The Florida Board of Governors on Friday voted to move forward with the creation of a new non-profit accrediting body for colleges and universities, approving itselfas the sole member of the group and the only one investing funds so far.
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans for the Commission for Public Higher Education, which he said would include the State University System of Florida, University System of Georgia, University of North Carolina System, University of South Carolina System, University of Tennessee System and Texas A&M System.
So far, only Florida is putting in $4 million, which was added to the state university system’s budget by the Legislature. A business plan for the commission says it “anticipates the other five founding university systems will dedicate funds, labor or a combination of, that is comparable to Florida’s initial contribution.”
As the sole member, the Board of Governors would oversee a board of directors representing the six founding groups. Florida would have an equal vote to the other groups. The other five spots are currently vacant. The Board of Governors’ general counsel said North and South Carolina currently have dedicated staff members working toward the initiative.
Board chairperson Brian Lamb said that while the plan was approved and the $4 million allocated for this will be set aside, “not a penny” would move until the board’s foundation approved the details of how it would be used.
The new organization will become an option for Florida universities seeking accreditation following a yearslong spat with the main accrediting body for the region, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Florida officials first butted heads with the group in 2021, when it raised concerns after former state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran emerged as a finalist during a presidential search at Florida State University. Board of Governors members said the accreditation body had overreached, though Corcoran did not get that job. The state legislature created a law requiring universities to switch accrediting agencies after an evaluation cycle, and DeSantis later sued the Biden administration, though the lawsuit was dismissed.
Some members of the Board, including some appointed by DeSantis, expressed reservations for the model as it stands based on the financial and legal risks the Board could absorb, though expressed support for the concept in general.
The board’s faculty member, Kimberly Dunn, said she was supportive of additional competition in the accreditation marketplace. But she questioned the optics of the setup.
“How do we get the accreditor to have independence in fact and independence in appearance?” she asked. “For institutions outside of the Florida (state university system), it may be fine, but with us as the sole member, it appears, or could appear to stakeholders that we — the accreditor —lacks independence from the institution being accredited.”
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, sent the Board a letter calling the new agency “a clear conflict of interest.”
Board member Alan Levine said the approval was only a first step and future documents would reflect that “there is a veil between the commission and the Board of Governors.”
“Our role is not to govern or direct the activities of this body,” he said, “It has to be independent or it won’t even be approvable by the Department of Education.”