[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 140 (Thursday, July 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47378-47379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17233]


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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, date, time, dial-in 
procedures, and procedures to request to make oral comments for the 
August 23, 2016 meeting of the NACIQI. The notice of this meeting is 
required under Sec.  10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA) and Sec.  114(d)(1)(B) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 
1965, as amended.

DATES: The NACIQI meeting will be held on August 23, 2016, from 12:00 
p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time via telephone conference.

Dial-In Procedures

    The meeting will be conducted via telephone conference. 
Participants and members of the public should dial: 888-566-6510 and 
enter code 9937417 when prompted. Participation in the meeting will be 
on a first-come first-served basis with the first 300 hundred callers 
accommodated. The meeting will also be hosted via webinar at: https://educate.webex.com/educate/e.php?MTID=m114df4b98257cd8e99b5aede5c9fd598.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Hong, Executive Director/
Designated Federal Official, NACIQI, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue SW., Room 6W250, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: (202) 
453-7805, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NACIQI's Statutory Authority and Function: 
The NACIQI is established under Sec.  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 of 
part H of Title IV of the HEA, as amended.
     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 by 
regulation.
    Meeting Agenda: Below is a list of agencies, including their 
current and requested scopes of recognition, that are scheduled for 
review by NACIQI during the August 23, 2016 meeting. The meeting will 
be conducted in accordance with the review procedures outlined in the 
March 18, 2016 Federal Register notice (Vol. 81, No. 53).

Applications for Renewal of Recognition

1. Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges

    Scope of recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary, 
non-degree-granting institutions and degree-granting institutions in 
the United States, including those granting associate, baccalaureate 
and master's degrees, that are predominantly organized to educate 
students for occupational, trade and technical careers, and including 
institutions that offer programs via distance education.

2. American Osteopathic Association, Osteopathic College Accreditation

    Scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation 
(``Provisional Accreditation'') throughout the United States of 
freestanding institutions of osteopathic medicine and of osteopathic 
medical programs leading to the degree of Doctor of Osteopathy or 
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
    Title IV Note: Only freestanding schools or colleges of osteopathic 
medicine may use accreditation by this agency to establish eligibility 
to participate in Title IV programs.

3. Council on Occupational Education

    Scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation 
(``Candidacy Status'') throughout the United States of postsecondary 
occupational education institutions offering non-degree and applied 
associate degree programs in specific career and technical education 
fields, including institutions that offer programs via distance 
education.

4. Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, 
Accreditation Commission

    Scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation 
(``Candidate'' Status) of Christian postsecondary institutions in the 
United States that offer certificates, diplomas, and associate, 
baccalaureate, and graduate degrees, including institutions that offer 
distance education.

Compliance Reports

 Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

    Scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation 
(``Candidacy Status'') of postsecondary degree-granting educational 
institutions in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and 
Washington, and the accreditation of programs offered via distance 
education within these institutions. (Compliance report on 34 CFR 
602.24(a) and 602.24(b) for findings affirmed on appeal by the 
Secretary. Please see http://oha.ed.gov/secretarycases/2014-7-O-S.pdf 
for the Secretary's appeal decision.)
    Submission of requests to make an oral comment regarding a specific 
accrediting agency under review: Pre-registered third-party oral 
commenters will have the opportunity to make a three-minute oral 
comment concerning one of the agencies scheduled for review at the 
August 23, 2016 meeting. These oral commenters are listed on the June 
22-24, 2016 agenda, which is available at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/naciqi-dir/2016-spring/naciqi-agenda-june-2016.pdf
    Oral comments about agencies undergoing review must relate to the 
Criteria for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, which is available 
at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. Oral commenters 
may also

[[Page 47379]]

register on August 23, 2016 to make an oral comment during NACIQI's 
deliberations concerning a particular agency or institution scheduled 
for review, by calling (202) 453-7615 from 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Eastern 
Time. 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 August 23, 2016 by 8:30 
a.m. Eastern Time. Individuals will be selected on a first-call, 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 calendar days 
after the meeting. Pursuant to the FACA, the public may also inspect 
the materials at 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC, by emailing 
[email protected] or by calling (202) 453-7110 to schedule an 
appointment.
    Reasonable Accommodations: 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 for free at the Adobe Web 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 Lynn B. Mahaffie, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, 
Policy, and Innovation, to perform the duties of Assistant Secretary 
for Postsecondary Education.

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

Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Policy, and Innovation, 
delegated the duties of Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 2016-17233 Filed 7-20-16; 8:45 am]
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