The long-dormant politics of accreditation erupted after six Southern public-university systems formed a new regional accreditor this year, a move tied to a Trump administration executive order reshaping federal oversight and barring accreditors from enforcing diversity mandates. The development prompted national debate over standards, federal recognition and whether accreditors should police campus policies. Separately, ten institutions have filed letters of intent seeking recognition by the new Commission for Public Higher Education as it pursues federal approval and rebuts claims of partisanship. The twin developments could fragment national quality assurance, alter institutional accreditation choices, and change the stakes for federal aid and interstate credential portability.