Calling Foul on the Accreditors
Kyle Beltramini
June 21, 2023
Higher education is no game, and accreditors are misguided referees, Kyle Beltramini writes in response to two recent Inside Higher Ed opinion pieces.
In recent weeks the topic of accreditation—normally a dense and inscrutable process at best—has garnered a remarkable level of attention. While critiques of this system have historically been rather common, the recent spate of legislation introduced at the state level seeking to challenge the national (formerly regional) accreditors is unprecedented. Perhaps as a response to these provocations, the leaders of two national accreditors wrote op-eds in Inside Higher Ed to provide an affirmative view of the role their agencies play in regulating higher education. They assert that accreditors are bulwarks protecting academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Let’s examine these claims.
Last fall, when Hamline University’s administration punished Erika López Prater for showing paintings of the prophet Muhammad to her art history class, PEN America called it “one of the most egregious violations of academic freedom in recent memory.” Where is Hamline’s accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, on this issue? The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has filed a complaint with HLC, but months later, the accreditor has taken no public action to ensure that Hamline respects the norms of academic freedom.
