In the wake of a probationary status ruling, the 16th president of Wittenberg University is easing stresses for the students and faculty as they endure the volatile process. With changes being made to the criteria for evaluation of accreditation, Wittenberg University has been placed on probation due to the financial turmoil it has endured over the past years.
Accreditation is the regulator for class quality and gives the students access to federal financial aid. This may cause prospective students to be dissuaded from applying and usher current students out.
The university has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1916 and gets assessed every 10 years. This probation is the first in history for the university and has an impact on the future of their students.
While on probation, credits earned are still considered nationally recognized. If the evaluation results in a loss of accreditation, classes offered are no longer recognized by the NCAA, many employers, and may not be transferable to other colleges.
Current juniors and seniors have less to worry about since the next evaluation is anticipated to be completed by April 2027. fFreshman and sophomore classes, however, have more to worry about, as the evaluation would be prior to their graduation. This may cause many students to look for another college due to the inadequacy of their credits.
“I think I would ultimately have to transfer out because a university without accreditation has a useless degree,” said Taylor Butts, a sophomore management major.
After all the financial turmoil the school has gone through in the past years, students are not surprised by the HLC's choice. Though many have seen the snowballing of issues throughout their time here, the current senior class has experienced the bulk of it.
Kayla Drake, a senior and exercise science major, said, “After my freshman and sophomore years, I knew something bad would happen.”
Senior Leah Green, an accounting and finance major, agreed. “A lot of things that happened when I was here, I didn't think would happen. Gives me a story though.”
Some students, such as Bailey Nichols, who came to Wittenberg from Arizona, says they wish they'd known about the university's financial challenges before transferring. “I don’t know much about it and hadn’t heard about it until recently, and it’s a bit concerning.”
The faculty, however, have been expecting some changes after hearing the numbers throughout the years. They had been constantly informed of the financial troubles and the amount needed to keep the school running, the current number being $10.8 million.
Michael Frandsen, the recently replaced president, and Rob Young, the previous Vice President of Finance and Administration, were upfront with the faculty regarding the financial situation but ultimately, couldn’t turn the issues around.
“[Young] was straightforward with the numbers, but things didn’t change,” Ashley Goodwin, an eight-year veteran coach at Wittenberg, said.
Though the HLC has only placed the university on probation as of November 6, Wittenberg's new president, Christian M. M. Brady, has already taken actions to circumvent these ongoing issues. There have been donors and alumnus that have worked with the president to build the financial stability of the institution, raising over half of the needed funds in the four months since he was hired.
The president was very communicative with the students about his plans, sending an email less than a week following the ruling to inform them.
The email’s ending remarks read, “We can and will continue to walk the Wittenberg Way, all while remaining rooted in our commitment to one another and to Wittenberg; together we lead.”
Though this has given them some hope for the future of the university, there is a concern about the negative publicity gained.
“I feel as if this could really upset some people because of alumni and current students being basically shoved to the side,” said Lilly James, a senior nursing major.
With the president being hired in June of this year, he has made a positive impact on the students’ morale. Students and faculty believe that he is the right man to disrupt the university’s downward spiral.
“I do believe he can fix it, and if he can’t, I think he will get close or put up his very best fight,” Butts said enthusiastically.
Their belief isn’t misplaced, as Brady has raised over $100 million for three different institutions. Though the president has been placed in a rough situation by his predecessor, he continues to build on his past experiences and has a plan for Wittenberg University.
“Hope is not a plan. Of course not. Hope is the very first step of any plan,” the president stated.
Those words are comforting to Leah Green, an accounting major, who is encouraged by Brady's vigor and enthusiasm. “President Brady is on top of it. He seems motivated to get shit done.”
