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57-602: In early 2023, it began to publicly experience severe financial challenges. Federal financial aid was cut off, it did not pay employees for many months, and it was evicted from its headquarters in Cincinnati for failing to pay rent. The university was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission but resigned its accreditation effective June 25, 2024. It closed permanently on June 30, 2024. Union Institute & University traced its origins to 1964, when

114-513: A 2002 report by George C. Leef and Roxana D. Burris of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) argued that the system does not ensure or protect educational quality, while still imposing significant costs. In a 2006 "issue paper", Robert C. Dickeson wrote that a lack of transparency, low and lax standards, and outdated regionalization were among the problems with regional accreditation. Others, such as Edward M. Elmendorf of

171-465: A class action lawsuit against the university alleging that the delayed wages violate labor laws. The lawsuit was settled in March 2024 for $ 110,000. The start of the fall 2023 semester was delayed from August to November, and then cancelled completely on November 15. In October, fifty doctoral students at Union signed a letter saying that the president of Union, Karen Schuster Webb, "should resign" and that

228-611: A doctoral program. An additional teach-out plan was signed with Lasell University in Massachusetts. In May 2024, the institute was placed on "Administrative Probation" by the Higher Learning Commission for failure to pay annual dues to the accrediting body. Shortly thereafter, Union's leaders announced that the institution would resign its accreditation effective June 25, 2024 and close entirely on June 30. Despite its June 30, 2024 closure, Union Institute

285-460: A limited role in higher education accreditation in 1952 with reauthorization of the G.I. Bill for Korean War veterans . The original GI Bill legislation had stimulated establishment of new colleges and universities to accommodate the influx of new students, but some of these new institutions were of dubious quality. The 1952 legislation designated the existing peer review process as the basis for measuring institutional quality; GI Bill eligibility

342-501: A religious viewpoint and may require students and/or faculty to subscribe to a statement of faith. Additionally, as of 2009, 20 U.S. states and Puerto Rico had some form of exemption provision under which religious institutions can grant religious degrees without accreditation or government oversight. Since 2001, the use of the top-level internet domain , .edu has been restricted to accredited institutions, but non-qualifying institutions can still use .edu domain names obtained before

399-607: A specialization in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Studies. In 2004 the U.S. Department of Education also raised concerns about the quality of the institute's PhD programs. Union Institute began to publicly experience severe financial distress in March 2023 when salaries owed to university staff were paid late. Throughout 2023, the university continued to exhibit signs of financial distress including further delayed wages and being locked out of its headquarters. Some university staff filed

456-534: A specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution. Best practices are shared and developed through affiliation with the Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors. Both the US Department of Education and CHEA maintain lists of recognized US programmatic accreditors: For broad resources on how programmatic accreditation is managed in

513-468: Is still attempting to collect past due tuition payments and withholding transcripts of students who refuse to pay. Originally, instruction was provided as a low-residency model at the constituent colleges of the organization. In 1996, the college acquired two buildings in Cincinnati, Time Hill and the Procter and Collier–Beau Brummell Building . It sold Time Hill in 2008 to Lighthouse Youth Services and

570-469: Is that the traditional system is limited to measuring "input" factors, such as adequate facilities and properly credentialed faculty, rather than the quality of a school's educational output. In his 1996 book Crisis in the Academy , Christopher J. Lucas criticized the accreditation system as too expensive, onerously complicated, incestuous in its organization, and not properly tied to quality. Similarly,

627-509: The American Association of State Colleges and Universities , reject these claims, arguing that they are "picking around the edges" of a proven and necessary system for upholding standards. Thomas C. Reeves notes that some schools unable or unwilling to meet the standards of traditional, regional accrediting bodies are closely involved in creating national accrediting agencies with significantly lower standards. At various times

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684-531: The Department of Education . Regional bodies historically accredited institutions in a particular region of the country. National bodies were established to accredit institutions across the country, and sometimes beyond it. Within American higher education, regional bodies were considered more prestigious. (The regional bodies were older, and included the most well established institutions.) In February 2020,

741-847: The Every Student Succeeds Act , which reauthorized the Elementary Secondary Education Act. "In December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law, reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). ESEA, the federal law that authorizes federal funding for K-12 schools, represents the nation's commitment to equal educational opportunity for all students and has influenced

798-530: The Federal Security Agency , where it was renamed as the Office of Education. After World War II , President Dwight D. Eisenhower promulgated "Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953." The Federal Security Agency was abolished and most of its functions were transferred to the newly formed DHEW. In 1979, President Carter advocated for creating a cabinet-level Department of Education. Carter's plan

855-761: The Ohio Board of Regents , culminating in a reauthorization report published in 2002. In response to the report, Union underwent major academic and structural changes, including dissolution of the Union Graduate School and restructuring of its PhD programs. The PhD in Arts and Sciences, for example, was redesigned as a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies, with four majors: Ethical and Creative Leadership, Public Policy and Social Change, Humanities and Culture, and Educational Studies, and offers

912-599: The Republican Liberty Caucus passed a resolution to abolish the Department of Education. Abolition of the organization was not pursued under the George W. Bush administration, which made reform of federal education a key priority of the president's first term. In 2008 and 2012, presidential candidate Ron Paul campaigned in part on an opposition to the department. Under President George W. Bush ,

969-598: The United States Department of the Interior and the former United States Department of Health Education and Welfare (DHEW) (now the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)). An unsuccessful attempt at creating a Department of Education, headed by a secretary of education , came with the Smith–Towner Bill in 1920. In 1939, the organization (then a bureau) was transferred to

1026-475: The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, a national accreditor, were occasionally sued for leading prospective students to believe, incorrectly, that they would have no problem transferring their credits to a regionally accredited school. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the following organizations as institutional accreditors: These accreditors typically cover

1083-613: The British tutorial system and the first doctoral students were admitted in 1970. From its inception, the institution had a continuing emphasis on social relevance and interdisciplinarity of research. By 1971, five more colleges and universities joined the Union, bringing the total consortium to 22 schools of higher education. In 1975, the number of colleges in the University Without Walls network reached 34. In 1976,

1140-647: The Department of Agriculture's school lunch and nutrition programs, the Department of the Interior's Native Americans' education programs, and the Department of Labor's education and training programs. Upgrading Education to cabinet-level status in 1979 was opposed by many in the Republican Party , who saw the department as unconstitutional , arguing that the Constitution does not mention education , and deemed it an unnecessary and illegal federal bureaucratic intrusion into local affairs. However, many see

1197-505: The Department of Education eliminated the distinction between regional and national accrediting agencies, creating one unified set of institutional accreditors. The department claimed that the change was intended to encourage cooperation between accredited schools to improve student experiences, uphold quality standards, and reduce the cost of higher education by encouraging transparent transfer of credits and mutual recognition of degrees between schools with common standards. It also claimed that

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1254-715: The Department of Education has no direct public jurisdictional control. The department identifies four key functions: The Department of Education is a member of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and works with federal partners to ensure proper education for homeless and runaway youth in the United States. For 2006, the ED discretionary budget was $ 56 billion and the mandatory budget contained $ 23 billion. In 2009 it received additional ARRA funding of $ 102 billion. As of 2011,

1311-520: The Department of Education. During the 1980 presidential campaign, Gov. Reagan called for the total elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, severe curtailment of bilingual education, and massive cutbacks in the federal role in education. Once in office , President Reagan significantly reduced its budget , but in 1989, perhaps to reduce conflict with Congress , he decided to change his mind and ask for an increase from $ 18.4 billion to $ 20.3 billion. The Republican Party platform of 1980 called for

1368-707: The Department of Education." By 1984 the GOP had dropped the call for elimination from its platform, and with the election of President George H. W. Bush in 1988, the Republican position evolved in almost lockstep with that of the Democrats, with Goals 2000 a virtual joint effort. After the Newt Gingrich -led "revolution" in 1994 had taken control of both Houses of Congress, federal control of and spending on education soared. That trend continued unabated despite

1425-467: The English open education movement may have played a factor in the interest in progressive education. Samuel Baskin , a psychologist and educational reformer who served on the faculty of Stephens and Antioch colleges, was the founding president of the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities, Union Graduate School, and the University Without Walls. Margaret Mead , an anthropologist and author,

1482-712: The National Teachers Association (renamed the National Education Association ). Barnard served as the first commissioner of education but resigned when the office was reconfigured as a bureau in the Department of Interior known as the United States Office of Education due to concerns it would have too much control over local schools. Over the years, the office remained relatively small, operating under different titles and housed in various agencies, including

1539-638: The Procter and Collier-Beau Brummell Building to the University of Cincinnati in 2021. In 2021, it moved into a rented building at 2090 Florence Avenue in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati to serve as its headquarters, which by July 2023, the university was behind on rent "to the tune of more than $ 367,000." In August 2023, the university was locked out of its Cincinnati headquarters and was evicted on November 9, 2023. Higher education accreditation in

1596-502: The U.S. Department of Education nor CHEA accredit individual institutions. With the creation of the U.S. Department of Education and under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965 , as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the secretary has determined to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by

1653-587: The U.S. government has investigated changes to the accreditation system. In 2002 the House of Representatives Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness criticized the system. Accreditation was a major topic of the Spellings Commission , which released its report on September 26, 2006. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes that there are criticisms, but has opposed these calls for reform, with President Judith S. Eaton arguing that

1710-537: The Union's existing undergraduate and doctoral programs. This enabled The Union to provide a progression of degree opportunities, along with certificates in advanced graduate study. In October 2001, the Union Institute was renamed "Union Institute & University". In 2008, fine arts programs from Vermont College were spun off from Union into the newly independent Vermont College of Fine Arts . Union Institute & University's PhD program came under scrutiny by

1767-504: The United States Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured . It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member institutions. It was first undertaken in the late 19th century by cooperating educational institutions, on a regional basis. The federal government began to play

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1824-629: The United States is organized at a subnational level by each of the fifty states. Under the 10th Amendment , the federal government and Department of Education are not involved in determining curricula or educational standards or establishing schools or colleges. The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) oversees schools located on American military bases and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education supports tribally controlled schools. The quality of higher education institutions and their degrees are maintained through an informal private process known as accreditation , over which

1881-731: The United States (and globally) see Accreditation.org which provides background on the process, accords, agreements, and accrediting bodies related to engineering and computing degrees. Several organizations exist that accredit institutions and which are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA. These include: Although many schools related to religious organizations hold regional accreditation or secular national accreditation, there are four different agencies that specialize in accreditation of religious schools: These groups specialize in accrediting theological and religious schools including seminaries and graduate schools of theology, as well as broader-scope universities that teach from

1938-409: The United States were overseen by seven regional accrediting agencies established in the late 19th and early 20th century to foster articulation between secondary schools and higher education institutions, particularly evaluation of prospective students by colleges and universities. These seven agencies were membership organizations of educational institutions within their geographic regions. Initially,

1995-545: The change was intended to allow students to be able to access the best school for their needs no matter what region they reside in. Four months after this change was made, the WASC Senior College and University Commission became the first accreditor to formally change its membership rules and requirements to allow institutions outside its historical geographic region to apply for membership and accreditation. Historically, educational accreditation activities in

2052-439: The current rules came into force. A prominent example of such a domain name registered before the current rules came into force is Academia.edu , a for-profit social networking site for academics. Various commenters have written about the role and effectiveness of the American accreditation system. It has drawn particular interest since the rise of e-learning classes and institutions. A frequent point of discussion and criticism

2109-683: The department as constitutional under the Commerce Clause , and that the funding role of the department is constitutional under the Taxing and Spending Clause . The National Education Association supported the bill, while the American Federation of Teachers opposed it. As of 1979, the Office of Education had 3,000 employees and an annual budget of $ 12 billion. Congress appropriated to the Department of Education an annual budget of $ 14 billion and 17,000 employees when establishing

2166-713: The department primarily focused on elementary and secondary education, expanding its reach through the No Child Left Behind Act . The department's budget increased by $ 14 billion between 2002 and 2004, from $ 46 billion to $ 60 billion. On March 23, 2007, President George W. Bush signed into law H.R. 584 , which designates the ED Headquarters building as the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building . In December 2015, President Barack Obama instituted

2223-422: The discretionary budget is $ 70 billion. The department's origin goes back to 1867, when President Andrew Johnson signed legislation for a Department of Education. It was seen as a way to collect information and statistics about the nation's schools and provide advice to schools in the same way the Department of Agriculture helped farmers. The department was originally proposed by Henry Barnard and leaders of

2280-463: The elimination of the Department of Education created under Carter, and President Ronald Reagan promised during the 1980 presidential election to eliminate it as a cabinet post, but he was not able to do so with a Democratic House of Representatives . In the 1982 State of the Union Address, he pledged: "The budget plan I submit to you on Feb. 8 will realize major savings by dismantling

2337-436: The entire board of trustees should be replaced. Union was also placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 by the U.S. Department of Education , a status that imposes oversight over its federal financial aid. In late November, they revoked Union's ability to receive federal financial aid and also fined the university $ 4.3 million, alleging that Union collected more federal funding that it was supposed to collect and failed to refund

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2394-588: The fact that the Republican Party made abolition of the department a cornerstone of 1996 platform and campaign promises, calling it an inappropriate federal intrusion into local, state, and family affairs. The GOP platform read: "The Federal government has no constitutional authority to be involved in school curricula or to control jobs in the market place. This is why we will abolish the Department of Education, end federal meddling in our schools, and promote family choice at all levels of learning." In 2000,

2451-871: The faculty set the academic policies. Regionally-accredited schools were required to have adequate library facilities. Except for some specific subject areas such as nursing, nationally accredited schools did not hire many full-time faculty, usually hiring faculty by the course, without benefits and with no influence on the school's academic policies, which were determined by non-academic administrators, and ultimately investors. Their library facilities, if they existed at all, were far inferior to those of regionally-accredited schools. While there were some legitimate and well-intentioned nationally accredited schools, similar to for-profit institutions with regional accreditation, some institutions existed with little educational rigor. Some critics considered national accreditation to be not as reputable as regional accreditation. Schools accredited by

2508-615: The federal government. In addition, the Education Department reported that the Institute had failed to refund more than $ 750,000 in student financial aid that had been required. As a consequence of being placed on heightened cash monitoring status, the Higher Learning Commission , Union's accreditor, "assigned a Financial Distress designation to Union." In December 2023, a teach-out plan was announced between Union and Antioch University for two master's degree programs and

2565-479: The institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. Professional schools, which are often graduate schools, have separate organizations for accreditation, e.g. American Board of Higher Education (ABHEC). Institutional accreditation applies to the entire institution, specific programs, and distance education within an institution. Prior to 2020, there were regional and national accrediting agencies, both of which were accountable to

2622-453: The largest US for-profit universities (e.g., University of Phoenix , Grand Canyon University ) achieved regional accreditation. Regionally accredited schools were usually academically oriented and most were non-profit. Nationally accredited schools, a large number of which are for-profit , typically offered specific vocational, career, or technical programs. Regionally accredited institutions employed large numbers of full-time faculty, and

2679-505: The main focus of the organizations was to accredit secondary schools and to establish uniform college entrance requirements. Accreditation of colleges and universities followed later, with each of the accrediting agencies splitting into separate organizations with one or more of those organizations focused exclusively on accrediting colleges and universities. The higher education institutions holding regional accreditation were primarily non-profit institutions, with significant exceptions, as

2736-693: The offices moved from Yellow Springs, Ohio , where Antioch College was located to Cincinnati. The Union of Experimenting Colleges and Universities, or UECU, disbanded in 1982, but the University Without Walls remained in operation after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984. In 1989, the University Without Walls was renamed The Union Institute . The Union Institute acquired Vermont College in Montpelier, Vermont , from Norwich University in 2001. The purchase of Vermont College added several master's degree programs and an adult degree program to

2793-548: The president of Goddard College hosted the presidents of nine liberal arts institutions at a conference to discuss cooperation in educational innovation and experimentation. The Union for Research and Experimentation in Higher Education was established by Antioch College , Bard College , Goddard College , Chicago Teachers North , Monteith Masson, New College at Hofstra University , Sarah Lawrence College , Shimer College , and Stephens College . The "discovery" of

2850-543: The system is successful and needs to remain flexible to accommodate differences between schools and disciplines. In 2013, President Barack Obama proposed changes in the accreditation system to hold "colleges accountable for cost, value, and quality". He requested Congress change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are considered in determining which institutions are accredited and allow students access to federal financial aid; his criticism

2907-442: Was $ 274 billion, which included funding for children with disabilities ( IDEA ), pandemic recovery, early childhood education, Pell Grants , Title I , work assistance, among other programs. This budget was down from $ 637.7 billion in 2022. Its official abbreviation is ED ("DOE" refers to the United States Department of Energy ) but is also abbreviated informally as "DoEd". Unlike the systems of many other countries, education in

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2964-457: Was directed at for-profit institutions. An article published by "University World News" on 2 February 2018 stated that the higher education accreditation community, which confers the quality-assurance seal of approval that allows United States colleges and universities access to billions of dollars of federal student aid, must do a better job of explaining itself to the public if it wants to reverse waning public confidence in higher education. That

3021-547: Was limited to students enrolled at accredited institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions published by the U.S. Commissioner of Education . The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental organization ) both recognize reputable accrediting bodies for institutions of higher education and provide guidelines as well as resources and relevant data regarding these accreditors. Neither

3078-491: Was one of the institution's first professors. Renamed in 1969 as the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities , it focused on providing educational opportunities for non-traditional students whose needs were best served by a low-residency college experience, as well as those students who sought to conduct socially relevant research in an interdisciplinary manner. The Union Graduate School's doctoral programs were based on

3135-501: Was one of the tamer recommendations voiced at a conference for accreditors, who are feeling the brunt of growing scepticism about the value of a US college degree. United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet -level department of the United States government . It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

3192-484: Was split into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services by the Department of Education Organization Act , which President Jimmy Carter signed into law on October 17, 1979. The Department of Education is administered by the United States secretary of education . It has 4,400 employees – the smallest staff of the Cabinet agencies – and a 2024 budget of $ 238 billion. The 2023 Budget

3249-431: Was to transfer most of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's education-related functions to the Department of Education. Carter also planned to transfer the education-related functions of the departments of Defense, Justice, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture, as well as a few other federal entities. Among the federal education-related programs that were not proposed to be transferred were Headstart,

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