[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 13 (Friday, January 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 6638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01357]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purposes 
of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Accreditation Group, U.S. 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on 
submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently 
undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of 
Education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation 
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270-01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-6128, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This request for written third-party 
comments concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under 
review by the Secretary of Education is required by Sec.  496(n)(1)(A) 
of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, and pertains to 
the winter 2022 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on 
Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The meeting date and 
location have not been determined, but will be announced in a later 
Federal Register notice. In addition, a later Federal Register notice 
will describe how to register to provide oral comments at the meeting.
    Agencies Under Review and Evaluation: The Department requests 
written comments from the public on the following accrediting agencies, 
which are currently undergoing review and evaluation by the 
Accreditation Group, and which will be reviewed at the winter 2022 
NACIQI meeting.
    The agencies are listed by the type of application each has 
submitted. We have also indicated each agency's current scope of 
recognition. If any agency requests a change to its scope of 
recognition, we have identified both the current scope of recognition 
and the requested scope of recognition.

Applications for Renewal of Recognition

    1. American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric 
Medical Education. Scope of recognition: The accreditation and 
preaccreditation (``Provisional Accreditation'') throughout the United 
States of freestanding colleges of podiatric medicine and programs of 
podiatric medicine, including first professional programs leading to 
the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.
    2. The Council on Chiropractic Education. Scope of recognition: The 
accreditation of programs leading to the Doctor of Chiropractic degree 
and single-purpose institutions offering the Doctor of Chiropractic 
program.
    3. Commission on English Language Program Accreditation. Scope of 
recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary, non-degree-granting 
English language programs and institutions in the United States 
including those programs offered via distance education.
    4. Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. 
Scope of recognition: The accreditation of educational programs in 
radiography, magnetic resonance, radiation therapy, and medical 
dosimetry, including those offered via distance education, at the 
certificate, associate, and baccalaureate levels.
    5. North Dakota Board of Nursing. Scope of Recognition: Recognized 
for the Approval of Nurse Education in the State of North Dakota.

Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency 
Under Review

    Written comments about the recognition of any of the accrediting 
agencies listed above must be received by February 19, 2021 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 that has submitted a petition 
for initial recognition, renewal of recognition, or an expansion of 
scope must relate to the agency's compliance with the Criteria for the 
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, which are available at https://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn.
    Only written materials submitted by the deadline to the email 
address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these 
instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies 
scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in 
their deliberations.
    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 the 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.

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c

Christopher McCaghren,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2021-01357 Filed 1-21-21; 8:45 am]
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