[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 2, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35790-35792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17082]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for Approval
of Public Postsecondary Vocational Education
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Request for comments on agencies applying to the Secretary for
renewal of recognition.
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DATES: Commenters should submit their written comments by August 18,
1997 to the address below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen W. Kershenstein, Director, Accreditation and Eligibility
Determination Division, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence
Avenue, SW., Room 3915 ROB-3, Washington, DC 20202-5244, telephone:
(202) 708-7417. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-
8339 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
SUBMISSION OF THIRD-PARTY COMMENTS: The Secretary of Education
recognizes, as reliable authorities as to the quality of education
offered by institutions or programs within their scope, accrediting
agencies and State approval agencies for public postsecondary
vocational education and nurse education that meet certain criteria for
recognition. The purpose of this notice is to invite interested third
parties to present written comments on the agencies listed in this
notice that have applied for initial or continued recognition. A
subsequent Federal Register notice will announce the meeting and invite
individuals and/or groups to submit requests for oral presentation
before the Advisory Committee on the agencies being reviewed. That
notice, however, does not constitute another call for written comment.
This notice is the only call for written comment.
All comments received in response to this notice will be reviewed
by Department staff as part of its evaluation of the agencies'
compliance with the Secretary's Criteria for Recognition. In order for
Department staff to give full consideration to the comments received
and to address them in the staff analyses that will be presented to the
Advisory Committee at its November 1997 meeting, the comments must
arrive at the address listed above not later than August 18, 1997.
Comments received after the deadline will be reviewed by Department
staff, which will take action, as appropriate, either before or after
the meeting, should the comments suggest that an accrediting agency is
not acting in accordance with the Secretary's Criteria for Recognition.
All comments must relate to the Secretary's Criteria for the
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies. Comments pertaining to agencies
whose interim reports will be reviewed must be restricted to the
concerns raised in the Secretary's letter for which the report is
requested.
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity (the ``Advisory Committee'') advises the Secretary of
Education on the recognition of accrediting agencies and State approval
agencies. The Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet November 19-21,
1997 in Washington, DC. All written comments in response to this notice
that are received by the Department by the deadline will be considered
by both the Advisory Committee and the Secretary. Comments received
after the deadline, as indicated previously, will be reviewed by
Department staff, which will take follow-up action, as appropriate,
either before or after the meeting. Commenters whose comments are
received after the deadline will be notified by staff of the
disposition of those comments.
The following agencies will be reviewed during the November 1997
meeting of the Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies and Associations
Petitons for Renewal of Recognition
1. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (Scope
of recognition: the accreditation of basic (baccalaureate) and advanced
(master's) level programs in engineering, associate and baccalaureate
degree programs in engineering technology, and engineering-related
programs at the baccalaureate and advanced degree level)
2. Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (Scope
of recognition: The accreditation of institutions of higher education
that offer non-collegiate continuing vocational education programs and
higher education programs of non-collegiate continuing vocational
education)
3. American Optometric Association, Council on Optometric Education
[[Page 35791]]
(Scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Reasonable Assurance/Preliminary Approval'' {for professional degree
programs} and ``Candidacy Pending'' {for optometric residency programs
in facilities of Veterans' Administration}) of professional optometric
degree programs, optometric residency programs, and optometric
technician programs)
4. Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., Accreditation
Commission (Scope of recognition: The accreditation and
preaccreditation (``Candidacy for Accredited Membership'') of basic,
advanced, and supervisory clinical pastoral education programs)
5. Commission on Opticianry Accreditation (Scope of recognition:
The accreditation of two-year programs for the ophthalmic dispenser and
one-year programs for the ophthalmic laboratory technician)
6. National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on
Accreditation (Scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions
and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-
granting programs in art, design, and art/design-related disciplines)
7. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on
Accreditation (Scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions
and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-
granting programs in dance and dance-related disciplines)
8. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on
Accreditation, Commission on Non-Degree-Granting Accreditation, and
Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation (Scope of
recognition: the accreditation of institutions and units within
institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-granting programs
in music and music-related disciplines, including community/junior
colleges and independent degree-granting and non-degree-granting
institutions)
9. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on
Accreditation (Scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions
and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-
granting programs in theatre and theatre-related disciplines)
10. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (Scope of
recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for
Accreditation'') of non-degree granting postsecondary vocation,
technical and career institutions and degree-granting institutions of
higher education awarding an associate degree in Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
11. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission
on Institutions of Higher Education (Scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of
institutions of higher education in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming)
12. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Colleges (Scope of recognition: the accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Candidate for Accreditation'') of institutions of higher education
in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington)
13. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (Scope of recognition: The
accredition and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of
community and junior colleges in California, Hawaii, American Samoa,
Guam, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and
the Republic of the Marshall Islands)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition and Expansion of Scope
1. American Psychological Association, Committee on Accreditation
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of doctoral programs
in clinical, counseling, school, and combined professional-scientific
psychology, and predoctoral internship training programs in
professional psychology). (Requested expansion of scope: The
accreditation of post-doctoral residency programs in professional
psychology)
2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation of Master's degree programs in speech-
language pathology and audiology). (Requested expansion of scope: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy'') of graduate
educational programs that provide for entry-level professional
preparation with a major emphasis in audiology and/or speech-language
pathology)
3. Council on Occupational Education (Current scope of recognition:
The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for
Accreditation'') of non-degree granting postsecondary occupational/
vocational institutions and those postsecondary occupational/vocational
education institutions currently accredited by the Council that either
have state authorization to grant the applied associate degree in
specific vocational/occupational fields or that receive such
authorization during the Council's current recognition period).
(Requested expansion of scope: The accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Candidate for Accreditation'') of postsecondary, prebaccalaureate,
degree-granting and non-degree-granting vocational education
institutions nationwide)
Interim Reports (An interim report is a follow-up report on an
accrediting agency's compliance with specific criteria for recognition
that was requested by the Secretary when the Secretary granted
recognition to the agency)
1. American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal
Education and Admissions to the Bar
2. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on
Higher Education
3. National Environmental Health Science and Protection
Accreditation Council
4. New York State Board of Regents
5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on
Colleges
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities
Request for an Expansion of Scope
1. Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (Current scope of
recognition: the accreditation of private, postsecondary allied health
education institutions, private medical assistant programs, public and
private medical laboratory technician programs, and allied health
programs leading to the Associate of Applied Science and the Associate
of Occupational Science degree). (Requested expansion of scope: the
accreditation of institutions offering predominantly allied health
education programs. ``Predominantly'' is defined by the agency as at
least 70 percent of one of the following: (1) Students enrolled in
allied health programs (2) revenues received from allied health
programs enrollments (3) programs offered in allied health, or (4)
courses offered in allied health)
State Agency Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Interim Report
1. New York State Board of Regents, Vocational Education
[[Page 35792]]
State Agency Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education
Interim Report
1. New York State Board of Regents, Nursing Education Unit
Federal Agency Seeking Degree-Granting Authority
In accordance with the Federal policy governing the granting of
academic degrees by Federal agencies (approved by a letter from the
Director, Bureau of the Budget, to the Secretary, Health, Education,
and Welfare, dated December 23, 1954), the Secretary is required to
establish a review committee to advise the Secretary concerning any
legislation that may be proposed that would authorize the granting of
degrees by a Federal agency. The review committee forwards its
recommendation concerning a Federal agency's proposed degree-granting
authority to the Secretary, who then forwards the committee's
recommendation and the Secretary's recommendation to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and transmittal to the Congress. The
Secretary uses the Advisory Committee as the review committee required
for this purpose. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee will review the
following institution at this meeting:
Proposed Master's Degree-Granting Authority
1. U.S. Army War, Carlisle, PA (request to award a master's degree
in Strategic Studies)
Public Inspection of Petitions and Third-Party Comments
Al petitions and interim reports, and those third-party comments
received in advance of the meeting, will be available for public
inspection and copying at the U.S. Department of Education, ROB-3, Room
3915, 7th and D Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202-5244, telephone (202)
708-7417 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, until November 3, 1997. They will be available again after the
November 19-21 Advisory Committee meeting. It is preferred that an
appointment be made in advance of such inspection or copying.
Dated: June 27, 1997.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 97-17082 Filed 7-1-97; 8:45 am]
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