Southern Virginia's interesting recovery

Southern Virginia college lost its regional accreditation in 1996, due to its huge debt and financial instability. The Mormon Church marched in and bought it (apparently by assuming $4.5 million in debt), restructured it as a Mormon school, and, intriguingly, decided not to go for regional accreditation, but instead applied to the recognized, relatively new American Academy for Liberal Education, a "less costly" process. Now SVC becomes the 8th college or university to receive full accreditation from AALE. What's new here is that the other seven all have regional accreditation as well. So it seems as if we have a new national accreditor, along with DETC, ACICS, etc.

John Bear

 

I don't believe that the Mormon Church(LDS Church) bought the school. A group of investors, who happen to be LDS, bought the school from what I know.

The LDS Church is in process of making Ricks College, the LDS Church's junior college in Idaho, a 4 year school. They are undergoing the name change to Brigham Young University-Idaho. They have already applied through the regional accreditor for the change.

One of the reasons the investors bought Southern Virginia(a prior equestrian school), and gave it an LDS flavor, was that there is simply not enough spaces for LDS students to attend LDS colleges. The investors felt they could increase the chances for LDS students to have an LDS type college experience. Afterall, if the LDS Church was not going to open more schools they felt they needed to do something themselves.