Nearly a year ago, "NEJHE" launched its "New Directions for Higher Education" series to examine emerging issues, trends and ideas that have an impact on higher education policies, programs and practices. In this installment, Philip DiSalvio interviews Judith S. Eaton, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the largest institutional higher education membership organization in the U.S. A national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities. Topics addressed in this interview include higher education accreditation and regulation of academic quality.