Florida, five GOP states launch new higher ed accreditor to counter DEI ‘monopoly’
Six Republican-led states have created a new accreditation commission, which they say will prioritize merit above Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The Florida Board of Governors approved the measure at a meeting on July 11, with the organization set to be called the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE).
Six Republican-led states have created a new accreditation commission, which they say will prioritize merit above Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The Florida Board of Governors approved the measure at a meeting on July 11, with the organization set to be called the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE). In a statement provided to Campus Reform, a spokesperson for the Florida Board of Governors described the Commission as a “consortium of six public university systems that are committed to streamlining accreditation standards and prioritizing student outcomes.”
“It will be an accreditation model created by public universities for public colleges and universities,” the spokesperson added.
Six state university systems, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Tennessee, joined together to form CPHE.
“CPHE will laser-focus on student outcomes, streamline accreditation standards, focus on emerging educational models, modernize the accreditation process, maximize efficiency without sacrificing quality, and ensure no imposition of divisive ideological content on institutions,” the Florida Board of Governors explained on July 1.
Officials have described their hopes that the accreditation commission will help prioritize “objectivity,” “transparency,” and “real value” above ideological considerations.
In a June 26 statement about the commission, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that it would offer an “alternative” to the “ideological stronghold” of higher education’s focus on DEI. “With transparent, rigorous, outcomes-based standards, this accreditor will help ensure the Free State of Florida leads the way in higher education for decades to come,” DeSantis said.
“Florida has set an example for the country in reclaiming higher education—and we’re working to make that success permanent,” DeSantis added. “That means breaking the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.”
University heads in each of the six systems supporting CPHE have applauded the move, with University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd saying the commission will help foster a “competitive marketplace” in higher education.
The creation of CPHE comes amid the nationwide scale back of DEI programs and policies, including the Department of Education’s February notice in which it announced a federal crackdown on DEI.
“Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices,” the department stated in its letter.
“Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them—particularly during the last four years—under the banner of ‘ diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (‘DEI’), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline,” the notice continued.
