Dive Transient:
- Saint Augustine’s College introduced Thursday that its attraction to maintain its accreditation has been denied, hanging a significant blow to the struggling traditionally Black establishment.
- Officers on the North Carolina college stated they’re coming into a 90-day arbitration course of in one other bid to stay accredited. That may also guarantee college students graduating by Might 2025 will earn their diplomas from an accredited establishment, in response to the college.
- Brian Boulware, Saint Augustine’s board chair, struck an optimistic tone in Thursday’s announcement in regards to the arbitration course of, saying that the college’s “strengthened monetary place and governance will guarantee a constructive final result.”
Dive Perception:
Saint Augustine’s has been on the precipice of dropping its accreditation for over a yr. In 2023, the college’s accreditor — the Southern Affiliation of Faculties and Faculties Fee on Faculties — voted to terminate the college’s accreditation. Nevertheless, school officers efficiently contested that final yr by arbitration.
But in December, SACSCOC as soon as once more voted to terminate Saint Augustine’s from its membership, citing points with the college’s funds and governance. Saint Augustine’s Thursday announcement says that it misplaced its attraction of that call, however arbitration as soon as once more offers the college one other shot at retaining its accreditation.
For the reason that December vote, the college has sought to shore up its funds by widespread cuts and new sources of funding.
Nonetheless, Saint Augustine’s is grappling with steep declines in enrollment, with simply 200 college students within the 2024-25 educational yr, WRAL reported. That’s down from over 1,100 college students simply two years in the past.
In Thursday’s announcement, Saint Augustine’s officers introduced they’d secured as much as $70 million, which they described as a bridge mortgage, “at aggressive market charges and phrases” in a deal that they count on to shut later this month. College officers didn’t disclose the place the $70 million in funding is coming from, citing nondisclosure agreements.
The announcement comes after Saint Augustine’s did not get approval from the state legal professional common’s workplace to enter a land lease take care of 50 Plus 1 Sports activities, an athletics growth agency.
In January, the legal professional common’s workplace stated the deal may put the college’s nonprofit standing in danger, arguing that the upfront lease cost of as much as $70 million was far too low for Saint Augustine’s 103-acre property. The workplace stated the campus had been appraised at over $198 million.
Following the choice from the legal professional common’s workplace, the 2 events started restructuring the deal to lease lower than half of Saint Augustine’s campus to 50 Plus 1 Sports activities, INDY Week reported. Underneath the brand new phrases — which circumvent the necessity for the state workplace’s sign-off — the sports activities growth agency would additionally share a few of its income from its use of the land with the college.
Saint Augustine’s didn’t point out 50 Plus 1 Sports activities in Thursday’s announcement.
“This funding is a game-changer,” Hadley Evans, vice chair on Saint Augustine’s board, stated in Thursday’s announcement. “We now have the monetary leverage to guard SAU’s legacy, improve educational choices, and create sustainable income streams by strategic campus growth.”
Saint Augustine’s has additionally drastically minimize its workforce amid its monetary woes. In November, the college stated it was slicing over 130 workers and school positions to shave $17 million from its funds.