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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 6313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01222]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity

AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity (NACIQI), Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department 
of Education.

ACTION: Announcement of the Senior Department Official's (SDO) 
decisions.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides a link to the SDO's decision letters 
associated with recommendations from NACIQI's July 29 & 30, 2020 
meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    NACIQI's Statutory Authority and Function: NACIQI is established 
under section 114 of the HEA. NACIQI advises the Secretary of Education 
with respect to:
     The establishment and enforcement of the standards of 
accrediting agencies or associations under subpart 2, part H, Title IV 
of the HEA, as amended.
     The recognition of specific accrediting agencies or 
associations.
     The preparation and publication of the list of nationally 
recognized accrediting agencies and associations.
     The eligibility and certification process for institutions 
of higher education under Title IV of the HEA and part C, subchapter I, 
chapter 34, Title 42, together with recommendations for improvement in 
such process.
     The relationship between (1) accreditation of institutions 
of higher education and the certification and eligibility of such 
institutions, and (2) State licensing responsibilities with respect to 
such institutions.
     Any other advisory function relating to accreditation and 
institutional eligibility that the Secretary of Education may prescribe 
by regulation.
    Link to the Senior Department Official's Decision Letters: After 
NACIQI made its recognition recommendations to the SDO, pursuant to 34 
Code of Federal Regulations CFR 602.34(g), each agency and the 
Department staff had the opportunity to submit comments on NACIQI's 
recommendations to the SDO pursuant to 34 CFR 602.35. There was a 
separate SDO for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The SDO for HLC 
issued his decision on October 26, 2020. The SDO for all other agencies 
issued her decisions on October 28, 2020. A link to all the SDO 
decision letters, as well as a list of all the agencies reviewed at the 
July 29-30, 2020 NACIQI meeting, are provided below. None of the 
agencies reviewed chose to appeal the SDO Decisions to the Secretary 
pursuant to 34 CFR 602.37(a). https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/PublicDocuments.

Application for Renewal of Recognition (State Agency for the Approval 
of Vocational Education)

    Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public Postsecondary 
Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs.

Applications for Renewal of Recognition (State Agency for the Approval 
of Nurse Education)

    1. New York State Board of Regents, State Education Department, 
Office of the Professions (Nursing Education).
    2. Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Application for Granting of Academic (Masters and Doctoral) Degrees by 
Federal Agencies and Institutions

    1. National Intelligence University: Undergoing Substantive Change 
(Reorganization/Command Change).
    2. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College: Undergoing 
Substantive Change (Curriculum Change).
    Agency Under Review and Evaluation during its period of recognition 
by the Department's Office of Postsecondary Education Accreditation 
Group, in accordance with the procedures set forth in 34 CFR 602.33.
    Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
    Access to Records of the Meeting: The official report of the July 
29 & 30, 2020 meeting is posted on the NACIQI website. In addition, 
pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), at 5 U.S.C. App. 
10(b), the public may request to inspect records of the meeting at 400 
Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC, by emailing 
[email protected] or by calling (202) 453-7415 to schedule an 
appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Alan Smith, Executive Director/
Designated Federal Official, NACIQI, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue SW, Room 271-03, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: (202) 
453-7757, or email: [email protected].
    Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site. You also may access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c.

Christopher McCaghren,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2021-01222 Filed 1-19-21; 8:45 am]
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