CSU— NA to RA???

Everyone,
Columbia Southern University is in the process of pursuing regional accreditation with SACS. My question to you is this; if one were to pursue and obtain a graduate degree from CSU before they obtained the RA through SACS, but while they were in the accreditation process, would that RA transfer over to all degrees from CSU or only those moving forward following the date of actual accreditation by SACS? I would assume only those following the actual date of accreditation but I thought I would ask the experts. Asking for a friend....
Alex

 

The technical answer is that SACS accreditation only applies to degrees awarded after SACS approves accreditation.

However, in practice, many people don't check very carefully, and so it isn't uncommon for a formerly unaccredited degree, and the credits underlying it, to be transferrable if the school accepting the transfer either has loose policies or is sloppy in checking and making the credit granting decisions.

 

Technically, a university is only accredited subsequent to the date it was granted accreditation.

If I was your friend, I would wait at least until Columbia Southern is granted formal candidacy (if that happens). Credits and even degrees from a school in candidacy are often treated as if they were credits and degrees from an accredited school, provided that accreditation is successfully achieved.

I agree with Chip, that employers often don't check dates so if somebody presents a degree from XYZ University and the employer looks it up and finds XYZ University on the accreditor's list, the degree might sometimes be accepted as an accredited degree even if it was awarded before the accreditation date. It's a gamble though.

 

Thanks all,
That is what I thought but I wanted some verification. I am not sure if he truly cares about NA vs. RA as much as some of us but I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t giving him poor information.
Thank you much!!!
Alex

 

I only see one candidate on SACS' listing, and it's in the United Arab Emirates!

http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/webmemlist.pdf

(That surprises me, since WASC has a whole bunch of current candidates, including a couple that I've long liked and am watching.)

That being said, Columbia Southern is already accredited by DEAC, which might serve some students' purposes. But I don't foresee accreditation by SACS happening in the near term.

 

I realize this page is a bit dated now but just an update, CSU is now an application for regional accreditation through SACSOC:
https://sacscoc.org/institutions/?institution_name=columbia+southern+university&results_per_page=25&curpage=1&institution=0011N00001h9ENGQA2
Just in case anyone is pondering it...
Hey, at least theyre trying...

 

Being an applicant means nothing. It just means the school appears to meet the minimum criteria for consideration. It's a good sign, but it has no bearing on the degrees and the degree holders.

 

Yeah, the Ivy League of DEAC, Columbia S̶o̶u̶t̶h̶e̶r̶n̶ University!

 

I won't get excited until I see CSU appear on the Candidate list

https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/11/Institutionswebmemlist.pdf

 

I will add that 2 years ago when I was possibly considering their DBA and spoke to the Dean of the business school he said it was a goal to move to SACS and changes in the curriculum were being made in some of the programs. Given Waldorf is RA and CSU's sister school I think eventually they will be dual DEAC and SACS sometime in the next couple of years. When that happens...who knows.

 

FWIW there have been lots of reports of their marketers carefully and subtly implying their pursuit of RA/SACS status for years…

 

I'm pursuing a Nobel Prize*. We'll see who gets there first.


* In what field, you may ask? None of your beeswax!

 

Professor Farnsworth: It's a little experiment that might win me the Nobel Prize.
Leela: In which field?
Professor Farnsworth: I don't care - they all pay the same.

 

Well… looks like they’re earnestly going for SACSCOC.

 

They are now - https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2021/12/BOT-Actions-Dec-2021-FINAL.pdf

 

"Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL Denied acceptance of the prospectus for the merger/consolidation of Marymount California University (a non-SACSCOC institution) by Saint Leo University (a SACSCOC institution) because the institution did not provide an acceptable plan and supporting documentation to ensure that it has the capacity to comply with the following standard of the Principles of Accreditation "

 

But it is regionally accredited (WASC).

 

The quote left out the actual standard SACS had an issue with. “Standard 13.3 (Financial responsibility).”.

So, not an academics issue, but an issue of having enough money?

 

The two are inseparably linked. Although it’s not about balance sheet per se, but the ability and financial plan to sustain academic quality and student support.

 

It is crazy one would list a candidacy status above an accredited member status. Goes to show that RA is the gold standard despite any argument NA advocates make.

See: https://www.columbiasouthern.edu/About-CSU/accreditation-licensure