College accreditation used to be a boring topic. Accreditation agencies did little good, but neither did they do much harm. Then, some 25 years ago, ideology began seeping in. The people in charge, leftists all, realized that they could use their power to force the schools under their control to conform to leftist notions of the educational good.

Recently, the president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Belle Wheelan, decided to retire, and in today’s <a href="https://jamesgmartin.center/2025/06/goodbye-belle-wheelan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Martin Center article</a>, Graham Hillard reflects on her reign there.

Hillard provides several examples of her overweening progressivism. Here’s one:

SACS will probably replace Wheelan with a similar person from the education blob, but accreditors might have less influence in the future, given changes in the works under the Trump administration. They don’t ensure educational quality and shouldn’t play any policy role.

College accreditation agencies don’t ensure educational quality and shouldn’t play any policy role.{ai:summary}<p>College accreditation has shifted from a neutral process to a tool for advancing progressive ideologies, particularly under leaders like Belle Wheelan of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Her tenure included promoting DEI initiatives, which some view as a subtle threat to institutions resisting such policies.</p><p>As Wheelan retires, there are concerns that her successor will continue this trend, though potential changes under the Trump administration may reduce the influence of accreditors in shaping educational policy. Critics argue that accreditors should focus solely on educational quality rather than ideological conformity. #education</p>

The Corner: The Aggressively Progressive Head of an Accreditation Agency Steps Down

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