Request for Comments: Performance of Accrediting Agencies, 7349-7350 [2019-03733]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 42 / Monday, March 4, 2019 / Notices Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: Federal Student Aid (FSA) Feedback System. OMB Control Number: 1845–0141. Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 43,200. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 7,344. Abstract: This is a request for extension of the current information collection of the FSA Feedback System, OMB Control 1845–0141. On March 10, 2015, the White House issued a Student Aid Bill of Rights. Among the objectives identified was the creation of a centralized complaint system that is now resident and supported via the Federal Student Aid/Customer Engagement Management System. The purpose of the Customer Engagement Management System (CEMS) is to meet the objective: ‘‘Create a Responsive Student Feedback System: The Secretary of Education will create a new website by July 1, 2016, to give students and borrowers a simple and straightforward way to file complaints and provide feedback about federal student loan lenders, servicers, collections agencies, and institutions of higher education. Students and borrowers will be able to ensure that their complaints will be directed to the right party for timely resolution, and the Department of Education will be able to more quickly respond to issues and strengthen its efforts to protect the integrity of the student financial aid programs.’’ VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:33 Mar 01, 2019 Jkt 247001 Dated: February 27, 2019. Kate Mullan, PRA Coordinator, Information Collection Clearance Program, Information Management Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer. 7349 Applications for Renewal of Recognition This notice provides information to members of the public on submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education. 1. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation. Scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the United States of freestanding institutions that offer dance and dance-related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), including those offered via distance education. 2. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation. Scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the United States of freestanding institutions that offer music and music related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), including those offered via distance education. 3. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation. Scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the United States of freestanding institutions that offer theatre and theatre-related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), including those offered via distance education. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Compliance Report [FR Doc. 2019–03814 Filed 3–1–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Request for Comments: Performance of Accrediting Agencies Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education. AGENCY: Call for written third-party comments. ACTION: SUMMARY: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270–01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: (202) 453–7615, or email: herman.bounds@ed.gov. This solicitation of written third-party comments concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under review by the Secretary of Education is required by § 496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, and pertains to the Summer 2019 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The meeting date and location have not been determined, but will be announced in a later Federal Register notice. Also, a later Federal Register notice will describe how to register to provide oral comments at the meeting. Agencies Under Review and Evaluation: The Department requests written comments from the public on the following accrediting agencies, which are currently undergoing review and evaluation by the Accreditation Group, and which will be reviewed at the Summer NACIQI meeting. The agencies are listed, with their current and requested scope of recognition, by the type of application each has submitted: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 1. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges. Compliance report includes the following: Finding identified in the September 20, 2017 letter from the senior Department official following the June 20, 2017 NACIQI meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/ finalstaffreports.cfm, with respect to recognition requirements found at 34 CFR § 602.15(a)(2). Scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation (‘‘Candidate for Accreditation’’) of degree-granting institutions of higher education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance and correspondence education within these institutions. This recognition extends to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees and the Appeals Committee of the College Delegate Assembly on cases of initial candidacy or initial accreditation and for continued accreditation or candidacy. 2. Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. Compliance report includes the following: Finding identified in the September 20, 2017 letter from the senior Department official following the June 20, 2017 NACIQI meeting available at: https:// opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/ finalstaffreports.cfm, with respect to recognition requirements found at 34 E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM 04MRN1 7350 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 42 / Monday, March 4, 2019 / Notices CFR 602.15(a)(1) and 602.15(a)(2). Scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions with postsecondary, nondegree granting career and technology programs in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to include the accreditation of postsecondary, non-degree granting institutions that offer all or part of their educational programs via distance education modalities. Application for an Expansion of Scope 1. Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of both clinical pastoral education (CPE) centers and supervisory CPE programs located within the United States and territories Requested Scope of Recognition: The provisional accreditation and accreditation of both clinical pastoral education (CPE) centers and certified educator CPE programs within the United States and territories, including those that offer those programs via distance education. Application for Initial Recognition 1. National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation. Requested Scope of Recognition: The pre-accreditation and accreditation of nursing education programs, in the United States and its territories, which offer a certificate, diploma or degree at the practical/ vocational, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, masters, doctoral levels, including those offered via distance education. Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency or State Approval Agency Under Review Written comments about the recognition of one of the accrediting or State agencies listed above must be received by March 30, 2019, in the ThirdPartyComments@ed.gov mailbox and include the subject line ‘‘Written Comments: (agency name).’’ The email must include the name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the comment. Comments should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document or in a medium compatible with Microsoft Word (not a PDF file) that is attached to an electronic mail message (email) or provided in the body of an email message. Comments about an agency that has submitted a compliance report scheduled for review by the Department must relate to the VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:33 Mar 01, 2019 Jkt 247001 criteria for recognition cited in the senior Department official’s letter that requested the report, or in the Secretary’s appeal decision, if any. Comments about an agency that has submitted a petition for initial recognition, renewal of recognition, or an expansion of scope must relate to the agency’s compliance with the Criteria for the Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, which are available at https:// www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/ index.html. Only written material submitted by the deadline to the email address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in their deliberations. Note: In addition to the agencies listed above, the agenda for the Summer 2019 NACIQI meeting includes all accrediting agencies that were scheduled to appear at the Winter 2019 NACIQI meeting. The Winter 2019 NACIQI meeting was cancelled due to the lapse in appropriations. The solicitation of third-party comments for those accrediting agencies was announced in the Federal Register notice (83 FR 44869–44870), dated September 4, 2018. The written comment period for those accrediting agencies has closed. The final staff reports for those agencies have been released and are available at: https:// opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/ finalstaffreports.cfm. Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department. Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c. Lynn B. Mahaffie, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Policy, and Innovation. [FR Doc. 2019–03733 Filed 3–1–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. AGENCY: This notice announces a meeting of the Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: SUMMARY: Tuesday, April 23, 2019 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (CST)— Registration 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CST)—Meeting Wednesday, April 24, 2019 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CST)—Meeting ADDRESSES: Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar; Room 337, Houston, Texas 77010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gabby Intihar, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Oil and Natural Gas, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Phone: (202) 586–2092. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Committee: The purpose of the Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee is to provide advice on potential applications of methane hydrate to the Secretary of Energy, and assist in developing recommendations and priorities for the Department of Energy’s Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program. Tentative Agenda: The agenda will include: Welcome and Introduction by the Designated Federal Officer; Committee Business; Committee Chair Update to Secretary’s November 12th Letter; Update on Methane Hydrate National Energy Technology Laboratory Research Innovation Center Activities; Overview of Major Projects Alaska North Slope and Gulf of Mexico; Advisory Committee Gas Hydrates Roadmap Development and Discussion; and Public Comments, if any. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. The Designated Federal Officer and the Chair of the Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, you should contact Gabby Intihar at the phone number listed above and provide your name, E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM 04MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 42 (Monday, March 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7349-7350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03733]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Request for Comments: Performance of Accrediting Agencies

AGENCY: Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on 
submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently 
undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of 
Education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation 
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270-01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-7615, or email: herman.bounds@ed.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation of written third-party 
comments concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under 
review by the Secretary of Education is required by Sec.  496(n)(1)(A) 
of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, and pertains to 
the Summer 2019 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on 
Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The meeting date and 
location have not been determined, but will be announced in a later 
Federal Register notice. Also, a later Federal Register notice will 
describe how to register to provide oral comments at the meeting.
    Agencies Under Review and Evaluation: The Department requests 
written comments from the public on the following accrediting agencies, 
which are currently undergoing review and evaluation by the 
Accreditation Group, and which will be reviewed at the Summer NACIQI 
meeting. The agencies are listed, with their current and requested 
scope of recognition, by the type of application each has submitted:

Applications for Renewal of Recognition

    1. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on 
Accreditation. Scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the 
United States of freestanding institutions that offer dance and dance-
related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), including those 
offered via distance education.
    2. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on 
Accreditation. Scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the 
United States of freestanding institutions that offer music and music 
related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), including those 
offered via distance education.
    3. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on 
Accreditation. Scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the 
United States of freestanding institutions that offer theatre and 
theatre-related programs (both degree and non-degree-granting), 
including those offered via distance education.

Compliance Report

    1. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on 
Colleges. Compliance report includes the following: Finding identified 
in the September 20, 2017 letter from the senior Department official 
following the June 20, 2017 NACIQI meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, with respect to recognition 
requirements found at 34 CFR Sec.  602.15(a)(2). Scope of recognition: 
The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for 
Accreditation'') of degree-granting institutions of higher education in 
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, including the 
accreditation of programs offered via distance and correspondence 
education within these institutions. This recognition extends to the 
SACSCOC Board of Trustees and the Appeals Committee of the College 
Delegate Assembly on cases of initial candidacy or initial 
accreditation and for continued accreditation or candidacy.
    2. Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. Compliance report 
includes the following: Finding identified in the September 20, 2017 
letter from the senior Department official following the June 20, 2017 
NACIQI meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, with respect to recognition requirements found 
at 34

[[Page 7350]]

CFR 602.15(a)(1) and 602.15(a)(2). Scope of recognition: The 
accreditation of institutions with postsecondary, non-degree granting 
career and technology programs in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New 
York, Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of 
Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to include the accreditation of 
postsecondary, non-degree granting institutions that offer all or part 
of their educational programs via distance education modalities.

Application for an Expansion of Scope

    1. Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of both clinical pastoral education 
(CPE) centers and supervisory CPE programs located within the United 
States and territories
    Requested Scope of Recognition: The provisional accreditation and 
accreditation of both clinical pastoral education (CPE) centers and 
certified educator CPE programs within the United States and 
territories, including those that offer those programs via distance 
education.

Application for Initial Recognition

    1. National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education 
Accreditation. Requested Scope of Recognition: The pre-accreditation 
and accreditation of nursing education programs, in the United States 
and its territories, which offer a certificate, diploma or degree at 
the practical/vocational, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, masters, 
doctoral levels, including those offered via distance education.

Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency 
or State Approval Agency Under Review

    Written comments about the recognition of one of the accrediting or 
State agencies listed above must be received by March 30, 2019, in the 
ThirdPartyComments@ed.gov mailbox and include the subject line 
``Written Comments: (agency name).'' The email must include the 
name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, email 
address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the comment. 
Comments should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document or in a 
medium compatible with Microsoft Word (not a PDF file) that is attached 
to an electronic mail message (email) or provided in the body of an 
email message. Comments about an agency that has submitted a compliance 
report scheduled for review by the Department must relate to the 
criteria for recognition cited in the senior Department official's 
letter that requested the report, or in the Secretary's appeal 
decision, if any. Comments about an agency that has submitted a 
petition for initial recognition, renewal of recognition, or an 
expansion of scope must relate to the agency's compliance with the 
Criteria for the Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, which are 
available at https://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/.
    Only written material submitted by the deadline to the email 
address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these 
instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies 
scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in 
their deliberations.
    Note: In addition to the agencies listed above, the agenda for the 
Summer 2019 NACIQI meeting includes all accrediting agencies that were 
scheduled to appear at the Winter 2019 NACIQI meeting. The Winter 2019 
NACIQI meeting was cancelled due to the lapse in appropriations. The 
solicitation of third-party comments for those accrediting agencies was 
announced in the Federal Register notice (83 FR 44869-44870), dated 
September 4, 2018. The written comment period for those accrediting 
agencies has closed. The final staff reports for those agencies have 
been released and are available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm.
    Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by specifically, through the advanced search feature 
at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the 
Department.

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c.

Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Policy, and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 2019-03733 Filed 3-1-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P
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