Nassar H. Paydar
July 9, 2026
As the World Cup wrapped up across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, millions of people watched great athletes, dramatic goals, and national pride on full display. Close followers of the sport may also have noticed something else: the games felt faster, with less wasted time and more attention to keeping the play moving. That was no accident. New rules governing restarts, goalkeeper delays, substitutions, and player conduct helped shape the rhythm and flow of the matches.
The same is true in higher education. The rules that govern accreditation may not draw stadium crowds, but they are central to how colleges and universities are evaluated, how quality is understood, how well students are served, and how public trust is earned.
That is why the U.S. Department of Education’s forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) from the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization negotiated rulemaking process, known as AIM, deserves the attention of campus leaders. The consensus language coming out of the rulemaking would dramatically reshape the accreditation landscape and have significant implications for institutions. This is not just an accreditation issue. It is a campus issue.