[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 59 (Friday, March 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16369-16371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07076]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity Meeting

AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity (NACIQI), 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 for the June 25-26, 2015 
meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and 
Integrity (NACIQI), and provides information to members of the public 
on submitting written comments and on requesting to make oral comments 
at the meeting. The

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notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and Section 114(d)(1)(B) of the 
Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended.

DATES: The NACIQI meeting will be held on June 25-26, 2015, from 8:00 
a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at a location to be determined in the Washington DC 
area. The exact location of the meeting will be published in the 
Federal Register and on the Department Web site at http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/naciqi.html#meetings by May 25, 2015.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary 
Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 8080, Washington, DC 20006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Howes, Committee Coordinator, 
NACIQI, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 8061, 
Washington, DC 20006-8129, telephone: (202) 502-7769, fax: (202) 502-
7874, or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    NACIQI's Statutory Authority and Function: The NACIQI is 
established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1011c. The NACIQI advises the Secretary of 
Education about:
     The establishment and enforcement of the criteria for 
recognition 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 or a specific State public postsecondary vocational 
education or nurse education approval agency.
     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.
     Any other advisory function relating to accreditation and 
institutional eligibility that the Secretary may prescribe.
    Meeting Agenda: In addition to its review of accrediting agencies 
and State approval agencies for Secretarial recognition, the meeting 
agenda will include Committee discussions regarding the Committee's 
policy recommendations to advise the Secretary in preparation for the 
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Below is a list of 
agencies, including their current and requested scopes of recognition, 
scheduled for review during the June 25-26, 2015 meeting:

Petitions for Recognition Based on a Compliance Report

Accrediting Agencies

    1. Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN) 
(Current Scope: Accreditation of nursing education programs and 
schools, both postsecondary and higher degree, which offer a 
certificate, diploma, or a recognized professional degree including 
clinical doctorate, masters, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and 
practical nursing programs in the United States and its territories, 
including those offered via distance education.)
    2. American Optometric Association, Accreditation Council on 
Optometric Education (ACOE) (Current Scope: The accreditation in the 
United States of professional optometric degree programs, optometric 
technician (associate degree) programs, and optometric residency 
programs, and for the preaccreditation categories of Preliminary 
Approval for professional optometric degree programs and Candidacy 
Pending for optometric residency programs in Department of Veterans 
Affairs facilities.)
    3. Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools, 
Accreditation Commission (AARTS) (Current Scope: The accreditation and 
pre-accreditation (``Correspondent'' and ``Candidate'') within the 
United States of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools.)
    4. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on 
Accreditation (NASD) (Current Scope: The accreditation throughout the 
United States of freestanding institutions that offer dance and dance-
related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), including those 
offered via distance education.)
    5. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on 
Accreditation NASM) (Current Scope: The accreditation throughout the 
United States of freestanding institutions that offer music and music-
related programs (both degree- and non-degree-granting), including 
those offered via distance education.)
    6. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on 
Accreditation (NAST) (Current Scope: The accreditation throughout the 
United States of freestanding institutions that offer theatre and 
theatre-related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), 
including those offered via distance education.)
    7. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on 
Institutions of Higher Education (NEA-CIHE) (Current Scope: The 
accreditation and pre-accreditation (``Candidacy status'') of 
institutions of higher education in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont that award bachelor's, 
master's, and/or doctoral degrees and associate degree-granting 
institutions in those states that include degrees in liberal arts or 
general studies among their offerings, including the accreditation of 
programs offered via distance education within these institutions).
    8. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher 
Learning Commission (NCA-HLC) (Current Scope: The accreditation and 
preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of degree-granting 
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, including the tribal institutions and 
the accreditation of programs offered via distance education and 
correspondence education within these institutions. This recognition 
extends to the Institutional Actions Council jointly with the Board of 
Trustees of the Commission for decisions on cases for continued 
accreditation or reaffirmation, and continued candidacy, and to the 
Appeals Body jointly with the Board of Trustees of the Commission for 
decisions related to initial candidacy or accreditation or 
reaffirmation of accreditation.)

Request for an Expansion of Scope

    1. American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation 
(APA) (Current Scope: The accreditation in the United States of 
doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and combined 
professional-scientific psychology; predoctoral internship programs in 
professional psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in 
professional psychology.) (Requested scope: The accreditation in the 
United States of doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and 
combined professional-scientific psychology; doctoral internship 
programs in health

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service psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in health 
service psychology.)

Petition for Approval of a State Agency for Vocational Education Based 
on a Compliance Report

    1. Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public 
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs (PRHRDC) 
(Current Scope: The approval of public postsecondary, vocational-
technical institutions.)
    Submission of written comments regarding a specific accrediting 
agency or state approval agency under review: Written comments about 
the recognition of a specific accrediting or State agency must be 
received by May 1, 2015, in the [email protected] mailbox and 
include the subject line ``Written Comments: (agency name).'' The email 
must include the name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing 
address, email address, and telephone number of the person(s) making 
the comment. Comments should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document 
or in a medium compatible with Microsoft Word (not a PDF file) that is 
attached to an electronic mail message (email) or provided in the body 
of an email message. Comments about an agency's recognition after 
review of a compliance report must relate to the issues raised in the 
compliance report and the criteria for recognition cited in the 
Secretary's letter that requested the report. Third parties having 
concerns about agencies regarding matters outside the scope of a 
compliance report should report those concerns directly to the 
Department to be reviewed as a complaint. Only material submitted by 
the deadline to the email address listed in this notice, and in 
accordance with these instructions, becomes part of the official record 
concerning agencies scheduled for review and are considered by the 
Department and NACIQI in their deliberations. Please do not send 
material directly to NACIQI members.
    Submission of requests to make an oral comment regarding a specific 
accrediting agency or state approval agency under review: Oral comments 
about agencies seeking renewal of recognition must relate to the issues 
raised in the agency's compliance report and the criteria for 
recognition cited in the Secretary's letter that requested the report. 
There are two methods by which the public may seek to make a third-
party oral comment of three minutes concerning one of the agencies 
scheduled for review at the June 25-26, 2015 meeting.
    Method One: Submit a request by email to the 
[email protected] mailbox. Please do not send material directly 
to NACIQI members. Requests must be received by May 1, 2015, and 
include the subject line ``Oral Comment Request: (agency name).'' The 
email must include the name(s), title, organization/affiliation, 
mailing address, email address, telephone number, of the person(s) 
requesting to speak, and a brief summary (not to exceed one page) of 
the principal points to be made during the oral presentation. All 
individuals submitting an advance request in accordance with this 
notice will be afforded an opportunity to speak.
    Method Two: Register at the meeting location on June 25, 2015, to 
make an oral comment during NACIQI's deliberations concerning a 
particular agency or institution scheduled for review. The requestor 
must provide his or her name, title, organization/affiliation, mailing 
address, email address, and telephone number. A total of up to fifteen 
minutes during each agency review will be allotted for oral commenters 
who register on June 25, 2015. Individuals will be selected on a first-
come, first-served basis. If selected, each commenter may not exceed 
three minutes.
    The oral comments made will become part of the official record and 
will be considered by the Department and NACIQI in their deliberations. 
No individual in attendance or making oral presentations may distribute 
written materials at the meeting.
    Access to Records of the Meeting: The Department will post the 
official report of the meeting on the NACIQI Web site 90 days after the 
meeting. Pursuant to the FACA, the public may also inspect the 
materials at 1990 K Street NW., Washington, DC, by emailing 
[email protected] or by calling (202) 219-7067 to schedule an 
appointment.
    Reasonable Accommodations: The meeting site is 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 this 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 may also 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. Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education 
has delegated authority to Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under Secretary, 
to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for 
Postsecondary Education.

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c.

Jamienne S. Studley,
Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-07076 Filed 3-26-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P