The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is the accrediting agency for the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).

One of MSCHE’s guiding principles used for accreditation is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—a platform in opposition to Trump’s merit-focused military.

“Institutions should reflect deeply and share results on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the context of their mission,” the commission’s policy states.

Action has yet to be taken to address the incompatibility of these guidelines with the President’s mission, but the need for change is urgent. MSCHE’s leadership is full of radical, left-wing social justice warriors, and it’s their stamp of approval that military academies must attain to remain accredited institutions.

Activists in Disguise

During a recent USMMA Board of Visitors’ meeting, it was announced that staff members would attend an upcoming MSCHE conference in December. The promotional video for the conference highlights testimonials on DEI.

“I really enjoy the knowledge that I get on education matters—diversity and inclusion,” one participant said.

MSCHE’s keynote conference speakers represent the who’s who of DEI. To start, the headliner is Felix Matos Rodriguez, chancellor of City University of New York (CUNY).

At a U.S. House committee hearing in July, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) questioned Rodriguez about CUNY’s chief diversity officer, Abd Alla, who was hired in 2021 and oversees anti-Semitism complaints. Alla previously worked for CAIR—an organization with ties to the Hamas terrorist group. Rodriguez admitted that Alla was still employed at CUNY.

Rodriguez has also advocated for hiring staff based on race. In a July 2023 episode of MSCHE’s DEI podcast, he bragged about his school having hired the most African American presidents. He likewise pushed his leaders to hire faculty based on race and gender, saying they should ensure new hires are “more diverse than your current faculty makeup.”

Valarie Lehr, one of the top leaders of MSCHE, is another keynote speaker for the upcoming conference. Her push to indoctrinate children in radical gender ideology is disturbing.

Lehr is a professor of gender and sexuality studies and the author of Queer Family Values: Debunking the Myth of the Nuclear Family.

In her book, Lehr not only denigrates the importance of a family consisting of both a mother and father, but she also promotes ways for activists to “integrate gay children and teens into the gay community.” Lehr claims “family care should be seen as a community function” because there’s “homophobia and isolation” in traditional American homes.

In 2020, Lehr signed onto a letter—along with other college professors—about “systemic racism in America.” The letter promoted the Marxist Black Lives Matter organization, condemned police, and claimed racism was a public health crisis. It also called for pushing leftist social justice narratives in college classrooms and on campuses:

“We are committed to engaging in the difficult work of building an explicitly anti-racist curriculum and reconsidering the hiring practices that have failed to break the hold of white supremacy on our campus,” the letter reads.

These are just a couple of the radicals headlining this conference, which will be attended by instructors and staff of America’s military academies.

(READ MORE: Leftist Accrediting Organizations Influence U.S. Military Academies)

Administration Officials Must Act

It’s concerning that accrediting organizations like MSCHE have such a strong influence over college instruction. Third-party civilian organizations focused on social justice should not control the accreditation of America’s military academies.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has the regulatory authority to approve the recognition of these accrediting agencies. She should send a representative to take notes at the MSCHE conference.

Scheduled sessions are slated to address overcoming “new challenges resulting from the changing federal and state environments” in the higher education landscape, or in other words, the Trump administration’s rules.

Likewise, War Secretary Pete Hegseth should withdraw all military academies from their current accrediting organizations.

One alternative agency is the Commission for Public Higher Education, which focuses on improving student learning rather than pushing leftist talking points.

America’s warriors should not be subjected to any institution that diverts attention from the War Department’s goal: training warfighters.

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Victoria Manning is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in education freedom, immigration, and military issues. She is the author of Behind the Wall of Government Schools. Victoria served 8 years as an elected school board member and has a master’s degree in law. She also brings the perspective of a military spouse and mother to her reporting. Email Victoria HERE

First published on Restoration News