Week in review: New accreditor grants approval to first university

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We’re rounding up recent stories, from employers’ views on degrees in the AI era to a letter from Cornell University faculty lambasting the administration.

Published Oct. 26, 2026

Natalie Schwartz

Senior Editor

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The Innovation, Science, and Technology Building at Florida Polytechnic University, in Polk City, Fla., on Dec. 7, 2024. Florida Polytechnic University became the first to become accredited by the fledgling Commission for Public Higher Education.

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Most-clicked story of the week:

At least a dozen liberal arts colleges have launched free tuition initiatives, reset their sticker prices or pursued other affordability initiatives this fall. Denison University, for instance, said students from families earning up to $100,000 won’t have to pay tuition, and the Ohio institution introduced tiered pricing based on income for those who earn more.

Number of the week: 48%

The share of employers who think higher education will grow more important in the artificial intelligence era, according to a new Lumina Foundation and Gallup poll . R oughly a quarter, 26%, said college degrees will become less important, while the remainder said they will remain as important as they are now.

The latest accreditation news:

The Commission for Public Higher Education, a fledgling accreditor launched by six Southern university systems in conservative-leaning states, granted accreditation last week to its first institution — Florida Polytechnic University. Because CPHE is not yet recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the university will have to retain accreditation with another agency to keep access to federal student aid funding.

A top Education Department official gave a cosmetology school accreditor 12 months to return to compliance with a host of federal requirements. The agency also barred the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences from granting accreditation to any additional institutions.

Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically Black college, recently received preliminary accreditation for a medical school it plans to open with Ochsner Health. The new medical school is expected to open next year, AFRO reported.

The latest college leadership news:

Hundreds of Cornell University faculty members lambasted the institution's administration over its handling of a former student’s report that she was sexually assaulted by multiple members of a fraternity. The open letter from the faculty comes as Cornell’s president faces a no-confidence vote from the faculty senate this month.

The Universities of Wisconsin selected three finalists in its search for the next leader of the 13-institution system. The candidates come from the University of Mississippi, the University of Alabama System and the University of Tennessee System.

Haverford College selected Brian Edwards , dean of Tulane University’s liberal arts school, as its next president. Edwards will take over for Wendy Raymond, who is stepping down amid scrutiny over how the private Philadelphia-area college has handled allegations of rampant campus antisemitism.