By Jaryn Crouson
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) on Tuesday announced Columbia University has been given a “non-compliance warning” and is at risk of losing its accreditation status.
A letter sent to Columbia on June 30 stated the school’s “accreditation may be in jeopardy because of insufficient evidence that the institution is currently in compliance” with the accreditor’s ethics standards. The commission is questioning whether Columbia is maintaining “a climate that fosters respect among students, faculty, staff, and administration” and “institutional policies and procedures, including any campus safety plan and evidence of implementation.”
The Department of Education (ED) on June 4 called for MSCHE to review Columbia’s accreditation after a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found the Ivy League university “failed” to adhere to its own policies regarding responding to complaints from Jewish students and enforcing punishments on students engaged in vandalism and illegal and disruptive protests on campus.
MSCHE stated Columbia must prove it is in “compliance with all applicable government laws and regulations,” including in response to the federal investigations. The university has until Nov. 3 to submit a monitoring report demonstrating the school’s compliance with the accreditor’s ethics standards.
