A separate news report about Chicago State’s accreditation has some members of the CSU community concerned as well. The letter from the Higher Learning Commission, the region’s accrediting agency, and obtained by the Tribune, states that “There are serious questions about whether Chicago State University continues or will continue to meet the Commission’s criteria for accreditation.”

The Commission’s concerns include poor graduation and retention rates as well as leadership and financial issues. According to the Tribune, only 12.8 percent of first-year students in 2002 graduated by 2008.

Searcy says he has not seen the HLC letter but says university officials shared some of the Commission’s concerns about retention and graduation rates with faculty and administrators in early September. 

On CSU’s Web site (www.csu.edu), Westbrooks attempted to allay student concerns.

“I want to reassure you that CSU is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and your CSU degree is valid and recognized by colleges and universities, governmental agencies and private organizations across the nation.

“What has led to the controversy are concerns the HLC has raised about recruitment, retention and graduation rates of first time, full-time freshmen students, a group that represents 6% of the current students enrolled at CSU. To clarify, data regarding graduation and retention rates is based on first time, full-time freshmen students as required by the U.S. Department of Education.”

CSU’s accreditation is valid until 2013. However, lost accreditation typically results in the ineligibility of federal funding, such as federal financial aid dollars, and students often are not able to transfer credits to an accredited college or university.

Searcy says the recent media attention has been alarming to students concerned about the implications of lost accreditation. Searcy, a faculty member in the Department of Social Work, said his department’s phone rang incessantly following a local TV news report, adding that Watson told faculty that he was going to put in place a committee to address the Commission’s concerns and that he has experience related to accrediting agency site visits, which is scheduled for next spring.

However, Beverly is still concerned and wants to know who will be held accountable for putting Chicago State in its current predicament. “We need to make sure we don’t put the same people in charge of the repair effort who ‘blew up the building.’ ” 

In the meantime, the Higher Learning Commission was scheduled to meet with university officials on Oct. 1, the same day Watson is to begin.

“It’s an interesting time at the university,” says Searcy. “We are trying to protect the institutional integrity; that’s what this is about.”