Depoliticizing the University: Re-Prioritizing Academic Excellence in Accreditation and Faculty Governance
Robert Manzer
June 11, 2025
Key Points
American higher education’s politicization demands an urgent response. As the member most responsible for academic quality in the higher education regulatory triad, accreditors should be at the forefront, helping universities confront this problem.
Accreditation can most effectively address universities’ politicization by strengthening faculty governance. While many reformers are understandably tempted to replace faculty governance, a more likely successful long-term approach is to re-prioritize academic excellence in accreditation and hold faculty accountable for achieving it.
A new competitive marketplace has inaugurated a vibrant period of accreditation reform. The most successful reform will remove the “continuous improvement” barrier and provide clear, well-designed standards and expectations that re-prioritize faculty’s essential responsibility for academic excellence.
