Broward College has resolved the many concerns identified by its accreditor and will likely escape any sanctions, officials say.
The college met this week with representatives from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to review a preliminary report that said the college was out of compliance in 22 out of 40 areas. The concerns ranged from the credentials of faculty to resources for students to oversight by the college’s Board of Trustees.
But the in-person review, which ended Wednesday, determined there were no findings, officials from the college and accreditor told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. That means the college’s accreditation is expected to be renewed in December for 10 years with no issues.
“The preliminary findings by the on-site committee gave the College an A+. No recommendations were reported by the on-site committee, which stated that Broward College has excelled in meeting all the assessed standards,” the college said in a release.
With the recent resignation of former President Gregory Haile, the Board of Trustees assigned Provost Jeffrey Nasse to oversee accreditation efforts. Acting President Barbara Bryan, who just started Oct. 4, made it first priority to ensure the district got a clean final review, said Alexis Yarbrough, chairwoman of the college’s Board of Trustees.
“This is 100% the result of Dr. Bryan and the provost’s leadership of the last two weeks, just grinding this out to get it done,” Yarbrough told the Sun Sentinel.
Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association, told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday that her staff member who led the Broward College visit hasn’t returned yet, but he confirmed to her by phone that the review resulted in no findings.
“They will make a recommendation to the board, and nothing is final until our board approves,” Wheelan said.
Many of the initial findings in the preliminary report were easy to fix, such as the college’s failure to post certain policies or data on its website.
Others required more work, such as findings that more than 75 faculty and administrators may not be qualified for their jobs.
The preliminary review cited examples of faculty who didn’t have the proper degrees or certifications and administrators who lacked the number of years of experience required by their job descriptions. College policy allows work experience to offset degree requirements or high-level degrees to offset a shortage in years of experience. But the college didn’t provide any proof of this prior to the preliminary review, the report said.
“Most of the issues were related to staff not getting them the answers or inconsistencies with the way staff got the information,” Yarbrough said. ‘I’m so excited the new leadership has turned the corner.”
Wheelan said she hasn’t received specifics on how the college was able to resolve the findings, but she said preliminary findings are often due to a college not turning in all the needed information.
“The good thing about the whole process is it’s continuous improvement,” she said. “Sometimes the institution doesn’t give us the right documentation, or they forget something or it’s wrong. Once the committee comes to visit, they are able to talk about it and remedy it in person. I imagine that’s what’s happening.”
The preliminary accreditation review was one of many areas of tension between Yarbrough and former President Haile, whose resignation was accepted Sept. 26.
In a Sept. 17 email to Haile, Yarbrough questioned whether Broward College’s accreditation and student access to financial aid may be at risk due to the 22 findings.
“Staff has explained this is a very serious matter which could have severe consequences for our students’ ability to obtain financial aid which would then lead to a significant loss in enrollment,” Yarbrough wrote to Haile.
Had Broward College not resolved the issues, it could have been placed on warning or probation, early signs that a college’s accreditation could be in jeopardy. Colleges must be accredited for their students to qualify for federal financial aid.
But Wheelan told the Sun Sentinel on Sept. 22 that even if the college hadn’t resolved the issues and was given sanctions, it would still be accredited and students could still get financial aid.
No public college or university in Florida has ever been dropped from accreditation. However, they are expected to drop their membership in the Southern Association over the next few years due to a law passed last year that requires them to change accreditors every cycle.