The unabashed “Ivy League alternative,” birthed from an investor-backed start-up, gains a very traditional stamp of approval. Accreditors are an easy target for those who think higher education is stuck in the past; the quality-assurance agencies are frequently blamed for stifling innovation and requiring colleges and universities to focus on compliance and minimum standards rather than excellence or student affordability. "I reject that, and we're absolute proof" that accreditors can and will embrace approaches or practices that break with the higher education norm, Nelson said in a Zoom conversation Wednesday.
