[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48850-48851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-18310]


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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?

    On July 16, 2004, we published a notice in the Federal Register to 
invite written comments on accrediting agencies that had submitted 
petitions for review by the Advisory Committee at its December 13-15, 
2004 meeting. Although the Distance Education and Training Council was 
included in the list of accrediting agencies for the Advisory 
Committee's review of the Council's progress report, the July 16, 2004 
notice omitted the Council's request for an expansion of scope. This 
notice invites written comments on the petition for expansion of scope 
submitted by the Distance Education and Training Council that will be 
reviewed at the Advisory Committee meeting to be held on December 13-
15, 2004.

Petition for an Expansion of Scope

    1. Distance Education and Training Council (Current scope of 
recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary institutions in the 
United States offering programs primarily by the distance education 
method up through the first professional degree. Title IV Note: 
Accreditation by this agency does not enable the entities it accredits 
to establish eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.) 
(Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation of postsecondary 
institutions in the United States offering programs primarily by the 
distance education method up through the first professional degree. 
Title IV Note: Under current law, distance education entities 
accredited by this agency are not eligible to participate in Title IV 
programs, other than the Distance Education Demonstration Project.)

Where Should I Submit My Comments?

    Please submit your written comments by September 27, 2004 to Carol 
Griffiths, Accrediting Agency Evaluation, Accreditation and State 
Liaison. You may contact her at the U.S. Department of Education, 1990 
K Street, NW., 7th Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC 20006-8509, 
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. Sec.  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, another 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 offer an 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 Distance Education and Training Council's 
compliance with the Secretary's Criteria for Recognition of Accrediting 
Agencies. The Criteria are regulations found in 34 CFR Part 602 (for 
accrediting agencies).
    We will also respond to your comments, as appropriate, in the staff

[[Page 48851]]

analysis we present to the Advisory Committee at its December 2004 
meeting. Therefore, in order for us to give full consideration to your 
comments, it is important that we receive them by September 27, 2004. 
In all instances, your comments regarding the Distance Education and 
Training Council must relate to the Criteria for Recognition.

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.

Where Can I Inspect Petitions and Third-Party Comments Before and After 
the Meeting?

    Subject to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 522, petitions, interim 
reports, and those third-party comments received in advance of the 
meeting, will, upon written request, be made available, by appointment, 
for inspection and copying at the U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., 7th Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC 20006-8509, telephone 
(202) 219-7011 until November 17, 2004. They will be available again 
after the December 13-15 Advisory Committee meeting.

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.gpoaccess.gpo/nara/index.html.


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

    Dated: August 5, 2004.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 04-18310 Filed 8-10-04; 8:45 am]
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