St. Augustine’s University regains accreditation after a committee’s unanimous decision

After several setbacks, St. Augustine’s University clinched a victory in its latest fight for survival on Monday, with a committee of the university’s accrediting agency unanimously reversing a decision to strip its accreditation.

The decision means that St. Augustine’s will remain accredited — albeit on probation — despite a denied February appeal of the December vote by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to pull the university’s accreditation and remove its membership.

It is an optimistic moment for university leaders, who previously vowed to fight the arbitration committee if it upheld the appeals committee’s decision in court.

Brian Boulware, chair of St. Augustine’s Board of Trustees, called the decision a “pivotal moment” for the university.

“The unanimous reversal by the arbitration committee rightfully corrects the injustice inflicted upon SAU by SACSCOC’s initial ruling and underscores the university’s steadfast commitment to excellence and growth,” Boulware said in a statement.

St. Augustine’s interim President Marcus Burgess said Monday the reinstatement will ensure a “thriving educational environment for our students.”

Monday’s decision marked the latest development in St. Aug’s battle to stay accredited and keep its doors open, a months-long process that has involved multiple appeals to the accrediting agency and thrust the small, private, historically Black college into the local limelight.

“The commitment and resilience shown by our community throughout this ordeal exemplify the spirit and determination that define Saint Augustine’s University,” Janelle Jennings-Alexander, the university’s interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, said in a statement.

In a statement Monday, SACSCOC said the next step for St. Augustine’s is for the committees on compliance and reports to review the situation in December.

Then, that recommendation will be forwarded to the executive council and the board of trustees for a final decision that month.

“Saint Augustine’s University will remain an accredited institution on Probation for Good Cause, pending the outcome of its next review by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in December 2024,” the organization said. “At that time, the institution will reach the maximum period (two years) for which an institution can remain on Probation for Good Cause before removal from membership.”

A saga of financial and accreditation challenges

Alumni and other supporters of the university have called on the Board of Trustees to resign over the saga, saying the board “breached its fiduciary duty” to the school. The university sent most students home and moved to online learning in April, with the university’s interim president appearing to tie the decision to an inability to meet students’ needs on campus. The university has also failed on multiple occasions to pay employees on-time, citing a lack of “cash flow” to make the payments.

Burgess has described the university’s situation as a “crisis,” but has vowed to keep the school open .

Accreditation is crucial to several facets of university operations, including students’ ability to receive financial aid from the federal government.

SACSCOC’s vote in December to remove the university’s accreditation cited the college’s failure to comply with several of the agency’s financial principles. That decision came one year after SACSCOC initially placed the university on probation for many of the same financial issues. Prior to that decision, the university was previously on probation between 2016 and 2018 , also for financial issues.

SACSCOC spokesperson Janea Johnson told The N&O earlier this year that St. Aug’s was the first university to engage in the arbitration process since it was implemented. Following a hearing, the committee must “affirm, amend, or remand” the appeals committee’s decision. According to SACSCOC policy, the decision is “final and binding.”

The appeals and arbitration processes undoubtedly incurred more expenses for the financially struggling university, with SACSCOC policy requiring universities appealing the agency’s accreditation decisions provide $15,000 for each appeal to cover “travel, lodging, meals, and venue charges incurred by the arbitrators and SACSCOC in convening and pursuing the arbitration.”

“It’s going to cost money, it definitely is,” Burgess said at a February press conference.

Potential litigation would have likely cost even more.