member

    And this is what most of us NA degree holders hang our hat on. This and recognition by USDoE and CHEA. If the government does not accept what even it approves of in other agencies, then this just muddies the ambiguity that surrounds this topic.
     
  7. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    When I was a police officer in a large southern city, my NA degree was enough to get me into the department (60 college credits required) but not enough to get the $2,000 degree incentive. I challenged this BS police, and the City Council added my concern to their meeting agenda. However, I left the department before the meeting. The minutes of the meeting involving my "item" is accesible on the web. I saw it when I Google my name lol :D I don't know what the outcome was or if it was discussed since I had left.
     
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Note that what I described was a practice, nothing more. It does not bind other employers or universities.
     
  9. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    Was there anything posted that specifically singled out NA degrees? And if so, were you aware of it before or after being hired?
     
  10. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I wasn't aware of the disparity until after I joined the department. Regarding the entry requirements, the job advertisement stated that the degree must be accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. So, when I got in, I wanted to apply for the degree incentive pay. I was told that the degree must be from a regionally accredited school. I was sent the policy by civil service. By this time, I had earned my MBA (RA equivalent), so that's when I wanted to present my case before the City Council. I was missing out on an extra 3k (graduate degree amount).
     
    LearningAddict likes this.
  11. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    For Morris Brown, you can understand their excitement. This historic school is in dire straights; getting ANY recognized accreditation will represent a new lease on life for them. It's impressive that they got as close as they did (it involved selling off parts of campus and discharging millions in debt, while operating with less than a dozen students enrolled), and appear to be on track for TRACS.
     
    chrisjm18 and Johann like this.
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes - Quite a story. Morris Brown College is a 140-year old HBCU in Atlanta GA. There was a financial mismanagement scandal 18 years ago and the school lost its SACS accreditation. Fast forward, the mismanagers are long gone and a lot of work, money and love has been put in, as Stanislav noted. The school's TRACS application has been approved and they look forward to being a Candidate for Accreditation in the New Year - around April, IIRC. Good luck to them! They deserve it!

    So, they want to be a little overjoyed at the (somewhat) waning distinction between NA and RA. Let 'em have their party. If SACS were taking them back and they (Morris Brown) said this - I'd be a tad concerned. This way -- doesn't bother me.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2020
  13. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Here's an example of a job advertisement that explicitly stipulates accreditation requirements. Interestingly, DEAC is the only NA among the accepted accrediting agencies.

    PROBATION AND PAROLE MANAGER
    Application Deadline: December 23, 2020


    Specific college coursework required for a job classification, as well as bachelor’s, graduate, post graduate, and doctoral degrees will be accepted from schools accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) or any of the six regional accreditation associations in the United States listed below:
    • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
    • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
    • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
    • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
    • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
    • Western Association of Schools and Colleges –Senior College and University Commission (WASC-SCUC)
    https://www.personnel.alabama.gov/Documents/Announcements/103748_A.pdf
     
    LearningAddict likes this.
  14. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    I wonder if someone high up has a degree from a DEAC accredited school and was able to advocate for them specifically, or maybe they just feel like DEAC is more consistent with the quality of schools they've accredited over time.
     
    sideman and chrisjm18 like this.
  15. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    December 2020 Actions

    https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/december-2020-actions.html

    Approval of Request for Change

    Adler Graduate School, Minnetonka, MN
    • Approved the institution’s request to offer the Master of Arts in Applied Adlerian Psychology in Leadership.
    Marshall University, Huntington, WV
    • Approved the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice.
    https://www.marshall.edu/news/2019/02/21/board-of-governors-approves-doctor-of-nursing-practice-degree-also-issues-decision-on-jenkins-hall-name/

    Walden University, Minneapolis, MN
    • Approved the institution’s request to reduce the number of credit hours for its Doctor of Healthcare Administration for students entering the program with a health-care-related master’s degree from 78 quarter credit hours to 62 quarter credit hours.
    Board of Trustees Actions

    American College of Education, Approved the extension of accreditation related to the application for Change of Control, Structure or Organization wherein ACE SPV LLC acquires the ownership interests of American College of Education and subsequently merges with and into ACE HoldCo PBC, with the latter surviving as the institution's superordinate entity.
     
  16. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    Since this was a job posting from Alabama and Columbia Southern being a large DEAC school from that state might have had some influence into this requirement.
     
  17. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    January 2021 Actions

    https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/january-2021-actions.html

    Approved of Request for Change

    Walsh College, Troy, MI
    • Approved the institution’s request to offer correspondence education courses and programs.
    • Approved the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).*
    • Approved the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).*
    *Not sure if these are online programs, but they currently offer a Doctor of Management (DM) online.

    Franklin University, Columbus, OH
    • Approved the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)* program with the following concentration: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).
    • Approved the institution’s request to add specializations to the existing Master of Science in Nursing program:
      • Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
      • Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
    *This is Franklin's 4th doctoral program.

    Denial of Request for Change

    Franklin University, Columbus, OH
    • Denied the institution’s request to offer the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)* in Instructional Design, Technology, and Learning Sciences.
    *Uh-oh. Franklin failed in its bid to add its 5th doctoral program. They currently offer a Doctor of Professional Studies (DPS) in Instructional Design Leadership.

    Campus Evaluation Visits

    C
    atholic Distance University, Charles Town, WV
    • Affirmed the quality of the branch campus, Main Campus, 300 South George Street, Charles Town, WV 25414.
    CDU seems to be on track to gain HLC accreditation.
     
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  18. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If the name of that town sounds familiar, Charles Town is the largest town in the West Virginia county that's adjacent to Northern Virginia, and this is the second school (after American Military University/APUS) to move its HQ to Charles Town from Northern Virginia.

    Apparently the incentive is to move out of SACS territory and into HLC territory.
     
    chrisjm18 likes this.
  19. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    I wonder if this is because they tried to "cannibalize" the DPS and HLC thought it was too similar and not enough on theoretical scholarship?
     
    chrisjm18 likes this.
  20. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I was thinking along that line.
     
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