For two decades, Cameron Howell has wanted to transform the accreditation system that has long been a staple of American higher education.

He now has his chance. This summer, as Georgia and five other Southern states planned to create their own accreditor , Howell asked to temporarily step away from his role as secretary of the board of trustees at the University of South Carolina to help lead the effort.

Now a senior adviser to the Commission for Public Higher Education, Howell and the newly formed agency could shake up the quality assurance process universities must adhere to get federal funding. The push comes after some conservatives have bashed the “ accreditation cartel ” for what they say are “woke” policies and burdensome regulations, and after President Donald Trump issued a

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