St. Augustine’s University will once again appeal a decision by the school’s accrediting agency to strip the historically Black university of its accreditation.
Financial problems and concerns about the school’s governance prompted the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)‘s December decision to remove St. Augustine’s from membership with the agency. University leaders expect another appeal hearing next month. That will mark the third appeal the university has pursued since SACSCOC first voted to strip the school’s accreditation last year.
Accreditation is crucial to several facets of university operations, including students’ eligibility to receive financial aid from the federal government. Throughout St. Augustine’s appeals, the university has retained accreditation, albeit on probation for cause.
Ahead of the February appeal, university leaders are projecting a sense of optimism about the possible outcome.
“I am very optimistic,” St. Augustine’s interim President Marcus Burgess told The News & Observer last month. “I feel great about our opportunities going forward, that we can turn this institution around.”