February 28, 2008

Troubled California College Loses Accreditation and May Be Forced to Close

The beleaguered New College of California is losing its accreditation and could be forced to close, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The experimental liberal-arts institution had been on probation since last summer, when its accreditor, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, issued a scathing report, faulting the college for numerous problems, and stated in a letter that it had a “culture of administrative sloppiness and arbitrariness.” The institution’s president of five years resigned in the wake of those actions.

The college’s Board of Trustees had disputed some of the Western Association’s criticisms last summer, but said it would comply with the agency’s accreditation standards. Those efforts apparently were not enough. According to the San Francisco newspaper, Ralph A. Wolff, president of the accrediting association’s senior-college division, wrote to college officials on Tuesday that his agency “could no longer validate to the public” that the institution had “a basic infrastructure of academic, operational, financial, and governance systems, structures, and policies.”

Without accreditation, the college will not qualify to receive federal student aid, a potential financial death blow. It has some options, “none of which are good,” one of its trustees, Tedd Corman, told the newspaper. Those include appealing the accreditor’s decision, applying for accreditation through another agency, or continuing as an unaccredited institution. But Mr. Corman seemed doubtful about pursuing those options. “I’m not sure it makes sense to continue,” he said. —Charles Huckabee

Comments

1. New College’s behavior represents a classic example of the relationship between a “culture of administrative sloppiness,” arrogance, and stupidity. They had plenty of options – but the “leadership” was too uneducated to appreciate them. As usual, under such gross mismanagement, the students suffer needlessly. The regulators should have seen the writing on the smoked walls much earlier.

   — Dean Thomas A. Gionis, Aristotle University College of Law    Feb 28, 05:29 AM    #

2. If this college has been open for 5 years, I am sure there are individuals who have graduated or received certificates who are totally upset. For those who are currently enrolled, I sure hope their credits can be useful in tranfering to another institution.

   — vera espinoza    Feb 28, 09:19 AM    #

3. Like Antioch, the New College featured an eduational approach that tried to mix left-wing activism with higher education. Consider, for instance, their graduate program in Social Change referred to in the SF Chronicle article. Maybe the lesson learned from the problems with both schools is that trendy feel-good politics should not be the basis of your curriculum.

   — J. Ward    Feb 28, 09:49 AM    #

4. Touchy-feely has been going out of style for a while now; this is just the latest manifestation to expire.

   — Lawrence S. Lerner    Feb 28, 02:59 PM    #

5. In some ways accreditation worked and in some it did not in this case. Accreditation worked in the sense that it can be used to force the necessary change. It did not work at the same time in the sense that New College is not all that New. Apparently the vision of statement of the New College that expounds that it “strives to help each student develop intellectually and creatively so that they may more fully enjoy opportunities in life” was very broadly interpreted into an “anything goes” when it suits the student and administration. Before others at institutions become too smug about themselves, however, and relative to the New College shenanigans I would ask them to look in the preverbal mirror and guarantee that they know what every single faculty member in every single course is doing with respect to grades and that these processes are on the up and up . . . better yet, do the faculty understand and know about administrative actions. Who doesn’t struggle with the issue of grading in higher education . . . granted it is typically not as creepy as is reported at New College, but I think there are many glass houses out there on this issue. I have a question of my own . . . does the appointment of a board of trustee member as interim president give WACS or the college community comfort?

   — Jeff Senese    Feb 28, 03:05 PM    #

6. vera espinoza, the New College of California has been around since the early 70’s. The president had been around for 5 years.

   — anon    Feb 28, 04:32 PM    #

7. Maybe Mr. Ward should know more about what he is talking about. While I know nothing about New College, I am more than familiar with Antioch. The problems there have nothing to do with liberal or conservative ideals, but business. If Antioch University officials had paid as much attention to Antioch College, rather than it’s satellite, non-traditional campuses….kept up with maintenance on its buildings and grounds, and actually gave a damn about its original campus, maybe it would still be operating after this year.

   — rcarsonk    Feb 28, 04:33 PM    #

8. So a NON-Profit liberal arts college can abuse the trust of its students. Where are the federal marshalls with the yellow tape in this case? For some types of institutions, that is done with far less evidence.

   — Jeff    Feb 28, 04:34 PM    #

9. Perhaps its time for the California State Controller’s Office to exercise his authority over the financial operations of the local community colleges. It would seem appropriate to first examine and assess the oversight and responsibility of the administration and management of the State Chancellor’s office and then apply the findings in an extended probe of the administrative and management practices at California’s individual community colleges.

   — F.D. Capobianco    Feb 28, 06:01 PM    #

10. rcarsonk, I have heard that feeble explanation for why Antioch failed and I don’t buy it. Antioch became a national laughingstock when it adopted its silly sexual consent policies in the 1990s, and it jad come to be known as an institution where trendy radicalism trumped intellectual rigor. Blame the business decisions all you want, but the bottom line is that students no longer wanted to attend the college and the alumni did not want to open their pocketbooks to support it.

    — J. Ward    Feb 28, 06:07 PM    #

11. F. D. Capobianco, I do not know what the California State Controller or State Chancellor’s office would have to do with this. New College of California is a PRIVATE institution with undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs (including a law school).

    — Zagros Sadjadi    Feb 28, 07:02 PM    #

12. Like sports, politics, imprima radical left wing liberalism, should not be part of any core curricula -but are better left to institutions focused on raising money and changing governmental policies.

    — Dr. Russell Rohde    Feb 29, 03:10 PM    #

13. J. Ward is simply mistaken. First, Antioch was one of many institutions to come under fire for its sexual consent policies, and it had little or nothing to do with their decline. Their expansion into satellite campuses and areas in which they simply were not strong was directly and demonstrably responsible. Basic management mistakes, as almost everyone recognizes. Blaming “liberal ideas” for their decline will only work if we can credit “liberal ideas” for the success of ________ (fill in the blank with your pick of left-leaning private liberal arts colleges). I suspect you’ll find well managed endowments and sound business practices at the colleges that succeed, liberal or not. Apparently, New College did not learn that lesson.

    — bp    Feb 29, 03:48 PM    #

14. Since the scandal became public in July, New College Independent Alumni Association uncovered documents showing the trustees involved in conscious efforts to defraud the oversight agencies.

    — Jay Taber    Mar 5, 04:28 PM    #

15. I enrolled with this college in January of 2008. I was supposed to attend an organic chemistry course at their Whittier Campus. I recieved an email from Craig Anderson that the school was shutting down, and I said to not charge my credit card. However, they charged it anyway knowing that the school had no funds, or classes that would start. I asked for the past 3 weeks for a refund and no one even called me back. I am trying to dispute this with the credit card company, and will contact the DA to pursue criminal charges against Lolita, and whom ever did this.
    Is anyone going to file a class action lawsuit or contact the DA for a criminal investigation?

    — ryan    Mar 8, 09:24 PM    #

16. Too early to tell, Ryan. Some students are finding they can’t get credits accepted, and some alumni can’t get jobs due to the disarray. The trustees have just abandoned ship.

    — Jay Taber    Mar 13, 10:14 PM    #

17. I was also victim of fraud, physical abuse, teacher misconduct with harrassment and abusive language and other serious issues. I reported to DA, made police report and Wasc (nothing happened). I think we all need to get together and file lawsuite. we need good attorney to represent us. let us know who is filing lawsuite against New College so we can all do the same.

    — Ari Silva    Mar 17, 01:57 AM    #

18. correction (lawsuit).

    If you are an attorney working with this case, please post your information so we students can contact you. thank you

    — Ari Silva    Mar 17, 02:50 AM    #

19. Try California Department of Consumer Affairs if the DA won’t help. No lawsuit is pending, but New College Independent Alumni Association will keep you posted on its website.

    — Jay Taber    Mar 20, 04:42 PM    #

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