New on WCET Frontiers
USDOE Will Not Enforce Its Distance Ed State Authorization Regs, but Questions Remain
Published by: WCET | 7/30/2012
In a “Dear Colleague” letter issued on July 27, the U.S. Department of Education revealed that it will NOT enforce the controversial distance education provision of the state authorization regulations. To verify this news, Megan Raymond and I called Sophia […]
Commission on Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education Holds First Meeting
Published by: WCET | 6/14/2012
Earlier this year, the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) announced the creation of the Commission on Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education. According to the Commission’s mission statement, it will: “develop and […]
Court Deals Second Blow to Federal State Authorization Regulation
Published by: WCET | 6/5/2012
This afternoon (June 5, 2012), the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court ruling to ‘vacate’ the distance education portion (§600.9c) of the U.S. Department of Education’s ‘state authorization’ regulation. In last summer’s ruling on a lawsuit challenging […]
It’s Coming: The Next Higher Education Act Reauthorization
Published by: WCET | 5/23/2012
As you may have noted, we are still addressing federal regulatory issues that resulted from the last round of Higher Education Act reauthorization. While we will continue to address what’s in place, it’s also time to look forward. We invited […]
10 Steps You Can Take to Begin the State Authorization Process
Published by: WCET | 5/17/2012
When speaking about state authorization to institutional audiences, we are often asked to provide guidance to institutional leaders and staff on how they might go about starting the process of becoming authorized outside of the institution’s home state. After thinking […]
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Draft Released: Seeking Your Feedback
Published by: WCET | 4/27/2012
State regulators attending the annual NASASPS meeting earlier this week received a first draft of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). With funding from Lumina Foundation, the Presidents’ Forum working with the Council of State Governments developed the document as […]
Putting a Student Face on Not Complying with State Authorization
Published by: WCET | 3/14/2012
In talking to institutions about state authorization, we often get asked about the consequences to the institution for not complying with the regulations. Rarely do we get asked about the impact on students. We became aware of some instances where […]
House Votes to Repeal State Authorization (and Reciprocity Update)
Published by: WCET | 2/29/2012
Just when I was thinking that it was time for an update on state authorization regulations, the U.S. House of Representatives schedules a vote on the subject. Wow! Were they ever accommodating! What are next steps? What is the impact […]
Ignoring state authorization? How long can you tread water?
Published by: WCET | 11/21/2011
As part of our coverage of the state authorization issue, we at WCET have met several regulators charged with enforcing those rules. We asked Alan Contreras, who recently retired from Oregon’s Office of Degree Authorization and is now a higher […]
No ‘Deus Ex Machina’ on State Authorization
Published by: WCET | 9/22/2011
Ancient Greek playwrights would sometimes write themselves into a corner. The intricate plot, which was so carefully developed through the initial acts, did not lend itself to an easy resolution in the finale. One answer was to let the gods […]