To say that this new year has begun with challenges can be an understatement for many. Severe weather conditions have impacted travel, business and education. For me personally, my college has lost five days of instruction, a statistic that has not occurred in the 45-year history of the institution. Needless to say, we are learning to be flexible. 

The CAAHEP office ended and began its year with new challenges as well. Our Executive Director, Kathy Megivern, was presented with a subpoena for CAAHEP in December from the Florida Attorney General's (AG) Office. The subpoena was related to programs in for-profit institutions. Florida's AG office has presented similar subpoenas to every accrediting body doing business in Florida. It is believed that this action is in response to last year's reports coming from the federal GAO that made national headlines, as well as other stories related to health profession programs in for-profit institutions. Once again, the value of programmatic accreditation is illustrated. 

Last month's annual Leadership Conference in Clearwater, Florida provided CoA leaders an opportunity to hear the latest news coming from Washington, DC. Accreditation continues to come under fire as the Department of Education seeks new regulations to enhance the integrity of Title IV student financial aid programs. Among the latest regulation proposed is a federal definition of credit hour. CAAHEP will continue to monitor these activities as they impact our programs.

CoA leaders also had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Mark Taylor again. His presentations always enlighten and entertain. The focus of his presentation was recruiting and working with a new generation of board members. Needless to say, his words were taken to heart as the attendees realized the importance of recruiting a new generation of volunteers.

Other presentations at our Leadership Conference included our annual "CAAHEP Policy Update" and "An Analysis of Citations." It was found that most programs are given citations regarding  Resources (curriculum) or Program Goals (appropriateness of goals and learning domains).

Prior to the Leadership Conference, the board of directors and CoA liaisons met to hear reports on each CoA. Joining us in this meeting was a site visitor representing CHEA, the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. The site visit report is part of the CHEA review process. I feel certain that we impressed our site visitor as he described CAAHEP as one of the most complex accrediting agencies that he was aware of. He seemed quite impressed with the relationship between CAAHEP and the CoA's. I will keep you all informed of our progress in the CHEA recognition process, as reports become available.

Lastly, I would like to remind everyone of CAAHEP's 17^th annual meeting, April 10-11, in Memphis, Tennessee. In reviewing the agenda, I am impressed with the quality of speakers and topics slated to be presented.  For additional details on the annual meeting, refer to the Annual Meeting page on the CAAHEP website.

I wish you all a good spring, as we weather the balance of our winter season. I hope to see many of you in Memphis in April.