Trump signs executive order targeting college accreditation process

Source: The Hill

President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to shake up the college accreditation process, a topic that rarely gets political sunlight but is immensely important to universities.

College accreditation is the process universities must go through to receive federal financial aid, a tool Trump called his “secret weapon” on education on the campaign trail.

“University accreditation is currently a process controlled by a number of third-party organizations that’s by statute, by law, many of those third-party accreditors have relied on sort of woke ideology to accredit universities, instead of accrediting based on merit and performance,” said Will Scharf, White House staff secretary.

Although the text of the executive order is not yet out, a report from The Wall Street Journal said the president aims to use the process to remove what he sees as “ideological overreach” and to increase “intellectual diversity” on campus.

The order will also allow colleges to switch accreditors easily and encourage more competition in the accreditor space, according to the outlet.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5263841-trump-executive-order-college-accreditation-mcmahon/

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