In this episode of Accreditation Insights, we are honored to welcome Mr. Lee Hammond, Chief Executive Officer of the Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges, and Universities (ASIC). Under his leadership, ASIC has strengthened its global presence, offering accreditation services that emphasize quality enhancement,institutional effectiveness, and international collaboration. Mr. Hammond brings a wealth of experience in overseeing quality assurance processes across diverse educational systems and supporting institutions in achieving excellence on a global scale. In our discussion, we explored the evolving landscape of international accreditation, the role of innovation in quality assurance, and the future directions of ASIC under Mr. Hammond’s stewardship.

In this episode of Accreditation Insights, I’m stepping into the host chair solo for a special commentary on a significant development:

Six state university systems—led by Florida—are launching a newaccreditor.

This effort, announced by Governor Ron DeSantis, is poised to challenge the traditional accreditation landscape and raises serious questions aboutoversight, accountability, and political influence in higher education.

As always, I welcome diverse perspectives on what this means forinstitutional autonomy, students, and the future of our sector.

Welcome to a special first anniversary episode of Accreditation Insights! In this episode, I was thrilled to be joined by my co-hosts Dr. Leamor Kahanov, Dr. Greg Pillar, and Dr. Bryan Alexander as we marked this milestone moment.

Our guest was Cecelia Livengood, Chief Accreditation Officer of theNational Association for Academic Excellence (NAAE). In this timely andthought-provoking episode, Cecelia shared how NAAE is reimagining accreditation to empower institutions with greater choice and alignment. We explore how today’s higher education landscape demands a more nuanced approach to quality assurance—one that recognizes the diversity of institutional missions and the need for accreditors who speak directly to those distinctions.

Whether you're a policy leader, academic administrator, or simply curious about the future of accreditation, this episode offers critical insight into how agencies like NAAE are helping institutions chart their course in an evolving ecosystem.