A Commission on Higher Education meeting this weekend will formally determine if Antioch College in Yellow Springs and Wilberforce University will be accredited.
Jim Letizia reports.
Accreditation is is necessary for students to be eligible for certain types of financial aid.The two schools are in very different situations. For Wilberforce, it’s about keeping its accreditation and building monument off its recent enrollment uptick after years of financial struggles. Antioch is trying to get accreditation for the first time since it reopened in 2011, something the college says will help rebuild its brand. Wilberforce is one of the nation's oldest historically black private universities. The Commission issued a show-cause order in June of 2014, saying Wilberforce needed to address leadership problems, deteriorating buildings, and high levels of debt, among other shortcomings. The commission told Wilbeforce officials yesterday the order has been lifted and a formal accreditation vote will be held this weekend. Students who graduate from an unaccredited school could face difficulties with being accepted into graduate schools or getting jobs. Wilberforce has 550 students. Antioch has more than 250 students.
