I wrote a letter to DETC and asked how they feels about the Texas Higher Education Coordinate Board diploma mill list. Here is the reply (I have asked the person's permission to put the letter on the Onlline Ed blog, but have not heard the answer, so I will publish the her here):
Here is the content of DETC person's reply:
Dear KC:
You have asked about the effects of a Texas law that was intended to protect citizens against diploma mills. This good intention was coupled with a requirement that State Government involve itself in determining which schools fit this category. Rather than relying on the agencies approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education, who is charged by Federal law to publish a list of accrediting bodies as “reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training,” the Texas Board created its own private list of approved accreditors, ultimately recognizing only regional accrediting bodies and a few specialized groups.
DETC has never, in its more than half century of its accrediting program, accredited a “diploma mill.” In fact, states like Wyoming and Louisiana have turned to DETC to help them rid their state of diploma mill operations.
Students with degrees from DETC accredited schools should not worry about facing prosecution from the state of Texas. The law has been in effect since 2005, and our best judgment is that the record of zero prosecutions in this area will continue.
DETC recently had its Secretarial recognition extended without condition for five years, the maximum permitted. DETC institutions’ courses and degrees are evaluated and approved by experts in the field, including professors at regionally accredited universities.
The situation in Texas is unfortunate and DETC hopes that it changes. In the meantime, DETC does not see reason for concern about the effects of this law. Texas has not used the law to prosecute students to date.
Texas has positioned itself under its own laws to be a better judge of accrediting agency merit than the U.S. Department of Education, which is far better equipped to evaluate accrediting agencies and has been doing so for over half a century. Texas also bypasses the evaluations of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA, a private body whose assessments are considered comparable to those of the U.S. Government.
Sincerely,