Message from Nick Ferdinandt, 2023 Commission Chair

Greetings on behalf of CEA. As 2023 comes to a close, and as my term of service as Commission Chair concludes, I present a summary of the Commission’s work over the past year.

In addition to our regular work in making accreditation decisions, the Commission also serves as the governance body for CEA as a non-profit organization. This year, as the end of the declared federal emergency in the U.S., CEA amended and adapted its Policies and Procedures. The Policies and Procedures Committee reviews the document on an annual basis, and submits proposed revisions to the full Commission for approval. One important change was revoking the temporary policy adaptations to permit hybrid site visits and extensions of up to one year for sites which were not able to complete a self-study report or host a site visit due to pandemic-related factors. The third policy adaptation, which allows sites to remain eligible and accredited during a prolonged operational hiatus, has been formally added to CEA policies. In addition, CEA has expanded its scope of recognition to include distance education (see Distance Education below).

The December Commission meeting was recently held in Alexandria, VA. The Commission accomplished its planned work, including an accreditation decision-making session in addition to committee meetings and the range of reports and updates that are delivered in every meeting.

I would like to express my thanks to the 2023 Commissioners for their service this year and to all the staff in supporting my year as chair, which has been a rewarding learning experience for me.  I look forward to continuing to serve CEA in the future and meeting all those whose CEA paths cross mine.

Nick Ferdinandt
2023 Commission Chair

Recent accreditation decisions
The Commission met December 1-3, 2023, to make accreditation decisions and conduct other CEA business. Accreditation decisions are announced on the CEA website under “Recent Decisions” within 30 days of each meeting. Please direct any questions about CEA or its accredited programs and language institutions to staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Distance education
Programs and institutions wishing to deliver any portion of instruction via distance education must file for expansion of scope to add distance education to the scope of accreditation with CEA. For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nominating Committee and Ballot
An independent Nominating Committee reviews commissioner applications, conducts interviews, and selects candidates for Commission service. CEA conducts an election for new commissioners between September 15 and November 1 each year, with a record number of votes from the Constituent Council in 2024. The election of Megan Forbes, Mary Patton, and Dana Saif was ratified by the Commission at its December meeting.

Annual Report
The CEA Annual Report Portal is live for 2024 submissions. The primary contact from each accredited program or institution should already have received information about how to complete the mandatory annual report, which consists of three parts: sustaining fees, financial reporting, and annual review form. Please see the CEA Resources page for more information about how to file an annual report, and how to create an account on the portal.

Workshops
CEA regularly delivers accreditation workshops. CEA also regularly invites new program directors and primary contacts from newly-accredited sites to participate in an informational webinar. CEA will hold an in-person accreditation workshop prior to the TESOL International Convention in Tampa, Florida next March. CEA workshops are not open to the public, and attendance is limited to representatives from sites in the accreditation process or representatives of accredited programs and institutions seeking professional development or additional CEA knowledge. Reviewer training workshops are delivered online to accepted volunteer peer reviewers. Additional information and workshop dates are on the CEA website: https://cea-accredit.org/accreditation/workshops and https://cea-accredit.org/reviewers/become-a-reviewer

Please contact staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions about this News from CEA, or to update contact information for your program or institution. 

August 2023 News from CEA

Message from Nick Ferdinandt, 2023 Commission Chair

Greetings on behalf of CEA. As 2023 Commission chair, I’m pleased to report these updates and reminders. 

CEA’s August Commission meeting was recently held in Alexandria, VA. The Commission accomplished its planned work, including an accreditation decision-making session, a professional development session for the Commission, in addition to committee meetings and the range of reports and updates that are delivered in every meeting. Importantly, the Commission adopted changes to the CEA Policies and Procedures as a result of the annual review of the document as well as the end of the declared federal emergency in the U.S. Please see below for important announcements and reminders.

Nick Ferdinandt
2023 Commission Chair

Recent accreditation decisions
The Commission met August 4-6, 2023, to make accreditation decisions and conduct other CEA business. Accreditation decisions are announced on the CEA website under “Recent Decisions” within 30 days of each meeting. Please direct any questions about CEA or its accredited programs and language institutions to staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Guidance ends
As forecast in the April News from CEA and the June Constituent Council Meeting Proceedings, temporary flexibilities extended to accreditors have ended with the announcement of the end of the federal emergency on May 11, 2023. Provisions set forth in the CEA Statement on COVID-19 expire September 15, 2023, including the option to deliver courses through distance education (see below).

Distance education survey
Programs and institutions must submit a response to a mandatory survey regarding distance education by September 15, 2023. Effective September 15, any sites wishing to continue delivering instruction via distance education must file advance notice for expansion of scope to add distance education to the scope of accreditation with CEA, and submit a full substantive change report by February 1, 2024.

Policies and Procedures
The 2023 Policies and Procedures Committee has completed its annual review of the CEA Policies and Procedures. As a result, several policies have been updated and clarified. Section 23 Temporary Policy Adaptations allowing for Hybrid Site Visits, Extensions of term of accreditation and Extensions of eligibility have been rescinded. CEA will return to in-person site visits, and extensions and extended hiatus will be handled through existing policies.

Nominating Committee and Ballot
An independent Nominating Committee reviews commissioner applications, conducts interviews, and selects candidates for Commission service. CEA conducts an election for new commissioners between September 15 and November 1 each year. Per CEA’s Policies and Procedures, members of the CEA Constituent Council as represented by their primary contacts are responsible for voting to elect the new commissioners. Constituent Council will receive information about the slate of candidates and instructions for voting prior to September 15, 2023.  

Fee Schedule
Each year in August, the Finance Committee reviews the CEA Fee Schedule to approve all fees for the following year. There are no increases to sustaining fees. The site visit fee for domestic site visits will increase by 5.1% to $7,200 to reflect higher travel costs in airfare, lodging, and food. The new fee schedule is effective February 1, 2024.

Workshops
CEA regularly delivers accreditation workshops and reviewer training workshops in-person and online.  CEA also regularly invites new program directors and primary contacts from newly-accredited sites to participate in an informational webinar related to ongoing requirements. CEA will hold a virtual accreditation workshop and a virtual reviewer training workshop in October. CEA workshops are not open to the public, and attendance requires staff approval. Additional information and workshop dates are on the CEA website: https://cea-accredit.org/accreditation/workshops and https://cea-accredit.org/reviewers/become-a-reviewer.

Please contact staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions about this News from CEA, or to update contact information for your program or institution.