FR Doc E6-11914
[Federal Register: July 26, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 143)]
[Notices]
[Page 42366-42368]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jy06-43]
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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 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 December 4-6, 2006, at The
Madison, 15th and M Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, telephone: 202-
587-2684.
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by mail, fax, or e-mail no
later than August 25, 2006 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
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 December 2006 meeting.
Therefore, in order for us to give full consideration to your comments,
it is important that we receive them by August 25, 2006. 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
[[Page 42367]]
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.
Please note that the agencies listed below, which were originally
scheduled for review during the National Advisory Committee's June 2006
meeting, were postponed and will be reviewed at the December 2006
meeting.
Accrediting Bar Association.
Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.
Any third-party written comments regarding these agencies that were
received by March 8, 2006, in accordance with the Federal Register
notice published on February 6, 2006, will become part of the official
record. Those comments will be considered by the National Advisory
Committee when it reviews the agencies at the December 2006 meeting.
The following agencies will be reviewed during the December 2006
meeting of the Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petition for Renewal of Recognition That Includes a Contraction of the
Scope of Recognition
1. American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council
for Occupational Therapy Education. (Current scope of recognition: The
accreditation of entry-level professional occupational therapy
educational programs offering the Baccalaureate Degree, Post-
baccalaureate Certificate, Professional Master's Degree, Combined
Baccalaureate/Master's degree, and Doctoral Degree for the
accreditation of occupational therapy assistant programs offering the
Associate Degree or a Certificate; and for its accreditation of these
programs offered via distance education.) (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation of occupational therapy educational
programs offering the professional master's degree, combined
baccalaureate/master's degree, and occupational therapy doctorate (OTD)
degree; the accreditation of occupational therapy assistant programs
offering the associate degree or a certificate; and the accreditation
of these programs offered via distance education.)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition That Include an Expansion of the
Scope of Recognition
1. The Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on
Accreditation. (Current scope of recognition: The accreditation and
preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of Bible colleges
and institutes in the United States offering undergraduate programs.)
(Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation
throughout the United States of institutions and programs of biblical
higher education that award undergraduate certificates and degrees, and
masters, and doctoral degrees including those programs offered via
traditional and alternative [distance education] delivery systems.)
2. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation of nursing education programs in the
United States, at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels.)
(Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of nursing programs
in the United States, at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels,
including programs offering distance education.)
3. Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission.
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary
institutions in the United States that offer degree programs primarily
by the distance education method up through the first professional
degree level, and are specifically certified by the agency as
accredited for Title IV purposes; and the accreditation of
postsecondary institutions in the United States not participating in
Title IV that offer programs primarily by the distance education method
up through the first professional degree level.) (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary institutions in the
United States that offer degree programs primarily by the distance
education method from the associate up to and including the
professional doctoral degree, and are specifically certified by the
agency as accredited for Title IV purposes; and the accreditation of
postsecondary institutions in the United States not participating in
Title IV that offer programs primarily by the distance education method
from the associates up through the professional doctoral degrees.)
4. Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation of institutions with postsecondary, non-
degree granting career and technology programs in Delaware, Maryland,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.) (Requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions with
postsecondary, non-degree granting career and technology programs in
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin
Islands including programs offered all or in part via distance
education modalities at those institutions.)
5. National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. (Current
scope of recognition: The accreditation in the United States of
programs in practical nursing, and diploma, associate, baccalaureate
and higher degree nurse education programs.) (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation in the United States of programs in
practical nursing, diploma, associate, baccalaureate and graduate
degree nurse education programs including those that offer such
programs via distance education.)
Petition for an Expansion of the Scope
1. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Schools. (Current scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of
adult and postsecondary schools that offer programs below the degree
level in California, Hawaii, the United States territories of Guam and
American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of
Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the
Republic of the Marshall Islands.) (Requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of
adult and postsecondary schools that offer programs below the degree
level in California, Hawaii, the United States
[[Page 42368]]
territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the
Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and the
accreditation and preaccreditation of not-for-profit postsecondary non-
degree-granting institutions in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon,
Utah, and Washington.)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. American Academy for Liberal Education. (Current and requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Candidacy for Accreditation'') of institutions of higher education
and programs within institutions of higher education throughout the
United States that offer liberal arts degree(s) at the baccalaureate
level or a documented equivalency.)
2. American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal
Education and Admissions to the Bar. (Current and requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation throughout the United States of programs
in legal education that lead to the first professional degree in law,
as well as freestanding law schools offering such programs.)
3. American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on
Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (Current and requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Candidate for Accreditation'') in the United States of physical
therapist education programs leading to the first professional degree
at the master's or doctoral level and physical therapist assistant
education programs at the associate degree level and for its
accreditation of such programs offered via distance education.)
4. American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education.
(Current and requested scope of recognition: The accreditation and
preaccreditation (``Reasonable Assurance'') in the United States of
programs leading to professional degrees (D.V.M. or D.M.V.) in
veterinary medicine.)
5. Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., Accreditation
Commission. (Current and requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation of both clinical pastoral education (CPE) centers and CPE
and Supervisory CPE programs located within the United States and
territories.)
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. (Current and requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Candidate for Accreditation'') of senior colleges and universities
in California, Hawaii, the United States territories of Guam and
American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of
Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the
Republic of the Marshall Islands, including distance education programs
offered at those institutions.)
Interim Reports. (An interim report is a follow-up report on an
accrediting agency's compliance with specific criteria for
recognition.)
1. Council on Naturopathic Medical Education.
2. North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School
Improvement, Board of Trustees.
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Renewal Petitions
1. Oklahoma Board of Career and Technology Education (Current and
requested scope of recognition: The approval of public postsecondary
vocational education offered at institutions in the State of Oklahoma
that are not under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education.)
2. Pennsylvania State Board of Vocational Education, Bureau of
Career and Technical Education.
Interim Reports
1. New York State Board of Regents (Public Postsecondary Vocational
Education).
2. Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs.
State Agency Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education
Petition for Renewal of Recognition
1. Maryland 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. National Defense University, Washington, DC (request to award a
Master's in Arts in Strategic Security Studies 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 November 6, 2006. They
will be available again after the December 4-6, 2006 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/news/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/nara/index.html
.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Dated: July 20, 2006.
James F. Manning,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-11914 Filed 7-25-06; 8:45 am]
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