The Higher Learning Commission has removed the sanction of probation from historically Black Wilberforce University in Ohio. The Higher Learning Commissions, headquartered in Chicago, is a regional agency sanctioned by the federal government that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities across a wide swath of states from West Virginia to Arizona.
The university was placed on probation in June 2018 when it was determined to be out of compliance with HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and was granted an extension based on HLC’s temporary emergency COVID-19 policy. At the time of probation, the accrediting agency stated that Wilberforce was not in compliance with two requirements for accreditation:
- The institution’s resource base supports its current educational programs and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future.
- The institution engages in systematic and integrated planning.
The university took several steps in order to meet the accrediting agency’s demands including strengthening academic programs and services, achieving higher enrollment numbers, and establishing several new and invigorating partnerships with local, regional, and national universities, programs, and industries.
Elfred Anthony Pinkard, president of Wilberforce University, stated that “this is wonderful news and the culmination of the hard and dedicated work of our faculty, staff, alumni, and board of trustees and their unwavering commitment to Wilberforce University. At Wilberforce, resilience is part of our institutional DNA, and we choose to use this historic moment as an urgent call to action to continue the work of transforming Wilberforce into a high-performing institution with a viable and sustainable future.”
