|
Publication
Date: January 30, 2007
FRPart:
Page Numbers: 4246-4248
Summary:Recognition
of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for the Approval of Nurse Education
Posted on 01-30-2007
[Federal Register: January 30, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 19)]
[Notices]
[Page 4246-4248]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30ja07-44]
=========================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, 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 initial or renewed recognition, requests for an
expansion of the scope of recognition, or reports will be reviewed at
the Advisory Committee meeting to be held on May 30-June 1, 2007, at
The Madison, 1177 15th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, telephone:
202-862-1600.
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by mail, fax, or e-mail no
later than March 1, 2007 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.
[[Page 4247]]
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
comments.
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 May 2007 meeting. Therefore,
in order for us to give full consideration to your comments, it is
important that we receive them by March 1, 2007. In all instances, your
comments about agencies seeking initial recognition, continued
recognition and/or an expansion of an agency's scope of 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 or
State approval 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 she grants to the agency.
The following agencies will be reviewed during the May 2007 meeting
of the Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petition for an Expansion of Scope
1. Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary institutions
in the United States offering predominantly allied health education
programs and the programmatic accreditation of medical assistant,
medical laboratory technician and surgical technology programs, leading
to a certificate, diploma, or the Associate of Applied Science and
Associate of Occupational Science degrees.) (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary institutions
in the United States offering predominantly allied health education
programs and the programmatic accreditation of medical assistant,
medical laboratory technician and surgical technology programs, leading
to a certificate, diploma, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of
Occupational Science, or Academic Associate degree, including those
offered via distance education.)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition That Include an Expansion of the
Scope of Recognition
1. American Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on
Accreditation (Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of
institutions and programs within the United States awarding diplomas,
associate degrees and bachelor's degrees in funeral service or mortuary
science.) (Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of
institutions and programs within the United States awarding diplomas,
associate degrees and bachelor degrees in funeral service and/or
mortuary science, including the accreditation of Distance Learning
courses and programs offered by these programs and institutions.)
2. American Dietetic Association, Commission on Accreditation for
Dietetics Education (Current scope of recognition: The accreditation
within the United States of Didactic and Coordinated Programs in
Dietetics at both the undergraduate and graduate level, post
baccalaureate Dietetic Internships, and Dietetic Technician Programs at
the associate degree level and for its accreditation of such programs
offered via distance education.) (Requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation within the United States of Didactic
and Coordinated Programs in Dietetics at both the undergraduate and
graduate level, post baccalaureate Dietetic Internships, and Dietetic
Technician Programs at the associate degree level and for its
accreditation of such programs offered via distance education.)
3. Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational
Programs (Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of
institutions and programs of nurse anesthesia within the United States
at the post-master's certificate, master's, or doctoral degree levels.)
(Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions and
programs of nurse anesthesia within the United States at the post
master's certificate, master's, or doctoral degree levels, including
programs offering distance education.)
4. Council on Education for Public Health (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Preaccreditation
status'') within the United States of graduate schools of public
health, graduate programs in community health education outside schools
of public health, and graduate programs in community health/preventive
medicine outside schools of public health.) (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation within the United States of schools of
public health and public health programs outside schools of public
health at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels, including those
offered via distance education.)
5. Council on Occupational Education (Current scope of recognition:
The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy status'')
throughout the United States of non-degree granting postsecondary
occupational/vocational institutions and those postsecondary
occupational/vocational education institutions that have state
authorization to grant the applied associate degree in specific
vocational/occupational fields.) (Requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy Status'') throughout
the United States of postsecondary occupational education institutions
offering non-degree and applied associate degree programs in specific
career and technical education fields, including institutions that
offer programs via distance education.)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools,
Accreditation Commission (Current and requested scope of recognition:
The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Correspondent'' and
``Candidate'') within the United States of advanced rabbinical and
Talmudic schools.)
2. Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
(Current and requested scope of recognition: The accreditation
throughout the United States of graduate programs in health services
administration.)
3. Liaison Committee on Medical Education (Current and requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation of medical education programs
within the United States leading to the M.D. degree.)
4. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on
Higher Education (Current and requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy status'') of
institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, including distance education programs offered at those
institutions.)
5. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Technical and Career Institutions (Current and requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate
status'') of secondary institutions with vocational-technical programs
at the 13th and 14th grade level, postsecondary institutions, and
institutions of higher education that provide primarily vocational/
technical education at the certificate, associate, and baccalaureate
degree levels in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, and Vermont. This recognition extends to the Board of
Trustees of the Association jointly with the Commission for decisions
involving preaccreditation, initial accreditation, and adverse
actions.)
6. New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of
Education (Current and requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation of those degree-granting institutions of higher education
in New York that designate the agency as their sole or primary
nationally recognized accrediting agency for purposes of establishing
eligibility to participate in HEA programs.)
Interim Reports (An interim report is a follow-up report on an
accrediting agency's compliance with specific criteria for
recognition.)
1. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Commission
on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
2. American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic
College Accreditation.
3. American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric
Medical Education.
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education
Petition for Initial Recognition
1. Kansas State Board of Nursing
Petition for Renewal of Recognition
1. Missouri State Board of Nursing
Federal Agency Seeking Degree-Granting Authority
In accordance with the Federal policy governing the granting of
academic degrees by Federal agencies (approved by a letter from the
Director, Bureau of the Budget, to the Secretary, Health, Education,
and Welfare, dated December 23, 1954), the Secretary is required to
establish a review committee to advise the Secretary concerning any
legislation that may be proposed that would authorize the granting of
degrees by a Federal agency. The review committee forwards its
recommendation concerning a Federal agency's proposed degree-granting
authority to the Secretary, who then forwards the committee's
recommendation and the Secretary's recommendation to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and transmittal to the Congress. The
Secretary uses the Advisory Committee as the review committee required
for this purpose. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee will review the
following institution at this meeting:
Proposed Master's Degree-Granting Authority
1. Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama (request to
award a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering Degree.)
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 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 2, 2007. They will be
available again after the May 30-June 1, 2007 Advisory Committee
meeting. An appointment must be made in advance of such inspection.
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.
James F. Manning, Delegated the Authority of the Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-1407 Filed 1-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
|
|