President Barack Obama didn't mention accreditation in his State of the Union address last Tuesday. But in a supplemental document released after the speech, the president made it clear that he is seeking major changes in the accountability system for higher education, writes Eric Kelderman for The Chronicle of Higher Education.

In the middle of the nine-page document, The President's Plan for a Strong Middle Class and a Strong America, Obama laid out his broad intent to hold "colleges accountable for cost, value, and quality", including a call to set benchmarks for affordability and student outcomes as criteria for receiving federal student financial aid.

New benchmarks could be incorporated "into the existing accreditation system" or created "by establishing a new, alternative system of accreditation that would provide pathways for higher education models and colleges to receive federal student aid based on performance and results". Being on the president's radar isn't necessarily viewed as a positive by accreditors and colleges.
Full report on The Chronicle of Higher Education site