Allison BarnetteLouisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has issued an executive order to create a task force to make recommendations about Louisiana enrolling in the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE).
CPHE is an alternative to the state’s current institutional accreditor, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Joining CPHE could result in dual accreditation or replacing SACSCOC altogether.
The first meeting of the board of governors is August 31, 2025, and the final report is due by January 30, 2026, in time for the following legislative session.
Governor Landry’s Executive Order JML 25‑083, issued in July, is a response to a U.S. Department of Education directive in May, which expedites the process of allowing states to change accreditors and gives states the freedom to collaborate with other states and accrediting agencies.
Landry says that the CPHE model is more data driven and merit based while avoiding diversity, equity and inclusion standards. Opponents to the move raise concerns about governance and oversight, saying that another accreditor adds another layer of bureaucracy.
The task force will help determine whether Louisiana should join six other states in evaluating their accreditation processes for university systems: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
The state of Texas allows colleges and universities to choose among seven accrediting agencies, but SACSCOC remains the most prominent. CPHE is among the most advanced new accreditors, but it does not yet have full federal approval. With its members, CPHE will apply for acceptance in June 2026, hoping for final acceptance by June 2028.
Photo by Stuart Adams, stuadams.com, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
