Louisiana colleges have adhered to the standards of a regional accreditation group going back more than a century, but a conservative movement is progressing to allow the schools to seek another option.
Legislators advanced a bill to provide state universities with an alternative to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The organization has evaluated curricula, faculty, governance and other factors for colleges in 11 southern states since its founding 1895. LSU was the first Louisiana school to receive SACSCOC accreditation, getting its initial approval in 1913.
Senate Bill 304 by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, would require the Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Louisiana, to develop a policy that would allow schools to switch from the Southern Association to another accreditor. The Senate Committee on Education approved the bill unanimously.
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