Cheyney University will remain fully accredited for another year, while officials work to resolve issues with academic and financial deficiencies.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education issued the second show cause as a result of Cheyney’s improvement in student learning outcomes, and evidence that outstanding issues may be resolved in the next year in conjunction with partnerships with state and federal governments.
From the commission report:
The show cause report must include:
(1) documented financial resources, funding base, and plans to assure long-term financial stability (Requirement of Affiliation 11);
(2) continued implementation of budget reductions agreed to as part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)-authorized debt-forgiveness plan;
(3) written confirmation from PASSHE that this is the case; and
(4) documented steps taken to resolve the issues associated with the $29.6 million potential liability to the U.S. Department of Education (Standard VI Planning, Resources and Institutional Improvement.)
Cheyney will also have to produce teach-out plans to detail how students will have flexibility in transferring to other institutions should the school close. The school will host MSCHE in an on-site visit in August which will determine its accreditation fate.
A response to the accreditation decision was not readily available from Cheyney officials.
