While accreditation remains, President Morrison-Shetlar says the university “will work together to make sure that we come into compliance.”
By Jacob Clavijo ~ Editor-in-Chief) and Ellie Simmers ~ Assistant News Editor
In a year that saw substantial changes across campus, including the decision to cut 17 programs and 80 combined staff and faculty, the University of Lynchburg ended 2024 with an accreditation warning from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
University of Lynchburg President Alison Morrison-Shetlar says that despite the warning, the university remains accredited. She is confident that the university’s response will lead to an official reaccreditation when SACSCOC conducts another review later this year.
“We’ll continue to be fully accredited,” said President Morison-Shetlar, who has served in her role since 2020. “We have some work to do, and let’s work together to make sure that we come to the point where we’re in compliance with this particular standard.”
President Morison-Shetlar. Photo by the President’s Office.
SACSCOC, the accreditation agency overseeing over 700 colleges and universities nationwide, evaluates institutions based on strict criteria called their “Principles of Accreditation.” These criteria range from having “a sufficient number of full-time faculty members to support the mission and goals of the institution” to having “sound financial resources and a demonstrated, stable financial base to support the mission of the institution.”
In a disclosure statement given to the university on behalf of SACSCOC, the agency identified the following five areas that they deemed the University of Lynchburg was failing to comply with:
- Standard 7.3: The institution identifies expected outcomes of its administrative support services and demonstrates the extent to which the outcomes are achieved. (Administrative effectiveness)
- Standard 8.2a: The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results in the areas below:
- a. student learning outcomes for each of its educational programs. (Student outcomes: educational programs)
- Standard 8.2c: The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results in the areas below:
- c. academic and student services that support student success. (Student outcomes: academic and student services)
- Standard 13.2: The member institution provides the following financial statements:
- (a) an institutional audit (or Standard Review Report issued in accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services issued by the AICPA for those institutions audited as part of a system wide or statewide audit) for the most recent fiscal year prepared by an independent certified public accountant and/or an appropriate governmental auditing agency employing the appropriate audit (or Standard Review Report) guide.
- (b) a statement of financial position of unrestricted net assets (without donor restrictions), exclusive of plant assets and plant-related debt, which represents the change in unrestricted net assets attributable to operations for the most recent year. 30
- (c) an annual budget that is preceded by sound planning, is subject to sound fiscal procedures and is approved by the governing board.
- Standard 13.3: . The institution manages its financial resources and operates in a fiscally responsible manner. (Financial responsibility)
President Morison-Shetlar revealed that the university self-identified some of these issues before entering the accreditation process and partially expected this outcome.
“We knew that we would have to address some of the issues that the SACSCOC on-site committee discussed,” said President Morison-Shetlar. “So we’ve already been working on a lot of this stuff.”
As part of its ongoing efforts to reevaluate its financial documentation, the university has hired Price Jett as its new Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Operations. Jett comes to the university with a background in industry, having previously served as the CFO and Vice President of Logistics, Finance, Technology, Facilities, and Travel for the International Mission Board (IMB) since 2019.
University of Lynchburg CFO Price Jett. Photo via LinkedIn.
In addition, President Morison-Shetlar revealed that all university leadership team members, including herself, have collectively decided to take a salary cut to improve the institution’s financial stability.
Rumors about the university’s financial situation have surrounded it in recent years, with one report claiming that the school had a budget deficit of around $4 million. In a recent Red Chair Chat, President Morison-Shetlar assured students that the deficit is nothing to worry about.
“As long as students keep coming, the university will be just fine,” President Morison-Shetlar told a group of students in the Drysdale living room.
With the recent SACSCOC warning, the university has an accelerated timeline to comply with the agency’s standards before its next review in December 2025. According to the disclosure statement, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees will have the following options to consider for the accreditation status of the university:
- Reaffirm accreditation and remove the institution from Warning without an additional report
- Reaffirm accreditation, remove the institution from Warning, and request a Fifth-Year Follow-Up Report
- Deny reaffirmation, continue accreditation, and continue the institution on Warning with a request for a Second Monitoring Report
- Deny reaffirmation, continue accreditation, place the institution on Probation, and request a Second Monitoring Report with authorization of a Special Committee
- Remove the institution from membership for failure to comply with the Principles of Accreditation
President Morison-Shetlar was adamant that the university would not lose its accreditation. As for all the rumors surrounding the school, she urges people, especially those who do not understand the accreditation process, to trust her leadership.
“It’s not a doom and gloom, but it’s hard for me to explain that to people who are not integrally involved in the accreditation problem,” President Morison-Shetlar said.
The president hopes that, with the support of students, faculty, staff, and the community, the university can thrive for the next 100 years.
“The University of Lynchburg is strong and will continue to provide tremendous and life-changing experiences for our students, alumni, and community members,” President Morison-Shetlar said.
To learn more about the SACSCOC accreditation process, visit Principles of Accreditation and next week’s issue of The Critograph for a look at the campus climate as the university navigates its new reality.