State licensing of private universities in the United States - a discursive examination

CER Report

Part 2: Oregon and the ODA

Wyoming and other states such as South Dakota, Missouri and Montana that have taken similar paths are in a rather different category from states such as Oregon, which has adopted what comes near to a socialist law system when it comes to postsecondary education. In 1997, the state, acting in the interests of Oregon public sector schools, established what is now the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) as part of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC) as a consumer protection agency. ODA in turn vests its authority in a single Administrator (now Director) (currently Alan Contreras, J.D.) who is assisted by a program reviewer and a part-time administrative assistant.

The statutes that established ODA (ORS 348.606, 348.594 to 348.615 and 348.992) are covered by OAR 583-030 which sets out the framework for ODA and its scope of activity. The operation in-state of institutions that do not hold accreditation or that are not otherwise specifically approved by ODA is prohibited, as is the operation of such out-of-state institutions assisted by in-state representatives. ODA charges per-program fees for its program approval services, but will not evaluate doctoral programs from schools that are not regionally accredited, a position which is not explained or justified on its website.

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