As American colleges and universities face increasing financial pressure and political criticism, their leaders have responded by adopting risk-averse, reactive strategies that have profoundly weakened the autonomy and creativity of higher education in the United States. Rather than emphasizing the integrity of their institutions, too many academic leaders search for validation from competing external accrediting agencies and commercial rating organizations. While some of those accrediting agencies focus on the quality and health of entire institutions, the increasing number of disciplinary accreditors has encouraged colleges and universities to privilege special interests and cede the responsibility for establishing values to groups which are largely self-serving.