Five colleges across the country have announced their participation as founding members of a new accreditation organization aimed at promoting academic excellence, increasing choice in accreditation, and institutional independence.
The National Association for Academic Excellence (NAAE) announced that Houston Christian University, Merrimack College in Massachusetts, Benedictine College in Kansas, the University of Mount Saint Vincent in New York, and Bellevue University in Nebraska will help establish a new model of institutional accreditation.
Unlike traditional regional accreditors, NAAE intends to evaluate independent colleges and universities based on academic rigor, measurable student achievement, and institutional accountability while allowing schools to maintain their individual missions.
The founding institutions will hold seats on NAAE’s Board of Directors and Commission on Accreditation, giving them a direct role in developing standards and overseeing future accreditation decisions.
Houston Christian University’s acting President Sandy Mooney said the new approach could help colleges focus more on educational outcomes rather than administrative requirements.
“An effective accreditor must understand the missions of independent colleges and universities, evaluate the outcomes that truly matter and help institutions strengthen the education they provide,” said Mooney.
For decades, most American colleges and universities have operated under a system of regional accreditation, with accrediting organizations evaluating institutions ranging from community colleges to major public universities.
Federal regulatory changes that took effect in 2020 removed geographic restrictions on accrediting agencies, opening the door for greater competition among accreditation organizations.
Thomas K. Lindsay of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) praised the development, arguing that greater competition among accrediting organizations could allow colleges to maintain their distinct educational missions.
“Competition among accreditors, properly ordered, can restore the diversity of institutional forms that once characterized American higher education and that the Founders expected would flourish under conditions of liberty,” Lindsay wrote.
NAAE President and CEO Rob Manzer said the organization seeks to give independent colleges a greater voice in determining the standards used to evaluate them.
“This accreditor is built specifically for institutions like these, giving them a direct hand in shaping standards designed around how they actually operate,” said Manzer.
The organization’s emphasis on institutional autonomy could also benefit faith-based universities seeking to preserve their religious missions.
Benedictine College President Stephen Minnis said independent institutions make their greatest contributions when allowed to pursue their missions without unnecessary interference.
“We are excited to help build an accreditor that will demand the highest standards of academic excellence while allowing faith-based institutions to form students in accordance with their faith traditions,” said Minnis.
NAAE plans to seek formal recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. Until that process is completed, all five founding institutions will remain accredited by their existing federally recognized agencies.
