Saint Augustine’s University has lost accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) following a binding arbitration process, an outcome that feels almost inevitable after years of instability and internal discord at the Raleigh HBCU.
For the past several years, SAU has been plagued by declining enrollment, snowballing debts totaling in the tens of millions of dollars, and calls from alumni and former trustees to replace its top leaders. Earlier this year, INDY and The Assembly reported that the NC attorney general’s office is investigating the university over allegations related to its board of trustees. The current board chair, Brian Boulware, recently admitted to a decade’s worth of alleged financial mismanagement at the school, including alleged misuse of federal funds. On top of all of its preexisting issues, loss of accreditation cuts off SAU’s access to federal financial aid and makes its degrees almost worthless to prospective students.
Despite the evidence to the contrary, SAU’s leaders claimed in a press release on Monday that they expect to regain accreditation and recover financially. The university plans to file an injunction to prevent SACSCOC’s decision from taking effect. It estimates that this litigation will cost $1 million, including a $350,000 retainer fee, for which it will need to fundraise. The press release did not explain the university’s supposed grounds for the injunction, and a spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment…