A nascent Commission for Public Higher Education—formed by a consortium of Southeastern public systems—has drawn votes and applications from state task forces and institutions seeking alternatives to existing accreditors. Louisiana’s Higher Education Reform Task Force voted to pursue membership, and Appalachian State and North Carolina Central applied to test the new agency’s standards as it seeks federal recognition by 2027. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) also published guidance on using accreditation strategically. The developments mark an active reordering of accreditation choices, with states pursuing new routes to oversight that could reshape compliance, federal aid eligibility and regional quality assurance.