In a joint fact sheet, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) and National Student Legal Defense Network (Student Defense) partnered to provide key facts about the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and how it can undermine student protections.

Background: The higher education institutions will achieve autonomy traversing the path of graded accreditation. The autonomy of higher education is linked with the quality of education and accreditation. Higher education institutions will not only achieve autonomy but will sustain it in ever-changing external and internal environments. Purpose:…

This report is the third in a three-part series examining how institutions of higher education have responded to state and federal policies limiting the use of transcript holds for unpaid balances. Ithaka S+R partnered with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) to field the 2024 Transcript Hold…

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is responsible for the regulation and quality assurance of all providers offering higher education courses. TEQSA's annual report and annual performance statements have been prepared in accordance with the following requirements: (1) Subsection 46(1) of the Public Governance, Performance…

Accreditation is one of the three tickets that every college in America must punch if it wants access to federal student aid (FSA) programs for its students. The current regulatory regime for postsecondary institutions forces each college wanting to participate in FSA programs to get authorization from the state in which it operates, meet the…

Existing scholarship tends to understand university governance structurally (emphasizing formal authority and resource environments), culturally (focusing on history, norms, and leadership), or by combining both approaches (Kezar & Eckel, 2004). These models understand governance in instrumental terms, as the means for steering the university.…

This article examines how the concept of freedom has been appropriated by the far right to impose a number of authoritarian policies designed to dismantle the critical functions of public and higher education. It explores, in particular, the ways in which Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has used an appeal to freedom to punish critics,…

When it comes to the implementation of diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) behaviors, institutions of higher education are misaligned in their understanding and operation of what the work entails. In an effort to emphasize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the larger Organizational Development process (OD), many institutions of higher…

The foundational function of the state is the approval of an entity to establish itself as a postsecondary institution. Most often referred to as state authorization, it is the first formal act in the legal operation of an institution and often serves as the foundation upon which other quality assurance functions are built (like accreditation).…

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement initiative was launched in 2014 to provide a uniform standard for the regulation of distance education across states in the United States. The system established by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) allows willing post-secondary institutions to participate…

A qualitative study of twelve student conduct administrators sought to capture their lived experiences relative to the impacts of federal and state regulation, case law, the media, attorney encroachment, parental involvement, and the use of litigation to supersede traditional processes on their professional work and personal lives. The interviews…

A big picture perspective on the PDS movement reveals a failure to innovate in teacher learning. The vast majority of PDS schools are traditional schools of industrial age design which serve to induct teachers into the profession as traditional classroom teachers thereby neglecting the development of teacher agency, teacher collaboration, and new…

In this article, the author first traces the history of what is today known as the "Carnegie Unit" or course credit and discusses how it has become improperly equated with learning and abused in online and for-profit programs. The second half of the article provides statements concerning online credit hours from the following regional…

Putting access in Access Services is the goal. The Course Reserves unit is the place. Textbooks are the focus. Electronic technologies are the future. Patron-centric services will be our standard. Access to textbooks by all patrons will be the achievement. Course Reserves located in Library West at the University of Florida George A. Smathers…

Higher education prepares students to get good jobs and benefits communities by helping graduates make positive contributions to civic life and the economy. A college degree is increasingly becoming a requirement to earn a middle-class income. Unfortunately, attaining higher education often means assuming the burden of student debt, which…