New College May Lose Accreditation

New College of California, a private liberal-arts college in San Francisco, may lose its accreditation because of academic and ethical violations, the San Francisco Chronicle reports:

New College, which emphasizes activism and social change, was put on probation July 5 by the association for violations found by the [Western Association of Schools & Colleges’] commission. The commission’s investigators found that:

* Students had enrolled in and attended classes long before they were admitted to the college;

* Grades of incomplete were changed to letter grades by persons not assigned to teach the courses;

* Independent study was used improperly;

* The college had insufficient financial reserves, controls, and budgeting.

The association, which accredits colleges and universities in California, Hawaii, and the western U.S. territories, will conduct an inspection this fall. Based on that inspection, the association could choose to pull the school’s accreditation as soon as May. Without accreditation, the school could not give federal and state financial aid to its students. Although the college could remain open, degrees earned by its students would lose value.

In response to the commission’s investigation, as well as pressure from professors and students, the college’s Board of Trustees announced last week that it plans to form a committee to search for a replacement for President Martin Hamilton, who received a vote of no confidence from the faculty this summer and has said he’ll step down next year, the reporter, Leslie Fulbright, writes. The board will also appoint an interim chief financial officer and increase the number of board members.