Accreditation issues that need to be addressed by some HBCU's.
Accreditor Imposes Range of Sanctions on 21 Southern Colleges
By BETH McMURTRIE
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools sanctioned 21 institutions last week. One college may soon be stripped of its accreditation, and seven were placed on probation, the most serious sanction short of losing accreditation. Thirteen colleges were placed on the milder warning status.
The association's Commission on Colleges voted to remove the accreditation of Wood College, a small, private two-year college in Mississippi, because of problems with its finances. If the college appeals, however, it will be placed on warning status until the appeal is resolved.
Tom Benberg, associate executive director of the commission, said Wood had been on warning status for the previous two years. According to the association's policies, if a college shows no substantial improvement during that time, its accreditation is revoked. He declined to cite specifics, but said that the commission "apparently did not see an improvement in the financial area."
Wood College officials criticized the association's action and vowed to fight it. "There is no set formula showing what is required," the college's president, Robert E. Lowdermilk III, said in a news release. "Therefore, if financial strength is the reason for their decision, it was merely a reflection of committee members' opinions."
J. Mark Hutchins, vice president for institutional advancement, called the decision "arbitrary" and said the administration has made substantial improvements in recent years. Both enrollment and donor support are up, he said, and the college has debts of only $150,000. "We fully agree that the college can use more money," he said, "but the college has been very fiscally responsible."
Students who attend unaccredited colleges are not allowed to receive federal financial aid. As a result, many colleges find it impossible to survive without accreditation.
The seven colleges placed on probation were Bennett College, in North Carolina; Grambling University, in Louisiana (see an article from The Chronicle, December 12); Martin Methodist College, in Tennessee; McMurry University, in Texas; Morris Brown College, in Georgia; Talladega College, in Alabama; Tusculum College, in Tennessee.
Bennett College, a four-year, historically black women's college, was placed on probation for financial problems. Its president, Althia Collins, could not be reached for comment. According to a November article in the News & Record, of Greensboro, N.C., Ms. Collins said that lower-than-anticipated enrollment this fall had required the college either to cut $2-million from its $17-million operating budget, or to raise the money elsewhere. Ms. Collins, who became president in July, said she had already eliminated $1.5-million in expenses and that administrators had overestimated enrollment in past years, leading to the college to sink into debt.
Martin Methodist College, a four-year United Methodist college, was placed on probation for a number of reasons, including problems with financial and institutional planning. Its president, Ted R. Brown, said the college's troubles stemmed from a 1993 decision to move from a two-year to a four-year college. That change put pressure on the college's resources, although Mr. Brown said that the accreditor's concerns about finances had to do with budget planning and not with financial stability. The college has hired more full-time faculty members, devoted more resources to institutional research, and begun a $68-million fund-raising campaign, he said. The college's budget is $8-million, and its endowment is about $10-million. Mr. Brown said he is optimistic about the college's future: Since becoming a four-year college, Martin Methodist's enrollment has jumped from less than 400 to 630 students.
McMurry University, a four-year United Methodist institution with 1,117 students, was cited for problems with its finances, and with planning and evaluation of administrative and educational support services. Its president, Robert E. Shimp, said that the university had overextended itself during an effort to improve the campus and recruit more students. While enrollment figures are at a 30-year high, he said, the college is about $8-million in debt. Half of that is from loans for computer technology and new student apartments. The university recently restructured the debt so that it can be paid off within 10 years. Mr. Shimp said McMurry is financially healthy, with an annual budget of $18-million and an endowment of $42-million, and expects to run a surplus next year.
Morris Brown College, a four-year, historically black college with 2,700 students, was sanctioned because of concerns over financial resources and the academic and professional preparation of some faculty members. Marcia Jones Cross, a spokeswoman, said that the college had hired at least one professor, in accounting, to deal with the faculty issue. The college also released a statement in which its president, Dolores E. Cross, said the institution was working to improve its fiscal technology systems and financial-aid processes.
Talladega College, a four-year, historically black institution with 475 students, was placed on probation for a number of reasons, including finances, and problems with planning and evaluation of its academic programs. The college is closed for the holidays and its new president, Henry Ponder, could not be reached for comment. A staff person in the academic-affairs office said that Mr. Ponder was the only administrator authorized to comment on the sanction. The college has been in turmoil recently, as its former president, Marguerite Archie-Hudson, was let go at the beginning of the school year. Some faculty members speculated that she may not have raised money and enrollments quickly enough to please the Board of Trustees. (See an article from The Chronicle, October 11.)
Tusculum, a four-year Presbyterian college with 1,700 students, was placed on probation for lack of planning, insufficient learning resources, and an insufficient number of faculty members. The college's president, Adolphus Henry, said those problems were rooted in a recent merger of its two campuses: a residential college and a professional-studies program for working adults. That entailed merging two separate admissions processes, administrations, and sets of faculty members. Mr. Henry said the college had already taken steps to deal with the association's concerns, including hiring more professors, expanding library resources, and developing a better strategic plan.
The 13 colleges placed on warning status were Brewton-Parker College, in Georgia; Crichton College, in Tennessee; Ferrum College, in Virginia; Free Will Baptist Bible College, in Tennessee; Hiwassee College, in Tennessee; Jefferson Community College, in Kentucky; Lake City Community College, in Florida; Life University, in Georgia; St. Andrews Presbyterian College, in North Carolina; St. Augustine's College, in North Carolina; St. Leo University, in Florida; Southwest Tennessee Community College; and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
In addition, three institutions were taken off of probation: Robeson Community College, in North Carolina; and El Paso County Community College District and Texas Wesleyan University, in Texas.
And seven colleges were taken off warning status: Alabama State University; Clearwater Christian College, in Florida; Faulkner University, in Alabama; Frank Phillips College, in Texas; George Corley Wallace State Community College, in Alabama; Middle Georgia College; and Southwestern Christian College, in Texas.
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From: richmond,virgina,usa | Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
GoldenBull73
Veteran
Member # 515
posted 12-20-2001 12:31 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for posting this. I heard about St Aug on the news last night and it seems that their problem is accounting for finances, which has been one of HBCU's historical problems. But the deeper issue is that Alumni need to support their schools. Even at a time when I'm "at odds with" the current administration at my Alma Mater, I'm still making that contribution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Durham,NC,USA | Registered: Feb 2001 | IP: Logged
TU Madman
Veteran
Member # 509
posted 12-20-2001 12:47 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I heard about this yesterday. Bennett and Talladega are in some serious trouble. What is Grambling's problem?
--------------------
Booker T. is not dead, he is just gone for the weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Tuskegee, AL | Registered: Jan 2001 | IP: Logged
GoldenBull73
Veteran
Member # 515
posted 12-20-2001 01:22 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and another thing...Any HBCU trying to go Div I (Morris Brown) had better have the finances to first hire faculty before paying coaches and fielding additional sports!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Durham,NC,USA | Registered: Feb 2001 | IP: Logged
Ivan
Veteran
Member # 42
posted 12-20-2001 04:56 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dang, I had no idea that Morris Brown was still in this kinda trouble.
Ivan
--------------------
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE - "Best athletic program in the SIAC for over a decade"
SIAC All Sports Championships - 1990, '91, '92, '00, '01
SIAC Tennis Champions - 1990 - 2001
SIAC Track and Field Champions - 1989, '90, '91, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01
SIAC Cross Country Champions - 1991, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01
SIAC Basketball Tournament Champions - 1990, 91; Regular season Champions - 1990, '91, '92, '01 (Including an NCAA Division II Final Four Finish)
SIAC Football Champions - 1991 (co-champs), 2001 (co-champs)
Hey, visit my newly updated site at http://www.geocities.com/iguillo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Baton Rouge, LA | Registered: Jul 1999 | IP: Logged
Bro. Askia Musa Afiba
Veteran
Member # 536
posted 12-20-2001 04:57 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published: Thursday, December 20, 2001 From The Raleigh Nerws & Observer
St. Aug's warned to fix problems
By JANE STANCILL, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - St. Augustine's College has been warned by a regional accrediting association to correct financial problems, lack of proper faculty credentials, inadequate library services and failure to evaluate its educational effectiveness and support services.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which oversees college accreditation across the South, provided few details of its actions this month against St. Aug's and several other private colleges in North Carolina. A warning is a step away from probation, which could lead to a loss of accreditation and government funding for financial aid and other programs.
St. Aug's officials said they were working to correct the problems, which they said occurred during a 10-year-period under several presidents. Dianne Boardley Suber, who has served as president since December 1999, was out of the office Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. But the chief academic officer said she was confident the issues would be resolved when an accrediting team revisits the campus next year.
"They came in March, and we've put a lot more things in place since then," said Kim Luckes, provost and vice president for academic affairs of the private, historically black institution.
She said the college has a new chief financial officer and increased donations. "We are in a much better position than we were before the site visit," Luckes said.
Last spring, the college received a letter spelling out recommendations from the accrediting agency. Luckes declined to release a copy of that letter and said the college had yet to receive official notification of the warning.
She said college officials were able to satisfy some of the recommendations but ran out of time. "Although we worked very hard to make sure everything was in place, we still had things we needed to do," Luckes said. "We still had areas we needed to come up to par in."
Luckes said the warning would not affect the college's plan to revive its football program next fall. After dropping the sport 36 years ago, St. Augustine's hired a football coach Tuesday and announced plans to raise $3 million to $5 million to build a new stadium.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools took action against six private colleges in the state.
The most serious sanction came against Bennett College in Greensboro, which was placed on a year of probation for its fiscal problems. This year, Bennett's declining enrollment led to a budget shortfall. The college's new president, Althia Collins, could not be reached Wednesday.
The association also took the following actions against North Carolina colleges:
St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg was placed on a warning for financial reasons. Acting President William Loftus said the accrediting team was concerned about the terms of a $2.4 million debt with balloon payments due within a couple of years. The college is working to refinance the debt over a 12-year period. "We feel this will go a long way toward satisfying SACS' concern," Loftus said.
N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount remained on warning status for continuing problems with faculty qualifications, library resources and evaluation of educational programs.
Barber-Scotia College in Concord remained on warning status because of problems with faculty qualifications.
Shaw University in Raleigh was denied accreditation at a more advanced degree level for its doctor of ministry degree.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools also removed Robeson Community College from probation. A year ago, the accrediting team cited Robeson's trustees as micromanagers who were racially divided and politically motivated. Martin Lancaster, president of the state Community College System, warned the college that it could close.
Since then, two trustees have resigned, Lancaster said, and the governing board's whole dynamic has changed.
This year, Robeson Community College was one of a handful across the state that received special funding for exceeding performance standards, Lancaster said.
Staff writer Jane Stancill can be reached at 956-2464 or janes@newsobserver.com
--------------------
Bro. Askia Musa Afiba
Accreditor Imposes Range of Sanctions on 21 Southern Colleges
By BETH McMURTRIE
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools sanctioned 21 institutions last week. One college may soon be stripped of its accreditation, and seven were placed on probation, the most serious sanction short of losing accreditation. Thirteen colleges were placed on the milder warning status.
The association's Commission on Colleges voted to remove the accreditation of Wood College, a small, private two-year college in Mississippi, because of problems with its finances. If the college appeals, however, it will be placed on warning status until the appeal is resolved.
Tom Benberg, associate executive director of the commission, said Wood had been on warning status for the previous two years. According to the association's policies, if a college shows no substantial improvement during that time, its accreditation is revoked. He declined to cite specifics, but said that the commission "apparently did not see an improvement in the financial area."
Wood College officials criticized the association's action and vowed to fight it. "There is no set formula showing what is required," the college's president, Robert E. Lowdermilk III, said in a news release. "Therefore, if financial strength is the reason for their decision, it was merely a reflection of committee members' opinions."
J. Mark Hutchins, vice president for institutional advancement, called the decision "arbitrary" and said the administration has made substantial improvements in recent years. Both enrollment and donor support are up, he said, and the college has debts of only $150,000. "We fully agree that the college can use more money," he said, "but the college has been very fiscally responsible."
Students who attend unaccredited colleges are not allowed to receive federal financial aid. As a result, many colleges find it impossible to survive without accreditation.
The seven colleges placed on probation were Bennett College, in North Carolina; Grambling University, in Louisiana (see an article from The Chronicle, December 12); Martin Methodist College, in Tennessee; McMurry University, in Texas; Morris Brown College, in Georgia; Talladega College, in Alabama; Tusculum College, in Tennessee.
Bennett College, a four-year, historically black women's college, was placed on probation for financial problems. Its president, Althia Collins, could not be reached for comment. According to a November article in the News & Record, of Greensboro, N.C., Ms. Collins said that lower-than-anticipated enrollment this fall had required the college either to cut $2-million from its $17-million operating budget, or to raise the money elsewhere. Ms. Collins, who became president in July, said she had already eliminated $1.5-million in expenses and that administrators had overestimated enrollment in past years, leading to the college to sink into debt.
Martin Methodist College, a four-year United Methodist college, was placed on probation for a number of reasons, including problems with financial and institutional planning. Its president, Ted R. Brown, said the college's troubles stemmed from a 1993 decision to move from a two-year to a four-year college. That change put pressure on the college's resources, although Mr. Brown said that the accreditor's concerns about finances had to do with budget planning and not with financial stability. The college has hired more full-time faculty members, devoted more resources to institutional research, and begun a $68-million fund-raising campaign, he said. The college's budget is $8-million, and its endowment is about $10-million. Mr. Brown said he is optimistic about the college's future: Since becoming a four-year college, Martin Methodist's enrollment has jumped from less than 400 to 630 students.
McMurry University, a four-year United Methodist institution with 1,117 students, was cited for problems with its finances, and with planning and evaluation of administrative and educational support services. Its president, Robert E. Shimp, said that the university had overextended itself during an effort to improve the campus and recruit more students. While enrollment figures are at a 30-year high, he said, the college is about $8-million in debt. Half of that is from loans for computer technology and new student apartments. The university recently restructured the debt so that it can be paid off within 10 years. Mr. Shimp said McMurry is financially healthy, with an annual budget of $18-million and an endowment of $42-million, and expects to run a surplus next year.
Morris Brown College, a four-year, historically black college with 2,700 students, was sanctioned because of concerns over financial resources and the academic and professional preparation of some faculty members. Marcia Jones Cross, a spokeswoman, said that the college had hired at least one professor, in accounting, to deal with the faculty issue. The college also released a statement in which its president, Dolores E. Cross, said the institution was working to improve its fiscal technology systems and financial-aid processes.
Talladega College, a four-year, historically black institution with 475 students, was placed on probation for a number of reasons, including finances, and problems with planning and evaluation of its academic programs. The college is closed for the holidays and its new president, Henry Ponder, could not be reached for comment. A staff person in the academic-affairs office said that Mr. Ponder was the only administrator authorized to comment on the sanction. The college has been in turmoil recently, as its former president, Marguerite Archie-Hudson, was let go at the beginning of the school year. Some faculty members speculated that she may not have raised money and enrollments quickly enough to please the Board of Trustees. (See an article from The Chronicle, October 11.)
Tusculum, a four-year Presbyterian college with 1,700 students, was placed on probation for lack of planning, insufficient learning resources, and an insufficient number of faculty members. The college's president, Adolphus Henry, said those problems were rooted in a recent merger of its two campuses: a residential college and a professional-studies program for working adults. That entailed merging two separate admissions processes, administrations, and sets of faculty members. Mr. Henry said the college had already taken steps to deal with the association's concerns, including hiring more professors, expanding library resources, and developing a better strategic plan.
The 13 colleges placed on warning status were Brewton-Parker College, in Georgia; Crichton College, in Tennessee; Ferrum College, in Virginia; Free Will Baptist Bible College, in Tennessee; Hiwassee College, in Tennessee; Jefferson Community College, in Kentucky; Lake City Community College, in Florida; Life University, in Georgia; St. Andrews Presbyterian College, in North Carolina; St. Augustine's College, in North Carolina; St. Leo University, in Florida; Southwest Tennessee Community College; and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
In addition, three institutions were taken off of probation: Robeson Community College, in North Carolina; and El Paso County Community College District and Texas Wesleyan University, in Texas.
And seven colleges were taken off warning status: Alabama State University; Clearwater Christian College, in Florida; Faulkner University, in Alabama; Frank Phillips College, in Texas; George Corley Wallace State Community College, in Alabama; Middle Georgia College; and Southwestern Christian College, in Texas.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: richmond,virgina,usa | Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
GoldenBull73
Veteran
Member # 515
posted 12-20-2001 12:31 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for posting this. I heard about St Aug on the news last night and it seems that their problem is accounting for finances, which has been one of HBCU's historical problems. But the deeper issue is that Alumni need to support their schools. Even at a time when I'm "at odds with" the current administration at my Alma Mater, I'm still making that contribution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Durham,NC,USA | Registered: Feb 2001 | IP: Logged
TU Madman
Veteran
Member # 509
posted 12-20-2001 12:47 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I heard about this yesterday. Bennett and Talladega are in some serious trouble. What is Grambling's problem?
--------------------
Booker T. is not dead, he is just gone for the weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Tuskegee, AL | Registered: Jan 2001 | IP: Logged
GoldenBull73
Veteran
Member # 515
posted 12-20-2001 01:22 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and another thing...Any HBCU trying to go Div I (Morris Brown) had better have the finances to first hire faculty before paying coaches and fielding additional sports!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Durham,NC,USA | Registered: Feb 2001 | IP: Logged
Ivan
Veteran
Member # 42
posted 12-20-2001 04:56 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dang, I had no idea that Morris Brown was still in this kinda trouble.
Ivan
--------------------
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE - "Best athletic program in the SIAC for over a decade"
SIAC All Sports Championships - 1990, '91, '92, '00, '01
SIAC Tennis Champions - 1990 - 2001
SIAC Track and Field Champions - 1989, '90, '91, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01
SIAC Cross Country Champions - 1991, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01
SIAC Basketball Tournament Champions - 1990, 91; Regular season Champions - 1990, '91, '92, '01 (Including an NCAA Division II Final Four Finish)
SIAC Football Champions - 1991 (co-champs), 2001 (co-champs)
Hey, visit my newly updated site at http://www.geocities.com/iguillo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Baton Rouge, LA | Registered: Jul 1999 | IP: Logged
Bro. Askia Musa Afiba
Veteran
Member # 536
posted 12-20-2001 04:57 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published: Thursday, December 20, 2001 From The Raleigh Nerws & Observer
St. Aug's warned to fix problems
By JANE STANCILL, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - St. Augustine's College has been warned by a regional accrediting association to correct financial problems, lack of proper faculty credentials, inadequate library services and failure to evaluate its educational effectiveness and support services.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which oversees college accreditation across the South, provided few details of its actions this month against St. Aug's and several other private colleges in North Carolina. A warning is a step away from probation, which could lead to a loss of accreditation and government funding for financial aid and other programs.
St. Aug's officials said they were working to correct the problems, which they said occurred during a 10-year-period under several presidents. Dianne Boardley Suber, who has served as president since December 1999, was out of the office Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. But the chief academic officer said she was confident the issues would be resolved when an accrediting team revisits the campus next year.
"They came in March, and we've put a lot more things in place since then," said Kim Luckes, provost and vice president for academic affairs of the private, historically black institution.
She said the college has a new chief financial officer and increased donations. "We are in a much better position than we were before the site visit," Luckes said.
Last spring, the college received a letter spelling out recommendations from the accrediting agency. Luckes declined to release a copy of that letter and said the college had yet to receive official notification of the warning.
She said college officials were able to satisfy some of the recommendations but ran out of time. "Although we worked very hard to make sure everything was in place, we still had things we needed to do," Luckes said. "We still had areas we needed to come up to par in."
Luckes said the warning would not affect the college's plan to revive its football program next fall. After dropping the sport 36 years ago, St. Augustine's hired a football coach Tuesday and announced plans to raise $3 million to $5 million to build a new stadium.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools took action against six private colleges in the state.
The most serious sanction came against Bennett College in Greensboro, which was placed on a year of probation for its fiscal problems. This year, Bennett's declining enrollment led to a budget shortfall. The college's new president, Althia Collins, could not be reached Wednesday.
The association also took the following actions against North Carolina colleges:
St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg was placed on a warning for financial reasons. Acting President William Loftus said the accrediting team was concerned about the terms of a $2.4 million debt with balloon payments due within a couple of years. The college is working to refinance the debt over a 12-year period. "We feel this will go a long way toward satisfying SACS' concern," Loftus said.
N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount remained on warning status for continuing problems with faculty qualifications, library resources and evaluation of educational programs.
Barber-Scotia College in Concord remained on warning status because of problems with faculty qualifications.
Shaw University in Raleigh was denied accreditation at a more advanced degree level for its doctor of ministry degree.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools also removed Robeson Community College from probation. A year ago, the accrediting team cited Robeson's trustees as micromanagers who were racially divided and politically motivated. Martin Lancaster, president of the state Community College System, warned the college that it could close.
Since then, two trustees have resigned, Lancaster said, and the governing board's whole dynamic has changed.
This year, Robeson Community College was one of a handful across the state that received special funding for exceeding performance standards, Lancaster said.
Staff writer Jane Stancill can be reached at 956-2464 or janes@newsobserver.com
--------------------
Bro. Askia Musa Afiba