The federal advisory committee that vets college accreditors reconvened under a reorganized seating plan and selected a conservative education researcher as chair after a deadlocked vote. The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which advises the Education secretary on accreditor recognition, was reseated and voted along appointing blocs; Jay Greene, a former Heritage Foundation researcher, prevailed for the committee’s leadership. Committee members and watchdogs flagged procedural changes — seating members by appointing authority and tallying votes by bloc — that suggest the Education Department engineered a partisan tilt ahead of decisions that could affect accreditor recognition and institutions’ access to federal aid. The meeting avoided some expected clashes but signaled a shift in the federal oversight posture toward accreditation that trustees, presidents and compliance officers will have to navigate as the department advances regulatory priorities.