Updates on this lawsuit will be provided as appropriate.

At its January meeting, the CAAHEP Board elected Sherlynn Howard Hall, Ph.D., as Secretary of the Board. Dr. Howard Hall will serve in this position until the end of the 2024 fiscal year. The Board also selected Joy Guthrie, Ph.D., ACS, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, as a new member of the CAAHEP Board. Dr. Howard Hall and Dr. Guthrie are completing the term vacated by the loss of Jennifer Spegal.

In addition, the Board reviewed three Policy changes and is seeking input from its communities of interest into the CAAHEP Policy changes listed below. Please review the changes at each of the following links, and submit your comment at the end of each document. Should you wish to review the current CAAHEP Policies & Procedures Manual, please visit the Governing Documents tab on the CAAHEP website.

Policy 115 - Requirements for Program Sponsor

New Policy - Program Name

New Policy - Associatement Member Statement

The Board will be collecting comments until March 1, 2024, at 5:00 PM Eastern.

The CAAHEP Nominating and Elections Committee announces that four positions are open for Commissioners to serve on the CAAHEP Board of Directors for the term beginning July 1, 2024. Nominations will be accepted through March 1, 2024, for the following board positions:

• Two Sponsoring Organization Commissioners
• Two Committee on Accreditation Commissioners

Board Member Responsibilities 

1. Directs CAAHEP's Affairs
2. Awards or denies accreditation
3. Formulates accreditation policies and procedures in consultation with CoAs
4. Ensure quality assurance
5. Provides support services and liaisons for CoAs
6. Represents the interest of the membership category for which you are elected

Board Member Duties 

• Attend meetings and special events
• two in-person Board Meetings with Symposium & Accreditation Workshop (3 to 4 days total time for each event)
• eight virtual Board meetings/year as needed (2 hours in length)
• Review meeting agendas, materials, and accreditation actions
• Serve on committees/task forces
• Stay informed about organizational mission, policies, and activities
• Advocate for CAAHEP
• Inform its members about issues in health science professions, accreditation, and higher education

Term of Office 

The term of office of a Board Member is three years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms. The CAAHEP Commission elects the Sponsoring Organization and Committee on Accreditation Commissioners representatives on the Board.

Expenses 

Travel expenses and registration costs incurred by the Board Members to attend Board meetings will be paid by CAAHEP.  

Who Can Nominate and How?

Anyone can nominate an eligible Commissioner or self-nominate for the Board positions using the 2024 CAAHEP Board Nomination Form. If you nominate someone for a Board position, the form will send the nominee information about the opportunity and obtain their consent to be a candidate.

Election

After nominee eligibility is verified by the Nominating and Elections Committee, candidates will be notified, and their names will be placed on the ballot for election by the Commission at its April 26, 2024, meeting.

CAAHEP must receive the completed nomination form and required documents by March 1, 2024. For questions related to the Nominating and Elections process for the Board positions, please email Nominatingandelections@caahep.org.  

Two of CAAHEP's finest volunteers were recognized at the CAAHEP Symposium in January, receiving the William W. Goding Award for Exceptional Service.

Gregory H. Frazer, Ph.D., FASAHP, serves as a Commissioner for the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions and served as a member of the CAAHEP Board for two terms. He served on numerous CAAHEP Committees including Audit & Finance, and Recommendation Review, and was an integral part of the new International Accreditation Review Committee, which he continues to serve as Chair.

Dr. Frazer provided support to CAAHEP's Committees on Accreditation by presenting at numerous workshops and serving as a Board Liaison to the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting and the Committee on Accreditation for Anesthesia Technology Education.

His other contributions of note include providing substantial professional expertise in support of CAAHEP’s Site Visitor Training Program, as an organizer and educator, developing and launching CAAHEP’s inaugural Generalist Site Visitor Training Program for 26 trainees in 2009. He developed updated Generalist Site Visitor Training material in 2023, and the second training program resulted in 15 additional generalists.

Glen Mayhew, DHSc, NRP, serves CAAHEP as a Commissioner of Hospital-based Programs. He served as a dedicated member of the Board of Directors from 2016 to 2022, as Board Secretary from 2018 to 2019, and as Board President from 2019 to 2021. During this time he navigated the organization through a challenging landscape, demonstrating his commitment to advancing CAAHEP's mission and goals.

Dr. Mayhew served on numerous CAAHEP Committees, including as Chair of the Performance Oversight Committee, on which he continues to serve, the Governance Committee, and Executive Director Search Committee Chair. In addition, he serves as the CAAHEP Liaison to the Committee on Accreditation of Specialists in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine.

He serves as a General Site Visitor as well as a site visitor for many of the Committees on Accreditation. He was instrumental in developing CAAHEP's Strategic Plans during his tenure on the Board and worked with numerous subcommittees and workgroups. His willingness to explore new ideas and strategies for the betterment of CAAHEP further underscores his exceptional service and his continued engagement highlights his contributions in multifaceted ways to advance CAAHEP's goals and objectives.

Congratulations to Dr. Frazer and Dr. Mayhew!

By Jacoby Lawrence, MPA

I recently presented at the CAAHEP Symposium in Atlantic Beach, Florida, and am happy to share some of what was discussed for CAAHEP Communique readers.

Advocacy 101

The role of health professions education is invaluable in our society. Through advocacy, the health professions education community can share its expertise and strengthen its influence in the policy arena.

Nonprofits can partake in advocacy through lobbying as well as through nonlobbying educational activities. Lobbying includes direct lobbying (such as urging a Member of Congress or their staff to vote for or against, or amend, legislation), grassroots lobbying (such as emailing a “call to action” to one’s membership urging them to contact their Member of Congress or congressional staff to express a view on legislation), and also preparing materials or organizing events in support of lobbying activities.

Nonlobbying educational activities may include educating policymakers about a particular issue, inviting a Member of Congress or staffer for a site visit, explaining the effects of a policy on your institution, and making the results of an independent and objective nonpartisan analysis, study, or research on a legislative issue available to the public.

ASAHP’s website features a 36-page Advocacy Toolkit, developed by ASAHP’s Advocacy Subcommittee in Summer 2022.

It’s important to coordinate with your federal affairs team before beginning advocacy efforts with policymakers. Some timely issues in which to engage include the following:

Pell Grants

Advocacy efforts have helped generate significant increases in the maximum Pell Grant award over the last several years. Congress sets the maximum grant level annually and passed a $400 increase for the 22-23 award year and a $500 increase for 23-24. For the 24-25 award year, President Biden requested an $820 increase, the House proposed flat funding, and the Senate proposed a $250 increase. Since FY 24 is still being negotiated in Congress, the amount for 24-25 is still to be determined.

Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking

The Department of Education’s Negotiated Rulemaking process provides an opportunity for stakeholder engagement through participation in the negotiated rulemaking committee, public comment at committee meetings, and public comment on proposed rules. Negotiated Rulemaking is underway on six issue areas: Cash Management, Return of Title IV Funds, Accreditation, State Authorization, Distance Education, and TRIO. The first session of the negotiated rulemaking committee was held in January, with a second to be held in February, and a third in March.

Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization

HEA was most recently comprehensively reauthorized in 2008 and, while due for reauthorization, a new HEA reauthorization bill is not expected to pass this Congress. In January 2024, Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, introduced the College Cost Reduction Act, a HEA reauthorization bill that addresses accreditation, student financial aid, regulatory relief, College Scorecard and data systems provisions, and more. It advanced on a party-line vote in Committee on January 31. Floor consideration is uncertain. House Democrats recently launched their legislative blueprint for HEA reauthorization, the Roadmap to College Student Success, which consists of six previously introduced bills. Committee Democrats plan to introduce additional related legislation in the coming months.

Appropriations

Advocacy is often focused on the appropriations process in Congress. ASAHP is a member of numerous advocacy coalitions and joins with them to make FY 24 funding requests that reflect the association’s priorities.

Read more...

With over 170 attendees joining virtually and in person, the CAAHEP Symposium has once again proven to be an epicenter for the latest trends and insights in health education and accreditation. CAAHEP is beyond grateful for the vibrant community that came together to share, learn, and inspire.

The Symposium had 11 high-impact sessions that spanned the critical aspects of higher education, such as the evolving Higher Education and Accreditation Landscape with Dr. Cynthia Jackson Hammond from CHEA, advocating effectively for Health Education Professionals with Jacoby Lawrence (see related article), and the crucial conversations around Title IV and Department of Education regulations with CAAHEP President Donald Balasa.

A special shoutout to the engaging workshop on optimizing Advisory Committees and leveraging Data Analytics to build program support and accreditation efforts. Sharing best practices and innovative tools certainly set the stage for a transformative year ahead.

The highlight for many was the forward-looking discussion on the work of NC-SARA, which paved the way for a more collaborative future in state authorization for distance education.

The session on the Health and Well-being of Health Educators sparked an essential dialogue on how to better care for the caretakers—a timely reminder of the human element behind our educational endeavors.

CAAHEP sends a big thank you to our Symposium sponsors whose support was instrumental in the event's success.