By Cash Michaels, Contributing writer
The board of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) voted Tuesday to remove embattled HBCU St. Augustine’s University (SAU) in Raleigh from its membership.
The SACSCOC board voted to do so during its annual meeting this week in Austin, Texas.
Though its accreditation has been denied, SAU can still hold on to its status while it appeals the decision, thus allowing December 2024 and May 2025 students to graduate. That appeal must be heard in February 2025, or the school loses accreditation permanently. An appeals committee will hear SAU’s appeal, and if necessary, an arbitration panel.
In order for SAU to practically remain in business, it must maintain its accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting agency like SACSCOC, according to the U.S. Dept. of Education. Maintaining that accreditation entitles the school to participate in various federal student aid programs.
In SAU’s case, at issue was the school’s problem with financial management. Over the years, SAU has reportedly run up a sizable debt with vendors, federal taxes owed, and pending lawsuits.
The school recently reduced its student enrollment to just 200 students, and took out a $7 million loan to help pay off some of its debt, but the high 24% interest rate and terms outraged SAU supporters.
But then SAU announced a 99-year land-lease agreement that could yield at least $70 million towards it’s debts.
“SACSCOC could only consider information SAU presented as of November 18, 2024. Saint Augustine’s University has made significant progress even since that date, including finalizing the $70 Million deal with 50 plus 1 Sports. The SACSCOC Board could not consider that information on Saturday during our hearing. Still, we look forward to providing that evidence during our February appeals hearing, along with other information that will definitively resolve all the remaining areas of concern,” said Dr. Marcus Burgess, president of Saint Augustine’s University. “While this may seem like a disappointing decision, we view this as an encouraging outcome that acknowledges our progress, and we are excited about the opportunity the Appeal affords us. This opportunity to prove that SAU is now a stronger and more financially healthy institution will bring confidence to our stakeholders and partners, ensuring them that SAU remains a cornerstone of opportunity and innovation for our students and the Raleigh community.”
SAU also completed its overdue financial audits for FY22, FY23 and FY24, and trimmed $17 million from its operating budget.
It would appear that none of that moved the needle with SACSCOC, however, so SAU must now spend the next several weeks building its appeals case in order to stay in business.
Meanwhile, the NC attorney general’s office is investigating the SAU Board of Trustees, based on a dismissed lawsuit alleging financial improprieties filed against it by the SAU Coalition.
It was December 2022 when SACSCOC placed SAU on probation because it failed to comply with financial requirements necessary to maintain accreditation. In February 2024, the SACSCOC Board denied SAU’s appeal and stripped the school its accreditation, only to rescind that order in July.
Now SAU stands on the brink again, and has until Feb. 2025 to redeem itself, in order be recognized as a fully accredited institution.
