New Policies Approved by the Commission

A number of policies were approved by the Commission at its meeting on June 25, 2020. These new policies and accompanying procedures will become effective July 1, 2020. The documents can currently be found in the Policies Under Review section until they become effective, at which point they will be located in the Browse Policies and Procedures.

Accreditation Actions Policy and Procedures:

The Accreditation Actions Policy and Procedures was revised to reflect the changes to federal regulations related to the period of time allowed for non-compliance, a retroactive date of accreditation, the ability of the Commission to take an immediate adverse action, and arbitration requirements. In addition, the procedures have been updated to align with actions that can be taken on applications and candidacy. The Commission issued a public call for comments from May 19 to June 1, 2020.

Antitrust Compliance Policy and Procedures

The Antitrust Policy and Procedures seeks to ensure that Commission representatives act in accordance with their responsibilities to recognize and avoid or prevent situations that violate antitrust laws of the United States or that otherwise facilitate unreasonable restraints on competition or harm consumer welfare. The procedures detail reporting requirements and provide the certification statement that must be signed by all Commission representatives.

Application and Candidacy Review Cycle and Monitoring Policy

The new Application and Candidacy Review Cycle and Monitoring Policy has been developed to ensure a rigorous, consistent, and equitable process for institutions applying for candidate for accreditation status. The new process strengthens the peer review component in both the pre-application and application reviews and moves away from staff review. To ensure consistency and fairness, the Commission has aligned similar procedural components and language from other policy documents including but not limited to the assignment of peer evaluators, verification of conflicts of interest, and requests for additional evidence. The procedures are being finalized and will be effective September 1, 2020.

Substantive Change Policy and Procedures:

The Substantive Change Policy and Procedures have been revised to reflect changes in federal regulations, which include changes to the types of substantive change and the new requirements under 602.22(b). These changes required that the Commission revise some procedures related to the submission of request forms. The Commission staff have updated the Substantive Change Guidelines containing the definitions and case scenarios for each type of change. As part of the revision, there is now a separate substantive change request form for each type, and the substantive change page on the MSCHE website was updated. The Commission issued a public call for comments from May 19 to June 1, 2020.

Whistleblower Policy and Procedures

The Whistleblower Policy and Procedures seek to encourage any individual with serious concerns and credible information of wrongful conduct to report that without fear of retaliation so that the Commission can address and correct inappropriate conduct and actions. The procedures reporting requirements. A form for submission is also posted on the website.