To provide appropriate background for critical changes, several types of information are useful. The
following limited items are by no means all-encompassing. However, they are indicative of key factors
that provide some perspective on the background and historical basis for recent developments in
accreditation and “quality assurance” (a relatively recent phrase in use in evaluating higher education
institutions and according them approval and accreditation), as well as CHEA and the future emphasis
of this organization. The first group of items deals more directly with institutional developments and
activities. The second group of items includes various federal actions, both legislative and regulatory,
that affect higher education.