Thursday 4, 2025
By Staff
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has introduced a new bill aimed at banning race- and sex-based quotas in higher education accreditation, arguing the current system pressures colleges to prioritize diversity mandates over academic freedom.
The Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act, announced Wednesday, would bar accreditation agencies from requiring colleges to meet identity-based quotas as a condition of maintaining their status. It would also place new protections around free speech, religious liberty, and institutional autonomy.
“Academic quality should be based on merit, not forced quotas from woke accreditation elites,” said Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference. She said the bill pushes back on what she called a “Far Left ideology at odds with freedom of thought.”
The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Addison McDowell (R-NC) and Ralph Norman (R-SC), and has a companion bill in the Senate introduced by Sen. Jim Banks (R-ID). It echoes a previous Trump-era executive order that called for reforms in the accreditation process.
Key points in the bill include a ban on accreditation standards tied to the racial, gender, or national origin makeup of students, faculty, or staff; protection for religious institutions from mandates that conflict with their beliefs; and legal recourse for schools that believe their rights have been violated.
Supporters say the bill is about returning higher education to a focus on academic excellence and free inquiry. Critics of similar proposals have argued that eliminating diversity requirements could undermine efforts to ensure equal access and representation on college campuses.
Read the article in Finger Lakes 1 HERE.
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