| Publication Date: August 2004 FRPart: |
Page Numbers: 48850-48851
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for the Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational Education, and State Agencies for the Approval of Nurse Education
Posted on 08-11-2004
[Federal Register: August 11, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 154)] [Notices] [Page 48850-48851] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr11au04-52] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for the
Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational Education, and State
Agencies for the Approval of Nurse Education
AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity, Department of Education (The Advisory Committee).
What Is the Purpose of This Notice?
On July 16, 2004, we published a notice in the Federal Register to
invite written comments on accrediting agencies that had submitted
petitions for review by the Advisory Committee at its December 13-15,
2004 meeting. Although the Distance Education and Training Council was
included in the list of accrediting agencies for the Advisory
Committee's review of the Council's progress report, the July 16, 2004
notice omitted the Council's request for an expansion of scope. This
notice invites written comments on the petition for expansion of scope
submitted by the Distance Education and Training Council that will be
reviewed at the Advisory Committee meeting to be held on December 13-
15, 2004.
Petition for an Expansion of Scope
1. Distance Education and Training Council (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary institutions in the
United States offering programs primarily by the distance education
method up through the first professional degree. Title IV Note:
Accreditation by this agency does not enable the entities it accredits
to establish eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.)
(Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation of postsecondary
institutions in the United States offering programs primarily by the
distance education method up through the first professional degree.
Title IV Note: Under current law, distance education entities
accredited by this agency are not eligible to participate in Title IV
programs, other than the Distance Education Demonstration Project.)
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by September 27, 2004 to Carol
Griffiths, Accrediting Agency Evaluation, Accreditation and State
Liaison. You may contact her at the U.S. Department of Education, 1990
K Street, NW., 7th Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC 20006-8509,
telephone: (202) 219-7011. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service at 1-800-877-8339.
What Is the Authority for the Advisory Committee?
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity is established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act
(HEA), as amended, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1011c. One of the purposes of the
Advisory Committee is to advise the Secretary of Education on the
recognition of accrediting agencies and State approval agencies.
Will This Be My Only Opportunity To Submit Written Comments?
Yes, this notice announces the only opportunity you will have to
submit written comments. However, another Federal Register notice will
announce the meeting and invite individuals and/or groups to submit
requests to make oral presentations before the Advisory Committee on
the agencies that the Committee will review. That notice, however, does
not offer an opportunity to submit written comment.
What Happens to the Comments That I Submit?
We will review your comments, in response to this notice, as part
of our evaluation of the Distance Education and Training Council's
compliance with the Secretary's Criteria for Recognition of Accrediting
Agencies. The Criteria are regulations found in 34 CFR Part 602 (for
accrediting agencies).
We will also respond to your comments, as appropriate, in the staff
[[Page 48851]]
analysis we present to the Advisory Committee at its December 2004
meeting. Therefore, in order for us to give full consideration to your
comments, it is important that we receive them by September 27, 2004.
In all instances, your comments regarding the Distance Education and
Training Council must relate to the Criteria for Recognition.
What Happens to Comments Received After the Deadline?
We will review any comments received after the deadline. If such
comments, upon investigation, reveal that the accrediting agency is not
acting in accordance with the Criteria for Recognition, we will take
action either before or after the meeting, as appropriate.
Where Can I Inspect Petitions and Third-Party Comments Before and After
the Meeting?
Subject to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 522, petitions, interim
reports, and those third-party comments received in advance of the
meeting, will, upon written request, be made available, by appointment,
for inspection and copying at the U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K
Street, NW., 7th Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC 20006-8509, telephone
(202) 219-7011 until November 17, 2004. They will be available again
after the December 13-15 Advisory Committee meeting.
How May I Obtain Electronic Access to This Document?
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister. To use PDF you must have
Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have
questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office
(GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at
(202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Dated: August 5, 2004.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 04-18310 Filed 8-10-04; 8:45 am]
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