File this story under higher ed bubble.

Corinne Reilly of the Virginian-Pilot reported.

Norfolk State University placed on probation

Norfolk State University has been placed on probation by its accrediting agency, a downgrade from the warning status the campus was given a year ago.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or SACS, publicly announced the decision today. It follows a year-long effort by NSU to turn itself around, which began with the August 2013 firing of its last president, Tony Atwater.

The university’s new president, Eddie Moore Jr., said the decision stands in contrast to the progress NSU has made under his leadership, but a top SACS official called the development “very serious.”

“The concerns have escalated,” said Belle Wheelan, president of SACS’s Commission on Colleges. “More concerns have been raised.”

SACS, which accredits colleges in 11 states, opened an investigation into NSU in the spring of 2013 after a host of problems came to light, namely the school’s failure to finish financial audits for two consecutive years.

In a July 2013 letter, SACS said it had found evidence of “significant” problems with NSU’s administration, governance and finances. It also raised questions about the university’s two-year nursing program, which earlier in the year was prohibited from adding students because too few of its graduates were able to pass a national licensing exam.


 
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