CBU’s accreditation on probation; school says things are turning around
by: April Thompson
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Accreditation issues are casting a cloud of concern over Christian Brothers University.
The entire school is now on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools‘ Commission on Colleges for its governing board and for financial responsibility, leaving some students worried.
One student wrote WREG saying, “I’m concerned about my future here at CBU. If CBU is no longer accredited as a university it would mark the end of my academics here and my athletic career as well.”
The Vice President of Academics at CBU explained what’s going on Wednesday.
“We just we had a few years of deficits,” Dr. Lydia Rosencrants said. “We serve a population of students that has a great deal of financial need. And because of that, we do operate on a very thin margin.”
Last October, WREG reported on CBU making cuts because of a $7 million budget deficit blamed on declining enrollment.
On-campus housing is another issue of concern. It’s usually a big revenue source for most universities. At Christian Brothers, we are told they can house 800 students, but only have about 450 actually living on campus.
Rosencrants said school leaders expected they’d be placed on probation in December.
“That was part of the reason that we started to make some of those hard decisions in the fall that we had to make,” she said.
Students also said no one told them the school was on probation. But CBU says they did communicate it to staff and the students.
Graduate students are left wondering if credits at CBU will even transfer.
“It’s actually not as serious as it may sound,” Rosencrants said. “It doesn’t impact our day-to-day operations. It really doesn’t impact the students. They’re going to complete their degree programs. They’re going to receive a degree from an accredited institution.”
CBU leaders say they are making financial improvements and expect to be on probation one more year as they get back on track.
“We are still running ahead of students depositing with us for the year. Our fundraising, we are on track to meet our fundraising goals for the year. And so we are we’re just seeing things turning around for us, financially,” Rosencrants said.
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