[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] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] BILLING CODE 4000-01-M