The Higher Learning Commission’s president, Barbara Gellman-Danley, pushed back publicly against U.S. Department of Education threats tied to accreditation and federal recognition requirements. Speaking at the HLC annual meeting, Gellman-Danley told members the commission would not “buckle your seat belt” amid attempts to reshape quality reviews. The dispute is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to alter who can accredit institutions and to steer standards away from areas it views as politically progressive, including outcomes tied to race and gender. Six traditional accreditors have paused or removed DEI-related language in response, according to the report. In a related accreditation governance development, the Education Department appointed Siri Terjesen to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) after it removed Joshua Figueira over a vote involving Jay Greene’s chairmanship. Terjesen framed the committee’s role as safeguarding the “pipeline” to federal student aid and said she would prioritize independent judgment.