[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 149 (Monday, August 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45797-45798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19723]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for the 
Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational Education, and State 
Agencies for the Approval of Nurse Education

AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity, Department of Education (The Advisory Committee).

What Is the Purpose of This Notice?

    The purpose of this notice is to invite written comments on 
accrediting agencies and State approval agencies whose applications to 
the Secretary for initial or renewed recognition or whose interim 
reports will be reviewed at the Advisory Committee meeting to be held 
on December 8-9, 2003.

Where Should I Submit My Comments?

    Please submit your written comments by September 18, 2003 to Carol 
Griffiths, Chief, Accrediting Agency Evaluation, Accreditation and 
State Liaison. You may contact her at the U.S. Department of Education, 
room 7105, MS 8509, 1990 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006, 
telephone: (202) 219-7011. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service at 1-800-877-8339.

What Is the Authority for the Advisory Committee?

    The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity is established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act 
(HEA), as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1011c. One of the purposes of the Advisory 
Committee is to advise the Secretary of Education on the recognition of 
accrediting agencies and State approval agencies.

Will This Be My Only Opportunity To Submit Written Comments?

    Yes, this notice announces the only opportunity you will have to 
submit written comments. However, a subsequent Federal Register notice 
will announce the meeting and invite individuals and/or groups to 
submit requests to make oral presentations before the Advisory 
Committee on the agencies that the Committee will review. That notice, 
however, does not

[[Page 45798]]

offer a second opportunity to submit written comment.

What Happens to the Comments That I Submit?

    We will review your comments, in response to this notice, as part 
of our evaluation of the agencies' compliance with the Secretary's 
Criteria for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies and State Approval 
Agencies. The Criteria are regulations found in 34 CFR Part 602 (for 
accrediting agencies) and in 34 CFR Part 603 (for State approval 
agencies) and are found at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/accreditation.
    We will also include your comments with the staff analyses we 
present to the Advisory Committee at its December 2003 meeting. 
Therefore, in order for us to give full consideration to your comments, 
it is important that we receive them by September 18, 2003. In all 
instances, your comments about agencies seeking initial or continued 
recognition must relate to the Criteria for Recognition. In addition, 
your comments for any agency whose interim report is scheduled for 
review must relate to the issues raised and the Criteria for 
Recognition cited in the Secretary's letter that requested the interim 
report.

What Happens to Comments Received After the Deadline?

    We will review any comments received after the deadline. If such 
comments, upon investigation, reveal that the accrediting agency is not 
acting in accordance with the Criteria for Recognition, we will take 
action either before or after the meeting, as appropriate.

What Agencies Will the Advisory Committee Review at the Meeting?

    The Secretary of Education recognizes accrediting agencies and 
State approval agencies for public postsecondary vocational education 
and nurse education if the Secretary determines that they meet the 
Criteria for Recognition. Recognition means that the Secretary 
considers the agency to be a reliable authority as to the quality of 
education offered by institutions or programs it accredits that are 
encompassed within the scope of recognition he grants to the agency. 
The following agencies will be reviewed during the December 2003 
meeting of the Advisory Committee:

Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies

Petitions for Renewal of Recognition

    1. Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (Current scope of 
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary allied health 
education institutions and institutions that offer predominantly allied 
health programs, private medical assistant programs, and public and 
private medical laboratory technician programs leading to the Associate 
of Applied Science and the Associate of Occupational Science degrees.)
    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 renewed 
recognition to the agency.)
    1. Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services 
Administration
    2. American Board of Funeral Service Education
    3. Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
    4. National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

Progress Reports

    1. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on 
Colleges (This is a report on the agency's implementation of its new 
standards).
    2. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting 
Commission for Schools (This is a report on the agency's action plan 
for coming into compliance with criteria for recognition).

State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary 
Vocational Education

Petitions for Renewal of Recognition

    1. Missouri State Board of Education (Current scope of recognition: 
The approval of public, postsecondary vocational education in the state 
of Missouri)
    At its June 2003 meeting, the Advisory Committee recommended that 
review of this agency's petition for continued recognition be deferred 
until the Committee's December 2003 meeting.

Interim Reports

    2. New York Board of Regents (Public Postsecondary Vocational 
Education Unit)

State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education

Interim Reports

    1. North Dakota Board of Nursing
Where Can I Inspect Petitions and Third-Party Comments Before and After 
the Meeting?
    All petitions 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, room 7105, MS 8509, 1990 K Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202) 219-7011 between the hours of 8 
a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, until November 14, 2003. They 
will be available again after the December 8-9 Advisory Committee 
meeting. An appointment must be made in advance of such inspection or 
copying.
How May I Obtain Electronic Access to This Document?
    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: 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 on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.

Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 03-19723 Filed 8-1-03; 8:45 am]
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