Accreditation Update: April 13, 2012

All who follow higher education policies and politics are aware that the U.S. Department of Education has become increasingly involved in ensuring that colleges are accountable for the claims that they make about themselves, their programs, and student learning.  Though some of the federal regulations were implemented in response to complaints about the practices of some for-profit colleges and universities, the reality is all institutions of higher learning, including the not-for-profits, are required to comply with all federal regulations.  In fact, many institutions now employ a full-time federal compliance officer as part of their administrative staff. 

Though federal compliance is not directly an accreditation issue, the Department of Education has charged regional accreditors, including The Higher Learning Commission, with monitoring federal compliance as part of their regular reviews.  Therefore, during Concordia’s self-study, we are expected to review all federal regulations and to document that we fully comply with each.  We anticipate that a full chapter of our self-study report will focus solely on federal compliance issues.  The list below represents a concise compilation of most regulations that we need to monitor.  If you are interested in reading more about The Higher Learning Commission’s Federal Compliance Program, you will find that information here. 

Federal Compliance Issues 
  1. Credits, program length, and tuition
  2. Institutional records of student complaints
  3. Transfer of credit
  4. Verification of student identity (in distance education classes)
  5. Title IV responsibilities, including
    • Financial ratios and audits
    • Default rates on student loans
    • Campus crime information
    • A whole host of student-right-to-know matters
    • Contractual and consortial relationships
  6. Accuracy in advertising materials
  7. Our relationships with other accrediting agencies
  8. Solicitation of third-party comments

The good news is that Concordia has many informed and conscientious individuals on campus who are monitoring these regulations and are ensuring that we are in compliance.  So, for the most part, Concordia College is in good shape in this area.  Yet this requirement does highlight the level of detail that a comprehensive self-study must address.  If you have questions about the process or Concordia’s approach to the self-study, please direct them to either of the coordinators -- Kristi Loberg and Michael Wohlfeil -- or to any of the members of the Self-Study Steering Committee.

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