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Neal (2008) gave a substantive historical account of how accreditation came into
existence:
In America, the Tenth Amendment is clear—education is not one of the powers
delegated to the federal government. As a consequence, state charters traditionally
guard schools against federal control, and colleges and universities are run by lay
boards of trustees secured from federal interference, thanks to Daniel Webster‘s
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suit before the Supreme Court in 1819. American higher education thrives
because of this freedom. Various academic protocols—such as academic
freedom—rightly protect it, while institutions assiduously defend their autonomy.
Various associations emerged in the late 19th century to differentiate colleges
from high schools. Over the years, these bodies developed voluntary criteria to
identify the characteristics of a sound educational program, in a nongovernmental
system of peer evaluation. (p. 24)
As discussed previously, regional accrediting associations for public school governance
were already in existence when the Servicemen‘s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known
as the GI Bill, was passed in 1944, but these regional accrediting bodies, North Central,
Southern, Northwest, New England, Western, and Middle States grew another limb that
extended into the world of higher education. Each association created a separate division
that governed colleges and universities. There was a need to protect federal education
funds and war veterans from exploitation by counterfeit institutions that were looking to
prosper. To deter such institutions, it became customary that a legitimate, degree-granting
college or university that wished to receive federal financial aid funds would subject
itself to the voluntary regional accreditation process which included a self-study and a
periodic team visit (Thelin, 2004). ―Accreditation [emerged] from concerns to protect
[…] and to serve the public interest‖ (Council of Higher Education Accreditation, 2006,
p. 3). The policy that regional accreditation be secured by institutions of higher education
in order to receive federal funds was designed to protect federal funds, colleges and
universities, and students.
Subsequently, regional accreditation associations continued to influence higher
education by policing it to ensure standards of uniformity and quality. The standards that
govern these private accreditation institutions were and still are established by the
colleges and universities that were/are members of the associations. These associations
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