May 2025 News from CEA
Message from Elizabeth Gould, Commission Chair
Greetings on behalf of CEA. I am pleased to provide you with this update on CEA’s recent activities. In addition, below I’ve provided information about other Commission actions and matters.
CEA’s April Commission meeting was held in person in Alexandria, VA. The Commission accomplished its planned work for the April Commission meeting, including an annual orientation of the full Commission, an accreditation decision-making session, committee meetings and the delivery of a range of regular reports and updates.
The Commission uses the CEA Standards for English Language Programs as the basis for review of all reports related to accreditation decisions and compliance. Commissioners have important responsibilities related to careful and consistent review along with fiduciary responsibilities related to governance of the agency as a non-profit organization. As a specialized accreditation agency, commissioners come from the field and represent the broad range of types of programs and language institutions engaged in English language instruction, not only CEA-accredited sites.
In 2025, the Commission is closely following the higher education landscape in the United States and the impact on accreditation and the fields of international education and ESL. As a group of elected commissioners from the field and public member experts, we continue to promote excellence in the field of English language teaching and administration as a central tenet of the CEA mission. CEA’s success relies on participation of individuals who come from the field, and I would encourage all eligible individuals to consider service as a volunteer peer reviewer or as a member of the Commission. CEA particularly seeks individuals with experience in institutional settings, either single-site or multi-site. Peer reviewer applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, and the 2025 Call for Nominations for Commission service has been posted (see below). Both activities provide not only an opportunity to do valuable and challenging work with highly qualified and experienced colleagues, but also represent targeted professional development opportunities in our field.
Elizabeth Gould,
2025 Commission Chair
Recent accreditation decisions
The Commission met April 4-7, 2025, 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.
2025 Call for Nominations
The 2025 Call for Nominations has been published and disseminated. CEA is seeking four volunteers to serve on the Commission for a three-year term from January 2026 to December 2028. Self-nominations are encouraged, and applications are due July 1, 2025. If you have questions about Commission service or the application process, please feel free to contact Heidi Vellenga, CEA’s Executive Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
2025 Constituent Council Meeting
CEA’s 2025 Constituent Council Annual Business meeting will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025, from 12:00 noon – 1:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time. The meeting will be held in a virtual format using the Zoom platform. The agenda and connection information will be issued no later than 30 days before the meeting as required by the CEA Policies and Procedures. In keeping with CEA’s Policies and Procedures, the primary contact for each accredited site has received advance notice calling for new business. As no new business has been proposed, the agenda does not include new business that will require a vote. Therefore, each accredited site is welcome to include attendees in addition to the designated CEA primary contact.
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.
