United Methodist college denied appeal by accrediting body

A UMNS file photo by Michael Thomason United Methodist-related Hiwassee College is located in Madisonville, Tenn.

March 1, 2005

By Linda Green*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)—A regional accrediting body has rejected the appeal of a two-year United Methodist-related college to keep its accreditation.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools denied an appeal of Hiwassee College, Madisonville, Tenn., to avoid its removal of membership based on financial concerns.

According to an announcement at www.sacs.org, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools learned on Feb. 25 of the appeals committee’s decision. The association had stripped Hiwassee of its accreditation in December, but that action had been suspended pending the outcome of the appeals process.

Hiwassee College President James Noseworthy said the college will continue to “pursue all avenues to sustain its vital mission” and is “extremely disappointed in the appeals decision.” The college, he said, “has faithfully served its mission for over 155 years. We are fiscally stronger today than we were in 2000 when this cycle of review began.”
The liberal arts institution is associated with the Holston Annual (regional) Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the accrediting body for institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

According to Noseworthy, the SACS action is in response to fiscal concerns first raised by the association in 2000, when the college was placed on warning status. Since then, college administrators have worked closely with SACS officials to address these concerns, meeting financial goals and developing long-term fiscal strategies.

In its appeal, the college argued the commission’s December 2004 decision was both unreasonable and violated procedure. The college contended its financial resources are sound and capable of sustaining its mission.

A SACS-appointed committee considered the appeal in Atlanta without outside reviewers. Removal of the college’s accreditation was effective Feb. 25, according to a SACS announcement.

“An institution can reapply for membership at anytime,” the announcement said. “However, an application should be submitted only if and when an institution has corrected the deficiencies which caused its loss of membership.”

Officials with the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry expressed disappointment with the outcome of the appeal. “The division supports President Noseworthy and assists in his effort to sustain the United Methodist Church’s mission in two-year college education, which plays a very critical role in preparing academically and financially disadvantaged students for advancement,” said Ken Yamada, a staff member with the board.

According to Noseworthy, SACS believes the school does not have adequate financial resources to support the college’s programs into the future, “and we believe that we do.”

He said the college has enhanced the quality of its academic program during the past 21 months and within the past year has increased its end-of-year unrestricted net assets by $262,415.82. A five-year Title III Grant provides the college with $1.8 million in operating funds to improve teaching though the use of technology on campus and integrating technology into classrooms.

“The quality of academics is not the issue,” Noseworthy said. “As a mission-driven college, Hiwassee has always lived ‘on the edge’ financially, but the picture painted by SACS is not indicative of our fiscal progress.”

He said Hiwassee completed the fiscal year with a balanced, in-the black, current operating budget and has ended the fiscal year in the black for seven of the past eight fiscal years. The college increased its endowment by $1.2 million and exceeded its goal in a community campaign by 25 percent. It increased alumni giving to 46 percent from the previous year, bringing overall alumni participation to 9.8 percent – the highest in more than a decade.

“We have always been on the edge financially. We have never been a rich school. We work primarily with lower-income students and financial aid,” he said, adding that 80 percent of its students receive some type of financial aid and 40 percent receive total financial aid. “We’ve been (doing) this all of our lives.”

Noseworthy said the college is pursuing partnerships with other institutions of higher education and other accrediting options, in addition to legal and political options.

“We are not giving in,” he said. “The board of trustees is 100 percent committed to preserving the college and its mission. We have several options available to us and are leaving no stone unturned.”

In the meantime, the spring semester is continuing at Hiwassee College, with graduation scheduled for May 7.

“We covet the support of the community, alumni, friends and the United Methodist Church as we aggressively pursue our options,” Noseworthy said. “We continue to solicit funds and recruit students.”

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Portions of the article were adapted from a Feb. 28. release from Hiwassee College.

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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