Letter to the Editor: Your Amherst Diploma is Being Targeted

That is, if the federal government has its way. International students, who contribute to the richness of campus life, are in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. This effort is one of many ways in which the Trump administration is inserting its agenda into the legitimate purpose of higher education.

In recent days the Department of Education (DoE) has proposed a direct assault on the accrediting agencies that guarantee the excellence and purpose of college education in this country. Because the process of accreditation can seem obscure, this intrusion has escaped scrutiny. 

For your own good, don’t let that happen. Here’s why accreditation matters.

Accreditation is a certification awarded when a college or university meets defined standards of excellence. With accreditation comes the capacity to grant academic degrees that meet the school’s stated mission, for either five or 10 years. Private nonprofit agencies, staffed by distinguished academic peers, exist for this reason alone. Their critical role has been formally recognized by the U.S. government since the Higher Education Act became law in 1965, periodically reenacted with modifications since then.  

Accrediting bodies establish high standards that define academic excellence. Among the criteria are the school’s ability to demonstrate long-term financial stability; requirements to ensure students have access to cutting-edge courses and reasonable expectations of future success in their chosen fields; faculty support and a share in university governance; a rigorous process of self-assessment and improvement; facilities that are fully funded and properly maintained; and an independent board of overseers or trustees for transparency.

This process takes years to accomplish. It begins with a self-study by the college that scrutinizes every aspect of academic life. Faculty, students, trustees, and staff all have a role in assessing the current status of the institution. Accreditation teams visit the campus to facilitate direct talks with community members, to examine relevant financial and academic records, and to provide objective, and often collegial, feedback and advice. Interim reports, the final self-study, and final decisions regarding accreditation are published on the web portal of the college. By following this process, accreditation provides transparency, public accountability, quality assurance, and — most importantly—professional credentialing for its graduates so they can pursue gainful careers.

The newly proposed rules, however, threaten to politicize the accreditation process. For example, the DoE document includes language that unconstitutionally restricts the academic freedom of faculty regarding course content. Academic freedom, the DoE document states, “does not include the freedom to introduce, or solicit discussion of, material that is not germane to the subject of the course being taught.”

Who gets to decide what is germane? Why is academic freedom being defined in the negative?

With its rules, the DoE is directly accrediting bodies to “adopt and enforce” policies that subvert the transparent process of accreditation itself. This latest attack needs to be put in context with other threats to academic freedom and integrity that the Trump administration has launched, such as the rescission of federal grant funding and a federal tax on college endowments. The message to America’s colleges and universities is clear: buckle under. Academic independence is under direct assault from this administration.

Go back to why it matters — in particular, why it matters to Amherst students. Very simply, Amherst is scheduled for re-accreditation in 2028. Should it fail, the college could lose its certification to bestow course credit, grant degrees, and apply for federal funding.

Defending academic freedom at Amherst, and on all campuses, requires awareness of the centrality of peer-reviewed accreditation as the key to why American higher education is the envy of the world.

Protecting academic independence demands your active engagement. 

Keep informed, stand up, speak up, join up, listen, debate. This is not about partisan politics. It is about an American tradition that is fundamental to our shared identity as a nation, and to education as a defining element of our freedom.

And it is about the viability and worth of your undergraduate degree.

Tim Armour (’70)

Bob Bernstein (’70)

Tito Craige (’70)

Peter Dorman (’70)

Warren Mersereau (’70)

Ed Osborn (’70)

Alan Webber (’70)

Russ Wise (’70)

Burt Woolf (’70)

On behalf of Mammoth Resolve, www.mammothresolve.org