New college accreditation agency emphasizes ‘viewpoint diversity’

The CPHE consists of public university systems in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. Accreditors have drawn the ire of conservatives in some of those states, particularly Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accused them of being “woke” while criticizing their diversity, equity and inclusion standards.

SACS’ standards do not include the words “equity” or “inclusion” but reference “the rich diversity of educational institutions” and “the diverse higher education community.”

The inception of CPHE, which still requires federal approval, follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April that referred to accreditors as “gatekeepers” that had “abused their enormous authority.” It called on U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “resume recognizing new accreditors to increase competition and accountability.”

Having fewer standards aligns with what the document lists as one of the agency’s core principles: “to reduce bureaucracy through a more efficient” accreditation process that will save schools time and money, translating into lower tuition for students.

Less is more, according to the draft. “CPHE standards will benefit from simplicity and clarity,” it reads, adding that its standards intend to “streamline accreditation processes.”

But University of North Georgia professor Matthew Boedy said that on issues like academic freedom and shared governance, it’s good to have detailed criteria.

“Less words in documents like these always means such statements will be interpreted by those who have the power and toward their goals,” said Boedy, president of the Georgia chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Among the standards is a requirement that CPHE universities “support diversity of viewpoints of its faculty and students.” The term “viewpoint diversity” has been championed by conservatives who accuse college faculty of being too politically liberal.

Florida requires its public colleges to conduct annual assessments of viewpoint diversity on campus. And in April, the Trump administration wrote a letter to Harvard University which demanded, among other things, “viewpoint diversity in admissions and hiring.”

Antoinette Flores, a director of higher education accountability with New America, a self-described “think-and-action tank,” said other accrediting agencies don’t include “viewpoint diversity” in their standards.

The document says it’s intended for the general public and stakeholders to offer feedback. Public feedback is due on Sept. 16. And while CPHE will author a revised draft of standards after reviewing comments, Flores is already concerned.

In an email, she said there could be conflicts of interest. If the accreditor is controlled by university governing systems, would those systems ever deny accreditation to one of their own schools? Will system schools have a choice to select a different accreditor?

She also noted the document says CPHE “is accountable to the states.” But Flores said accreditation is intended to be an independent assessment based on peer review. “This effort blurs the line between independent review and just additional government oversight,” she said, “including potentially on critical issues legislatures have delved into around what can be taught and who can be on the faculty.”