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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 22, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7677-7679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01459]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity; Notice of Meeting

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

ACTION: Announcement of an open meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the agenda, time, and instructions to 
access or participate in the February 19-20, 2025 meeting of NACIQI, 
and provides information to members of the public regarding the 
meeting, including requesting to make written or oral comments. 
Committee members will meet in-person while accrediting agency 
representatives and public attendees will participate virtually.

DATES: The NACIQI meeting will be held on February 19-20, 2025 from 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern standard time.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 
Barnard Auditorium, Washington, DC 20202 [Only NACIQI members and 
Department of Education staff will participate in the meeting at this 
address]. There is a possibility that the meeting could shift to a 
virtual meeting for all participants. If that happens, the published 
registration link and supporting information described in this notice 
for public attendees will remain the same.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Alan Smith, Executive Director/
Designated Federal Official (DFO), NACIQI, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-7757, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Statutory Authority and Function: NACIQI is established under 
Section 114 of the Higher Education Act (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1011c). 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, 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; and
     Any other advisory function relating to accreditation and 
institutional eligibility that the Secretary of Education may prescribe 
by regulation.
    The notice of this meeting is required under 5 U.S.C. chapter 10 
(commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act) and section 
114(d)(1)(B) of the HEA of 1965, as amended.

Meeting Agenda

    The purpose of the meeting is to conduct a review of compliance 
reports submitted by the following agencies.

Compliance Reports

    1. American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council 
for Occupational Therapy Education. Scope of Recognition: The 
accreditation and preaccreditation of occupational therapy educational 
programs offering the professional master's degree and occupational 
therapy doctorate (OTD) degree; the accreditation of occupational 
therapy assistant programs offering a baccalaureate degree and 
associate degree; and the accreditation of these programs offered via 
distance education. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The 
United States. The compliance report includes findings of noncompliance 
with certain criteria in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 602 
identified in the October 19, 2022, letter from the senior Department 
official (SDO) following the July 19, 2022, NACIQI meeting. The SDO 
letter is available under NACIQI meeting date 7/19/2022, at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    2. Accrediting Council for Pharmacy Education. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation of professional 
degree programs in pharmacy leading to the degree of Doctor of 
Pharmacy, including those programs offered via distance education. 
Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United States. The 
compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with certain 
criteria in 34 CFR part 602 identified in the November 7, 2022, letter 
from the SDO following the July 19, 2022, NACIQI meeting. The SDO 
letter is available under NACIQI meeting date 7/19/2022, at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    3. Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of institutions with postsecondary, non-
degree granting career and technology programs, to include the 
accreditation of postsecondary, non-degree granting institutions that 
offer all or part of their educational programs via distance education 
modalities. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United

[[Page 7678]]

States. The compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with 
certain criteria in 34 CFR part 602 identified in the October 19, 2022, 
letter from the SDO following the July 19, 2022, NACIQI meeting. The 
SDO letter is available under NACIQI meeting date 7/19/2022, at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    4. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on 
Colleges. Scope of Recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation 
(``Candidate for Accreditation'') of degree-granting institutions of 
higher education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and 
Virginia, including the accreditation of educational programs offered 
via distance and correspondence education, and direct assessment within 
these institutions. The accreditation status of these institutions and 
their recognition extends to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees, Executive 
Council, and the Appeals Committee of the Collegiate College Delegate 
Assembly on cases of initial candidacy or initial accreditation and for 
continued accreditation or candidacy. The compliance report includes 
findings of noncompliance with certain criteria in 34 CFR part 602 
identified in the November 7, 2022, letter from the SDO following the 
July 19, 2022, NACIQI meeting. The SDO letter is available under NACIQI 
meeting date 7/19/2022, at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    To ensure sufficient time for all agency reviews, including NACIQI 
questions and discussion, the Department requests that the agencies 
limit their opening statements to 10 minutes (total for one or more 
statements), and that the agencies avoid extended discussions about 
agency representatives and their backgrounds. Following the brief 
opening statement, the agency's presentation should focus on the 
regulatory criteria, and in particular, responses to areas where the 
staff has recommended a finding of noncompliance or substantial 
compliance, or where other concerns have been raised that the agency 
would like to address. However, the agency should expect that questions 
from NACIQI members may focus on other areas.

Policy Discussion

    In addition to its review of accrediting agencies and State 
approval agencies for Secretarial recognition, there will be time for 
Committee discussions regarding any of the categories within NACIQI's 
statutory authority in its capacity as an advisory committee.

Instructions for Accessing the Meeting

Registration

    Committee members will meet in-person while agency representatives 
and public attendees will participate virtually.
    You may register for the meeting on your computer using the link 
below. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email 
containing personalized participation links for each day of the two-day 
meeting no later than 8 a.m. eastern standard time on February 19, 
2025.

Registration Link

https://events.zoomgov.com/ev/
AkUnUrmMegceMmqd0BBblHaDGCqw5xwkYhy7XdPs2bDUwoDZXDJx~AgNwP68fGGyDttDmaZQ
Kfk65rIXCitGkp4r-TJkFVvAEgODt55SEmBafYw

Public Comment

    Submission of requests to make an oral comment regarding a specific 
accrediting agency under review, or to make an oral comment or written 
statement regarding other issues within the scope of NACIQI's 
authority:
    Opportunity to submit a written statement regarding a specific 
accrediting agency under review was solicited by a previous Federal 
Register notice published on November 6, 2023 (88 FR 76194; Document 
Number 2023-24434). The period for submission of such statements is now 
closed. Additional written statements regarding a specific accrediting 
agency or state approval agency under review will not be accepted at 
this time. However, members of the public may submit written statements 
regarding other issues within the scope of NACIQI's authority, as 
outlined under section 114 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1011c).
    Members of the public may make oral comments regarding a specific 
accrediting agency under review and/or other issues within the scope of 
NACIQI's authority. Oral comments may not exceed three minutes. Oral 
comments about an agency's recognition when a compliance report has 
been required by the SDO or the Secretary must relate to the criteria 
for recognition cited in the SDO's letter that requested the report, or 
in the Secretary's appeal decision, if any. Oral comments about an 
agency seeking expansion of scope must be directed to the agency's 
ability to serve as a recognized accrediting agency with respect to the 
kinds of institutions or programs requested to be added. Oral comments 
about the renewal of an agency's recognition must relate to its 
compliance with the criteria for the Recognition of Accrediting 
Agencies, which are available at https://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Instructions on Requesting To Make Public Comment

    To request to make oral comments of three minutes or less during 
the February 19-20, 2025 meeting, please follow either Method One or 
Method Two below. To submit a written statement to NACIQI concerning 
its work outside a specific accrediting agency under review, please 
follow Method One.
    Method One: Submit an email to the [email protected] 
mailbox. Please do not send material directly to NACIQI members. In 
order to be considered for the current cycle review, written statements 
and requests to make oral comment must be received by February 12, 2025 
and include the subject line ``Oral Comment Request: (agency name),'' 
``Oral Comment Request: (subject)'' or ``Written Statement: 
(subject).'' The email must include the name(s), title, organization/
affiliation, mailing address, email address, and telephone number, of 
the person(s) submitting a written statement or requesting to speak. 
All individuals submitting an advance request in accordance with this 
notice will be afforded an opportunity to speak.
    Method Two (Only available to those seeking to make oral comments): 
Submit a request by email on February 19, 2025, between 7:45 a.m.-8:45 
a.m. eastern standard time to the [email protected] mailbox. 
The email must include the subject on which the requestor wishes to 
comment, in addition to his or her name, title, organization/
affiliation, mailing address, email address, and telephone number. If 
you intend to make your comments by dialing into the meeting rather 
than using a computer, please be sure to include that information in 
your email request. A total of up to fifteen minutes for each agenda 
item will be allotted for oral commenters who register on February 19, 
2025 between 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. eastern standard time. Individuals 
will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. If selected, each 
commenter may not exceed three minutes.
    Access to Records of the Meeting: The Department will post the 
official report of the meeting on the NACIQI website https://sites.ed.gov/naciqi/archive-of-meetings/ within 90 days after the 
meeting. In addition, pursuant to 5

[[Page 7679]]

U.S.C. 1009, 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. The SDO's (as defined in 34 CFR 602.3) decisions, pursuant 
to 34 CFR 602.36, associated with all NACIQI meetings can be found at 
the following website: https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    Reasonable Accommodations: The dial-in information and weblink 
access to the meeting are accessible to individuals with disabilities. 
If you will need an auxiliary aid or service to participate in the 
meeting (e.g., interpreting service, assistive listening device, or 
materials in an alternate format), notify the contact person listed in 
this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting date. 
Although we will attempt to meet a request received after that date, we 
may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid or 
service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
    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 the 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: Section 114 of the HEA of 1964, as amended (20 U.S.C. 
1011c).

Nasser Paydar,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2025-01459 Filed 1-21-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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