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Auburn Removed from Probation by Accreditor
By Gwendolyn Bradley
Auburn University was removed from probation in December, a year after being placed on probation by its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which cited a variety of concerns. Paramount among them were concerns about the role of trustees in the Alabama university's operations, in particular its athletics programs, and the suspicion that the university did not take the accreditation process seriously. While removing Auburn from probation, the accreditor also authorized a special committee to visit the university in fall 2005 to conduct a review of the institution's compliance with accrediting standards relating to governance and administration. Auburn was instructed to provide a report on these standards prior to the committee's visit.
"Faculty are, of course, relieved that Auburn is no longer in immediate danger of losing its accreditation, but I believe most faculty think that continued monitoring by SACS is fully appropriate, given our past history," says Larry Gerber, professor of history at Auburn and first vice president of the AAUP.
Critics have charged in recent years that individual trustees have exercised too much control over the university's day-to-day operations, and that many board members have inappropriate financial ties to the university or to each other (for details, see "Auburn Put on Probation by Accreditor" in the March-April 2004 issue of Academe).
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