Move responds to AUC's recent loss of accreditation; WAU satellite planned for AUC campus
A memorandum signed today between administrators of Washington Adventist University and Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts positions the two Seventh-day Adventist-owned institutions to work toward an agreement to establish a satellite location of Maryland-based WAU on the New England campus.
The "Memorandum of Understanding" is expected to result in WAU becoming the "sole provider of higher education" at AUC, a statement posted on WAU's website said. WAU would lease the facilities of AUC in the arrangement, the statement added.
"All provisions are dependent upon approval from the required accrediting and regulatory agencies," the statement continued.
The move follows a recent decision by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges to suspend AUC's accreditation effective July 31, 2011. The regional accrediting agency cited financial reasons in its decision.
Last year, AUC President Norman Wendth told the Adventist Review in an interview that AUC would appeal the decision, describing the college's case as "strong," but said contingency plans would be in place if AUC was unable to change the agency's mind.
AUC is the Adventist Church's oldest college still located on its original site.
Wendth called today's response to AUC's accreditation challenge "historically significant."
"I have believed for many years that to unite Atlantic Union College with Washington Adventist University would create a truly impressive educational institution," Wendth said.
WAU's recent enrollment growth and financial position "enables us to continue to provide accredited higher education to the community and constituents that Atlantic Union College serves," said WAU President Weymouth Spence.
Between 2008 and 2010, enrollment at WAU grew 30 percent, from about 1,000 to nearly 1,300 students.
The growth resulted from the university's efforts to overcome "failing infrastructure, decreased enrollment, $8.6 million of debt and a growing disconnect with constituents," Dave Weigley, president of Columbia Union Conference, wrote in this month's edition of Visitor magazine.
Today's memorandum is expected to prompt a "formal and binding agreement" as both institutions collaborate to "facilitate a smooth transition for both current and future students," the statement said.
"Our desire is to build upon the rich heritage [AUC has] established with a focus on the future," Spence said.