BRISTOL, Va. — Virginia Intermont College has been placed on probation for the next six months by its accrediting agency — the most recent action taken by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges related to the Baptist-affiliated school’s financial stability.
Two years ago SACS placed Intermont on warning for failure to “demonstrate that is has a sound financial base and a recent financial history demonstrating financial stability.”
Virginia Intermont’s accreditation will remain intact through the probation period.
|
Probation is a more serious sanction and is often, though not always, the last step taken before an institution’s accreditation is revoked, according to SACS’s website. The action was taken by the accrediting agency at its annual meeting Dec. 8-11 in Dallas.
At the end of the six-month probation period, SACS will decide whether or not to reaffirm Intermont’s accreditation.
During the probation period, the Bristol, Va., college will remain accredited and president E. Clorisa Phillips said in an email the school is working diligently to address SACS’s concerns.
“Since 1925, Virginia Intermont has remained fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges,” she said. “The decision by the commission to continue VI’s monitoring period and place the college on temporary probation for six months does not imply any shortcoming of the college’s academic programs, nor does it affect the college’s ability to receive federal financial aid for students.
Clorisa Phillips
|
Phillips said Intermont has spent the past year increasing its financial strength.
“Although the SACS decision was unexpected and disappointing after working diligently toward 10-year reaffirmation, VI has made good progress toward full compliance and pledges to thoroughly address the concerns cited by the Commission which will be detailed in the coming weeks,” she added. “As we continue to move forward, VI will ensure the highest level of responsiveness to SACS, along with transparency and accountability to our students and all constituents of the College.”
Phillips told the Bristol Herald Courier that Intermont will “complete the job of meeting all SACS criteria.”
“Students, faculty, staff and alumni want that and so do I,” she told the Herald Courier. “Whatever SACS’s current reasoning, remember that we have come a long way and we are not going to stop.”
The 128-year-old Intermont, which enrolls about 550 students, has been affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia since its founding. The BGAV allocates some funds to the school — in 2012 the amount was $2,000 — and it nominates a portion of the school’s 20-member board of trustees.
Robert Dilday ([email protected]) is managing editor of the Religious Herald.