By Bob Allen
Louisiana College’s accrediting agency is keeping the private Christian school in Pineville, La., on probation, giving officials more time to address concerns about undue external influence by the Louisiana Baptist Convention.
The accrediting commission for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced June 18 it was extending probation as “an indication of the gravity of non-compliance” with member-approved standards expected from an institution of higher learning.
The next review by the SACS Commission on Colleges is due Dec. 15. At that point Louisiana College will have been on probation for 18 months stemming from “unsolicited information alleging non-compliance with the principle of integrity, governance, personnel and finances.”
Those reports stemmed from a tumultuous period that culminated with last year’s resignation of former President Joe Aguillard amid accusations of misleading trustees, whistle-blower complaints and public calls for his resignation or firing.
The current president, Rick Brewer, a former administrator at Charleston Southern University elected in March, told the Town Talk newspaper in Alexandria, La., that he is “encouraged because of the recent upsurge of interest in and support for the college.”
“Our stakeholders continue to entrust their students into our care as evidenced by our enrollment numbers that are on track,” Brewer said.
Once placed on probation, the most serious sanction short of loss of membership, a school has a maximum of two years to comply with or demonstrate progress toward meeting standards for accreditation.
Louisiana College was one of 12 member schools discussed at the SACSCOC board of directors meeting June 11. One of them, Virginia Baptist-related Bluefield College, was placed on probation for 12 months after a review of a monitoring report following the school’s most recent reaffirmation of accreditation in 2013.
Trustees determined that Bluefield failed to demonstrate compliance with unspecified standards of institutional effectiveness in areas of educational programs and academic and student support services.
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