Statement of Accreditation Status
Center for Development of Security Excellence – Education Division
- CEO: Mrs. Erika Ragonese, Director CDSE
- Accreditation Liaison Officer: Dr. Monica Minor-Exum
- Commission Staff Liaison: Ryan Hartnett, Vice President
- Control: Public
- Phase: Candidate
- Status: Candidate Status Granted
- Candidacy Granted: 2024
- Next Self-Study Evaluation: 2026-2027
- November 21, 2024
To acknowledge receipt of the candidate assessment report. To grant Candidate for Accreditation status and invite the institution to initiate its first self-study in preparation for an evaluation visit in 2026-2027 under the Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation (Fourteenth Edition and Evidence Expectations by Standard). To remind the institution of its obligation to address the findings in the Candidate Readiness Assessment Team Report in its self-study. To direct a Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations. To note that candidate for accreditation status is an indication that an institution is progressing toward, but is not assured of, accreditation. To note that the institution may not be in Candidacy for more than five years before the grant of accreditation in accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR § 602.16(a)(2). To note the Commission establishes the candidate institution's baseline scope of accreditation as of the date that candidate for accreditation status is granted. To note the visit on August 1-2, 2024, to the main campus and the following address is certified as the main campus: 938 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum, MD 21090. To include the following credential levels within the baseline scope of accreditation: Postbaccalaureate certificate, Master's degree or equivalent. To include distance education within the baseline scope of accreditation. To note that any future changes to this scope of accreditation require Commission review and prior approval through substantive change (Substantive Change Policy and Procedures). To note that the institution is currently engaged in the process to obtain degree-granting through the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) per 1954 Federal Policy Governing the Granting of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies and Institutions and Department of Defense Instruction, Number 5545.04, and to remind the institution of its obligation to provide the Commission with regular updates on its movement through the degree-granting authority process. To note that the Commission reserves the right to rescind this action if any developments reveal additional information that might have affected the Commission's decision. - November 21, 2024
To acknowledge receipt of the teach-out plan. To approve the teach-out plan as required of candidate institutions in accordance with the Commission's Teach-Out Plans and Agreement(s) Policy and Procedures and federal regulation 34 CFR 602.23(f)(1)(ii). - March 14, 2024
To acknowledge receipt of the Accreditation Readiness Report. To request a Candidate Assessment Report under the Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation (Fourteenth Edition) and Evidence Expectations by Standards Guidelines, due July 15, 2024, and direct a Candidate Assessment Team Visit because the institution appears to demonstrate compliance with the Commission's standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements and the institution appears to demonstrate the readiness to continue in the accreditation process. To request that the institution complete and submit for approval a candidate teach-out plan due July 15, 2024, as required of candidate institutions in accordance with the Commission's Teach-Out Plans and Agreement(s) Policy and Procedures and federal regulation 34 CFR 602.23 (f)(ii). The purpose of the teach-out plan is to assist students with transfer to another institution or the completion of their education if the Commission were to deny accreditation. The teach-out plan must ensure students completing the teach-out would meet curricular requirements for professional licensure or certification, if any, and must include a list of academic programs offered by the institution and the names of other institutions that offer similar programs and could potentially enter into a teach-out agreement with the institution in accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR 602.23 (f)(ii). To note that teach-out agreements are not required. To note that the Commission reserves the right to rescind this action if any developments reveal additional information that might have affected the Commission's decision. - November 16, 2023
To note that the Commission liaison guidance visit occurred on April 27, 2023. - July 31, 2023
Staff acted on behalf of the Commission to note that the report requested by the Commission action of March 9, 2023, is now due on October 2, 2023. - March 9, 2023
To acknowledge receipt of the supplemental information report. To request an updated Accreditation Readiness Report, due August 1, 2023, because the Commission needs further evidence that the institution can demonstrate compliance with Standard II (Ethics and Integrity), Standard IV (Support of the Student Experience), Requirement of Affiliation 5, and Requirement of Affiliation 10. To direct a prompt Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations. - August 25, 2022
To note the commission liaison guidance visit occurred on April 11, 2022. - March 10, 2022
To acknowledge receipt of the Accreditation Readiness Report. To request a supplemental information report, due December 1, 2022, providing further evidence of: (1) institutional mission that is linked to institutional goals and how such linkages guide institutional stakeholders in planning and decision making (Requirement of Affiliation 7; Standard I); (2) adherence to all issues of ethics and integrity as outlined in the Standard, including compliance with all applicable federal, state, and Commission reporting policies, regulations, and requirements (Requirement of Affiliation 5; Standard II); (3) institutional structures and processes in place to support the student experience, as evidenced by a coherent and effective support system sustained by qualified professionals, which enhances the quality of the learning environment, contributes to the educational experience, and fosters student success (Requirements of Affiliation 10; Standard IV); (4) student learning programs that are characterized by coherence and appropriate assessment of student achievement throughout its educational offerings, at both institutional and program levels, with evidence that faculty and appropriate institutional stakeholders have considered and used assessment results to improve teaching and learning (Standard V); (5) an annual independent audit confirming financial viability with evidence of follow-up on any concerns cited in the audit's accompanying management letter (Requirement of Affiliation 10, 11, and 12; Standard VI); (6) the assessment of the adequacy and efficient utilization of institutional resources required to support the institution's mission and goals (Standard VI); (7) clearly-stated, aligned, and coherent institutional and unit objectives, with evidence of the implementation of a systematic, organized, and sustained assessment process demonstrating that institutional and unit stakeholders have considered and used assessment results in planning, budgeting, and the improvement of institutional and unit effectiveness (Standard VI); (8) a governance structure allowing the institution to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that benefits the institution, its students and the constituencies it serves (Standard VII); (9) a Chief Executive Officer who has appropriate credentials, professional experience, authority and autonomy required to fulfill the responsibilities of the position (Standard VII); and (10) a Chief Executive Officer who has the assistance of qualified administrators, sufficient in number, to enable the Chief Executive Officer to discharge his/her duties effectively; and is responsible for establishing procedures for assessing the organization's efficiency and effectiveness (Standard VII). To direct a prompt Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations. - Distance Education
Approved to offer programs by this delivery method - Correspondence Education
Not approved to offer programs by this delivery method - Post-baccalaureate Certificate Included within the scope
- Master's Degree or Equivalent Included within the scope
- Main Campus
Center for Development of Security Excellence - Education Division - Main Campus
938 Elkridge Landing Road
Linthicum, MD 21090
Approved Credential Levels
The following represents credential levels included in the scope of the institution’s accreditation:
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