Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Harrison Keller, President at University of North Texas; Preston Cooper, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute; Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO at Center for Education Reform; and Stig Leschly, President at Postsecondary Commission.

As new delivery models, credentials, and learning pathways emerged, long-standing accreditation frameworks were tested in both policy and practice—raising fundamental questions about quality, accountability, and the pace of innovation. This session brought together institutional leaders, accreditation innovators, and higher education policy advocates to examine where current accreditation models were constraining progress and what needed to evolve. Panelists explored the shift toward outcomes-focused accreditation, the role of evidence and transparency in assuring quality, and how oversight practices and policy could better support responsible experimentation without lowering standards. The conversation moved beyond whether accreditation should change to how it could: aligning accountability with real learning outcomes, enabling innovation that expands access and affordability, and ensuring accreditation remained a safeguard for students while adapting to a rapidly changing postsecondary landscape.