The AGHE Accreditation Task Force was convened in June 2010 to explore options for designing and implementing an accreditation organization for gerontology programs in higher education. Through a series of investigations and discussions, the Task Force determined that the accreditation organization for gerontology would have a direct but independent relationship with AGHE and the Gerontological Society of America with its board of governors, budget, organizational structure, and 501c3 status. The Task Force drafted Mission and Vision Statements as a guideline for the proposed accreditation organization, “Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council” (AGEC), in August 2010.

Shortly after, the Task Force began further exploring the accreditation process with accrediting oversight bodies, including the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Department of Education. The Task Force also looked at other models and details associated with accrediting bodies, including the Council of Social Work Education, the American Psychological Association, and the Council on Education for Public Health. The proposal for pursuing accreditation for gerontology programs was approved by the AGHE Executive Committee and the GSA Executive Council in 2013.

To gain insight into AGHE member institutions’ perspectives on accreditation and to enlist support from members for developing an accreditation organization, the AGHE Accreditation Task Force sponsored several conference presentations and symposia and surveyed members to gather input on the issue of accreditation from AGHE and GSA membership. Also, to provide a range of views on accreditation for the gerontology community’s intellectual consideration, AGHE’s journal Gerontology and Geriatrics Education devoted a special issue to accreditation in gerontology.

From 2013 to 2014, the AGHE Accreditation Task Force focused on establishing the AGHE Gerontology Competencies for Undergraduate and Graduate Education©, finalized in November 2014. The Task Force’s Workgroup developed a Handbook that proposes the organizational framework and processes for gerontology program accreditation through the proposed accreditation body, AGEC.

In November 2016, AGEC was established as an independent 501c3 with the expressed mission of accrediting gerontology programs in higher education.