Virginia University of Lynchburg Accreditation on Warning

[Jonathan Whatley]

The Transnational Assocation of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), its national institutional accreditor, recently changed Virginia University of Lynchburg's status from "Accredited" to "Accredited – Warning."

TRACS states that the reason for the change concerns financial reporting. TRACS requires VUL to submit its 2022 audit, an engagement letter and estimated time of completion for its 2023 audit, and a report detailing how it will adjust its auditing procedures to deliver timely audited financial statements to TRACS no later than November 30 each year.

VUL is a brick-and-mortar HBCU dating to 1866, and also well known here for its affordable online Doctor of Healthcare Administration.

[ss20ts]

Not a big surprise. TRACS itself has been on watch lists. VUL has struggled financially for ions. That's why they can't get RA.

[michaeladsmith2]

I want to add my "two cents" to this distinction. For many years, people have found any number of ways to demonize and subjugate certain accreditations or institutions as inferior or "less than" to make their educational journey or decision or school seem superior. As long as the US Department of Education has given its stamp of approval and authority to TRACS to accredit schools and provide Federal Aid to millions of students, that's ALL THAT MATTERS. 

Every HBCU, save the large institutions (Howard, FAMU, etc.) struggle. For those who may not understand the struggles dating back to the 1800s, HBCUs started explicitly due to the roadblocks, segregation, lack of funding, outright racism, and evil actions of government-sanctioned bigotry that have plagued HBCUs for generations. VUL is not exempt. I believe what VUL has done is see its challenges, rise to the challenge, and now offer a solid, well-regarded, and in-demand DHA Program that has put VUL on the map and helped secure a better financial future for VUL. 

The DHA program continues to see record enrollment, especially for minority students. The current Healthcare leadership spectrum has a deficient minority representation across the USA. There is a staggering underrepresentation of top-level leaders of BIPOC background all over the USA and other health sectors where the USA has international locations. 

VUL is on the right path, and being on a short probationary period to allow VUL to fix the issues doesn't raise significant concerns. Every year, many schools miss one or two accreditation benchmarks and are given a warning. This situation is not to the point of school closure, loss of accreditation, or VUL DHA program closure.

[Jonathan Whatley]

As long as the US Department of Education has given its stamp of approval and authority to TRACS to accredit schools and provide Federal Aid to millions of students, that's ALL THAT MATTERS.

I agree with most of your post.

Of course there are millions of students in total who use federal student aid, but TRACS students are a small part. The largest TRACS school today might be Pensacola Christian University, with around 5000 students.

TRACS' DOED recognition may be all that matters to a given student. In my opinion TRACS' DOED recognition sufficiently establishes TRACS schools are academically credible. But students are still reasonably allowed to say distinctions between NA and RA matter to them (e.g., if they aspire to a competitive position teaching in RA), that doctrinal distinctives of TRACS matter to them (pro or con), etc.

[freeloader]

As long as the US Department of Education has given its stamp of approval and authority to TRACS to accredit schools and provide Federal Aid to millions of students, that's ALL THAT MATTERS.

I agree with most of your post.

Of course there are millions of students in total who use federal student aid, but TRACS students are a small part. The largest TRACS school today might be Pensacola Christian University, with around 5000 students.

TRACS' DOED recognition may be all that matters to a given student. In my opinion TRACS' DOED recognition sufficiently establishes TRACS schools are academically credible. But students are still reasonably allowed to say distinctions between NA and RA matter to them (e.g., if they aspire to a competitive position teaching in RA), that doctrinal distinctives of TRACS matter to them (pro or con), etc.

And not to beat a dead horse, but it still matters to some employers, plenty of graduate schools, and many professional organizations/licensing boards.  A VUL degree (or any NA degree) would not be recognized for licensing as a CPA in neighboring Kentucky or Maryland, for instance, as they require RA degrees/credits. 

Whether that is right or wrong, whether it will eventually change, etc, are legitimate questions, but there are reasonable and valid justifications at this time for a student to reject NA schools and only consider RA schools.

[michaeladsmith2]

As long as the US Department of Education has given its stamp of approval and authority to TRACS to accredit schools and provide Federal Aid to millions of students, that's ALL THAT MATTERS.

I agree with most of your post.

Of course there are millions of students in total who use federal student aid, but TRACS students are a small part. The largest TRACS school today might be Pensacola Christian University, with around 5000 students.

TRACS' DOED recognition may be all that matters to a given student. In my opinion TRACS' DOED recognition sufficiently establishes TRACS schools are academically credible. But students are still reasonably allowed to say distinctions between NA and RA matter to them (e.g., if they aspire to a competitive position teaching in RA), that doctrinal distinctives of TRACS matter to them (pro or con), etc.

Very interesting points. Thank you for the feedback. I actually don't take any stock or consideration between the RA & NA distinction. A host of NA schools are very reputable and often have much better competitiveness than RA schools. Devry, WGU, Capella, Walden, Purdue Global, and many others hold very high distinctions and networking opportunities with their Alumni. 

For me, we are living in a global education market now. Gone are the days when employers put stock in the name on a piece of paper. They want to know if the potential candidate fits the company's culture, qualifications, and possible skills & longevity. You have Harvard graduates who suck at interpersonal skills, people skills, adapting to change, multi-tasking, soft skills, phone etiquette, etc. At the same time, you may have a Walden graduate who exhibits a list of skills the company seeks, regardless of NA. 

IMHO, the only thing that should matter is whether the institution holds accreditation to issue legitimate degrees for the marketplace. Certainly, there is a conversation about the quality of the school, graduation rate, debt for students, and quality of the faculty. And I'm not suggesting Cornell is equal to VUL, but I don't diminish smaller schools or non-Ivy League schools or State Schools based on RA or NA.

[origamishuttle]

A host of NA schools are very reputable and often have much better competitiveness than RA schools. Devry, WGU, Capella, Walden, Purdue Global, and many others hold very high distinctions and networking opportunities with their Alumni.

I'm confused by this statement. Aren't all of these schools RA? WGU is NWCCU and the others are HLC.

[michaeladsmith2]

A host of NA schools are very reputable and often have much better competitiveness than RA schools. Devry, WGU, Capella, Walden, Purdue Global, and many others hold very high distinctions and networking opportunities with their Alumni.

I'm confused by this statement. Aren't all of these schools RA? WGU is NWCCU and the others are HLC.

Yes, some have both RA & NA. 

https://www.onlineu.com/resources/accred...reditation

[sanantone]

A host of NA schools are very reputable and often have much better competitiveness than RA schools. Devry, WGU, Capella, Walden, Purdue Global, and many others hold very high distinctions and networking opportunities with their Alumni.

I'm confused by this statement. Aren't all of these schools RA? WGU is NWCCU and the others are HLC.

Yes, some have both RA & NA. 

https://www.onlineu.com/resources/accred...reditation

Which of the ones you listed have RA and NA? Those schools are institutionally accredited by regional accreditors. In addition to RA, they have specialized aka programmatic accreditation for individual degree programs and business schools. That's common for RA colleges and universities. Capella and Walden are not reputable. They've received so many complaints and have been sued so many times, the U.S. Department of Education settled and forgave everyone's debt as long as they completed the borrower's defense application. Devry was a running joke when I was growing up, but everyone has seemed to have forgotten about them.

[ashkir]

Not surprised to be honest. They've been struggling financially for some time. The DHA program was a windfall for them. However , there's very little transparency with how they're spending that money.

VUL should lean more into online CBE offerings for BA/Bachelor's and I think they could seriously compete.