UNC proposes new college accreditor amid growing concern over existing agencies' political influence
UNC Board partners with other systems to form new accreditor dubbed 'the Florida project.'
UNC: ‘We believe it is past time for the creation of a new accreditor focused on the unique needs of public colleges and universities.’
The University of North Carolina System is working with other public university systems to launch a new college accreditor, citing frustration with the power and perceived lack of transparency among current accrediting agencies.
UNC System President Peter Hans told the UNC Board of Governors that the system has “been having a number of discussions with several other major public – public – university systems” to develop an accreditor “that would offer sound oversight” over higher education institutions, according to The News & Observer.
Internal communications obtained by Inside Higher Ed suggest a formal announcement may come as soon as July.
A draft statement prepared by the UNC System reads: “We believe it is past time for the creation of a new accreditor focused on the unique needs of public colleges and universities.” It continued: “We have worked collaboratively over the past year to explore and develop such a cross-state partnership.”
The project, internally referred to as the “Florida project,” would involve states partnering to form a new accrediting body in response to long-standing concerns that existing agencies “wield enormous power, but too often have opaque and counterintuitive governance.”
The proposal aligns with efforts supported by former President Donald Trump. In April, Trump signed an executive order targeting higher education accreditors that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies.
The order prompted the UNC System’s Vice President for Academic Affairs to initiate direct contact with the U.S. Department of Education.
Vice President Daniel Harrison later wrote in an email that the proposed accreditor would be structured as “a single member Florida nonprofit corp.” Under this model, Florida would retain formal membership status while delegating power to a multi-state board of directors.
Emails suggest the accreditor could serve as a conservative-led alternative to current agencies, many of which have drawn criticism for enforcing DEI compliance as a condition for accreditation.
Accreditation standards have come under further scrutiny in recent months. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education suspended its DEI mandates in May, a move prompted by President Trump’s executive order targeting political bias in accreditation.
The U.S. Department of Education also contacted a major accreditor after determining that Columbia University had violated civil rights laws, putting its accreditation at risk.
[RELATED: Office for Civil Rights investigates Johns Hopkins over race-based scholarships]
Wade Maki, chair of UNC’s Faculty Assembly, confirmed that faculty leadership met with system officials to discuss the project. Maki told Inside Higher Ed it was a “very open conversation,” and expressed support for an accreditor “that is independent, that maintains the strong reputation of the UNC System and helps keep the politics out of higher ed and the curriculum, whether that’s from the politicians or the accreditors themselves.”
Campus Reform reached out to the UNC System for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
