Hiwassee College looks beyond accreditation loss
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United Methodist-related Hiwassee College in Madisonville,
Tenn., is no longer accredited after losing a long legal battle with the
Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools. A UMNS file photo by Michael Thomason.
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A UMNS Report
By Annette Spence*
July 1, 2008
Hiwassee College leaders say they will not close the Tennessee
school's doors, but will work to regain accreditation after losing a
long legal battle with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS).
The college's board of trustees voted unanimously to "move forward"
after learning of a court decision that allowed SACS to terminate the
United Methodist-related school's accreditation.
Now, as faculty members greet students and parents during routine
orientation meetings, they are assuring them that Hiwassee still has a
strong academic program and is building its financial standing as the
college reapplies for accreditation.
"We're not talking about litigation now," Hiwassee President James
Noseworthy said June 27 from his office in Madisonville, Tenn. "We're
talking about being faithful to our mission."
On April 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted a
temporary restraining order on SACS that had kept it from terminating
Hiwassee's accreditation since March 2005. Hiwassee was immediately
removed as an accredited institution with SACS' Commission on Colleges.
Hiwassee subsequently requested a rehearing from the same three-judge panel, which denied the request on May 6.
Legal wrangling
Founded in 1849, Hiwassee College is a two-year rural United
Methodist college, affiliated with the Holston Annual Conference.
Noseworthy, who has served as Hiwassee president since 2003, said the
school's legal actions were "very costly, but good for several reasons."
"It kept us moving forward, and it demonstrated that we are not going to just roll over," he said.
Hiwasee's legal action started in 2004 when SACS voted to remove the
school's accreditation over concerns about its financial resources.
Hiwassee leaders said the college was financially sound and obtained a
restraining order in 2005 to keep the school's accreditation during
appeals processes. Hiwassee then sued for violations of its
constitutional right to due process, filing its lawsuit in 2005 in the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. SACS is based
in Decatur, Ga.
In February 2007, U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester rejected all
Hiwassee’s claims except the one claiming a conflict of interest existed
when a SACS representative on the assessment team also sat on the
accrediting body's appeals committee. In April 2008, appellate judges
said SACS had not denied Hiwassee due process in its accreditation
action and unanimously upheld the lower-court ruling.
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The Rev. James Noseworthy
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"Unfortunately, this is just another bump in the road," Noseworthy said.
"There was always a chance we wouldn't prevail … but we are proceeding
full speed ahead with our mission."
"Any missional institution is challenged financially," said the Rev.
Doug Fairbanks, an alumnus who is a member of Hiwassee’s board of
trustees and superintendent for Holston's Knoxville District. "What we
have proven is that, yes, we can financially do all we say we can do.
The academic program at Hiwassee has never been in question."
Hiwassee College is finishing the 2007 fiscal year with its $5.5 million
budget in the black. "We have erased levels of debt, started new
programs and improved our facilities. And we have done all of that with a
very modest budget," Noseworthy said.
An annual fundraising campaign garnered $862,000 in June 2007, followed by $2.2 million in June 2008, he said.
School enrollment was 440 for the past academic year. About 150 students
had registered to return, but some have since petitioned for transfer,
the president said. Orientation sessions for prospective students are
ongoing.
Regaining accreditation
Hiwassee will begin to reapply for SACS accreditation this summer––a
process that could take 19 months or more for accreditation to be
complete, according to Noseworthy.
The college already has applied for accreditation with the Transnational
Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). In a June 23
letter to students, Noseworthy said that TRANS accreditation is
anticipated by April 2009. More than 20 colleges have so far agreed to
accept Hiwassee's academic work without SACS accreditation, the letter
stated.
The Tennessee Student Assistance Commission also has made provisions so
that students may continue the state's Hope Scholarship eligibility.
"While the scholarship for students at Hiwassee will not be funded while
we are not accredited, the scholarships will be funded retroactively to
the fall of 2008 if we secure accreditation in April 2009," Noseworthy
said.
On June 19, the University Senate of The United Methodist Church voted
to continue to list Hiwassee as a United Methodist-related college for
12 months as the college pursues accreditation. A University Senate
review is scheduled for June 2009.
The senate is a 25-member body of professionals in higher education that
determines the relationship of academic and theological institutions to
The United Methodist Church.
In a letter to the University Senate, Bishop James Swanson of the Holston Conference affirmed his support for Hiwassee.
"Hiwassee follows it historic and continuing tradition of affording
access and opportunity to a segment of the population that otherwise
would not have the opportunity for a faith-centered education," Swanson
said.
The average family income for Hiwassee students is $22,000, Swanson's
letter stated. Forty percent of the students receive full financial
support.
*Spence is the editor of The Call, the newspaper of the Holston Annual Conference.
News media contact: Linda Green, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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