Antioch and Wilberforce push comebacks


THREE THINGS TO KNOW

Antioch and Wilberforce are scheduled to learn their accreditation status in November.

Without accreditation, students cannot recieve federal financial aid, including loans and Pell Grants.

Wilberforce has 550 students. Antioch has around 260 students.

November is a pivotal month for Antioch College and Wilberforce University, as both schools seek to make comebacks.

At a Higher Learning Commission meeting that month in Chicago, Wilberforce will learn if it gets to keep its accreditation. Meanwhile, that same group will be in Yellow Springs in November to review Antioch’s application for accreditation.

Without accreditation, a school’s students are not eligible for federal financial aid, including loans and Pell Grants. Students who graduate from an unaccredited school may face roadblocks to getting a job or getting into graduate school.

National experts say losing accreditation can be fatal for an institution of higher education.

“Regional accreditation validates the overall quality of an institution,” said John Hausaman, spokesman for the Higher Learning Commission. He says the commission evaluates academic offerings, mission, finance and resources.

The two schools are in very different situations. For Wilberforce, it’s about keeping its accreditation and building monument off its recent enrollment uptick — a jump that came after years of financial struggles and student loss.

Antioch is trying to get accreditation for the first time since it reopened in 2011, something the college says will help to rebuild its brand.

Wilberforce upgrades

In June 2014, Wilberforce received a letter from the Higher Learning Commission stating it is out of compliance. The group accredits 1,000 U.S. institutions. To keep its accreditation, the university needs to show evidence that it has addressed leadership problems, deteriorating buildings, high levels of debt and a host of other shortcomings.

Wilberforce, one of the nation’s oldest historically black private colleges, geared up for the review process by spending $2.2 million on renovations and repairs of several buildings. Additionally, the university spent $400,000 on technology upgrades. It also ramped up fundraising.

In April, the commission’s representatives visited the campus to observe the changes. Those finding will be presented before the board at the November meeting.

University officials say losing accreditation would push “it out of its own market,” given that unaccredited institutions are not eligible for financial aid. Nearly all of its students take out federal loans, and around 90 percent are Pell Grant-eligible.

“It’s essential that we retain our accreditation. I’m impressed with everything the president (Algeania Marie Warren Freeman) has done,” said Jamye Coleman Williams, a 1938 graduate of Wilberforce.

Coleman, 96, has raised more than $200,000 for the university, and the former member of the board of trustees hopes to see it back on its feet.

The university expects fall 2015 enrollment to be around 550, a 48 percent jump compared to last year. However, that’s well below its previous levels of more than 1,200 students.

Antioch’s comeback

Antioch reopened in 2011 after previous ownership shut down the college while the economy plunged into recession in 2008.

It typically takes a college four years to obtain accreditation, however, due to Antioch’s unique situation it’s on a two-year fast track. That status helps Antioch escape some downsides. For instance, starting this fall Antioch students will be eligible for federal financial aid.

While the college waited for students to be eligible for the aid, it covered 100 percent of tuition — a move that was not cheap, but “critical” to attract students. In total, Antioch has spent around $130 million since reopening. Most of those expenditures have gone toward general operating costs, purchasing the college, renovations and student grants.

“There is a Catch-22. A lot of donors are waiting for accreditation. It’s also hard to get tuition-paying students without accreditation. But both of those help prepare for accreditation,” said Mark Roosevelt, president of Antioch. He is stepping down next year to take a job in New Mexico.

The college graduated its first class during the summer, around 20 students. If it receives accreditation next year, those students would still have a degree from an unaccredited institution.

Experts in the field of accreditation told this newspaper that students would most likely see the most holdups from graduate schools, but not so much from employers.

The college says if graduates run into any problems, the college will explain the circumstances to the graduate school or potential employer.

Antioch’s situation is very uncommon. In fact, it’s the only residential liberal arts college currently seeking accreditation in the U.S.

The college’s comeback is happening at a time when many small liberal arts colleges are struggling, including Sweet Briar College in Virginia, which made national headlines when in March it announced it would close.

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