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Publication
Date: February 2005 FRPart: |
Page Numbers: 5175-5176
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 02-03-2005
[Federal Register: February
1, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 20)]
[Notices]
[Page 5175-5176]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01fe05-51]
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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?
The purpose of this notice is to invite written comments on
accrediting agencies and State approval agencies whose applications to
the Secretary for renewed recognition or whose reports will be reviewed
at the Advisory Committee meeting to be held on June 13, 2005.
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by mail, fax, or e-mail no
later than March 3, 2005 to Ms. Robin Greathouse, Accreditation and
State Liaison. You may contact her at the U.S. Department of Education,
room 7105, MS 8509, 1990 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006,
telephone: (202) 219-7011, fax: (202) 219-7005, or e-mail:
Robin.Greathouse@ed.gov. 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. 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, a subsequent 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 a second 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 agencies' compliance with Section 496 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended and the Secretary's Criteria
for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies.
The Criteria are regulations found in 34 CFR Part 602 (for accrediting
agencies) and in 34 CFR Part 603 (for State approval agencies) and are
found at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
We will also include your comments with the staff analyses we
present to the Advisory Committee at its June 2005 meeting. Therefore,
in order for us to give full consideration to your comments, it is
important that we receive them by March 3, 2005.
In all instances, your comments about agencies seeking initial or
continued recognition must relate to the Criteria for Recognition. In
addition, your comments for any agency whose interim report is
scheduled for review must relate to the issues raised and the Criteria
for Recognition cited in the Secretary's letter that requested the
interim report.
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.
What Agencies Will the Advisory Committee Review at the Meeting?
The Secretary of Education recognizes accrediting agencies and
State approval agencies for public postsecondary vocational education
and nurse education if the Secretary determines that they meet the
Criteria for Recognition. Recognition means that the Secretary
considers the agency to be a reliable authority as to the quality of
education offered by institutions or programs it accredits that are
encompassed within the scope of recognition he grants to the agency.
The following agencies will be reviewed during the June 2005
meeting of the Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (Current
and requested scope of recognition: the accreditation of postsecondary,
non-degree-granting English language programs and institutions in the
United States).
2. Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (Current and requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation
throughout the United States of graduate-level, four-year naturopathic
medical education programs leading to the Doctor of Naturopathic
Medicine (N.M.D.) or Doctor of Naturopathy (N.D.)).
3. National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary
schools and departments of cosmetology arts and sciences and massage
therapy). (Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout
the United States of postsecondary schools, including those granting
occupational associate degrees, and departments of cosmetology arts and
sciences and massage therapy).
4. Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Accreditation Committee
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of professional
teacher education programs in institutions offering baccalaureate and
graduate degrees for the preparation of K-12 teachers). (Requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation throughout
the United States of professional teacher education programs in
institutions offering baccalaureate and graduate degrees for the
preparation of K-12 teachers).
Interim Report (An interim report is a follow-up report on an
accrediting agency's compliance with specific criteria for recognition
that was requested by the Secretary when the Secretary granted renewed
recognition to the agency).
1. Association of Theological Schools in the United States and
Canada, Commission on Accrediting.
Progress Report (A report describing the agency's implementation of
its new standards and accreditation process).
1. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on
Colleges.
[[Page 5176]]
State Agency Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Petition for Renewal of Recognition
1. New York State Board of Regents (Public Postsecondary Vocational
Education).
Where Can I Inspect Petitions and Third-Party Comments Before and After
the Meeting?
All petitions and those third-party comments received in advance of
the meeting, will be available for public inspection and copying at the
U.S. Department of Education, room 7105, MS 8509, 1990 K Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202) 219-7011 between the hours of 8
a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, until May 9, 2005. They will be
available again after the June 13, 2005 Advisory Committee meeting. An
appointment must be made in advance of such inspection or copying.
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/index.html.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Dated: January 26, 2005.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E5-366 Filed 1-31-05; 8:45 am]
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