Accrediting Agency Acts Against Grambling State University

GRAMBLING, La.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has taken punitive action against Grambling State University.
At its summer meeting late last month in Portsmouth, Va., the SACS denied its reaffirmation of Grambling State University's 10-year reaccreditation and placed the school on warning.
"This is a very significant move by the commission," says SACS spokesman David Carter. "While Grambling was continued in its status as an accredited institution, its 10-year reaffirmation was denied, and it has been placed on warning for six months."
Carter says Grambling has until the commission's December meeting to provide copies of audits from fiscal years 2000 and 2001.
"The institution (Grambling) failed to demonstrate compliance with issues concerning financial resources," Carter says. "In other words, they were unable to provide the requested audits."
Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle says his office is still working on the audit for Grambling.
"We are doing everything we can to get the audit complete," Kyle says. "But most of the reasons for doing a new audit relate to the closing of books. We have to wait until the books are closed on June 30 to complete the audit. We are very much in a wait-and-see posture."
Kyle says he hopes to have the audit completed by SACS' December deadline.
"By law, we are required to post the results by Dec. 31," Kyle says. "But we hope to be finished before then."
Grambling spokeswoman Vickie Jackson says the university had not received any official word from SACS on its decision.
Jackson says it is important for people to realize that even though the university had not received a reaffirmation, it was still fully accredited.
Dr. Sally Clausen, incoming president of the University of Louisiana System, has said that addressing Grambling's problems is one of her top priorities (see Black Issues, June 21).
The SACS also placed the University of Louisiana at Monroe on warning, pending results from the school's most recent audit.