MSU makes one final push to keep accreditation - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

After more than a year of anticipation, disappointment and delays the final decision on Mountain State University's accreditation is just two weeks away.

On Tuesday, Dec. 4 a delegation from MSU made a presentation to the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago.  This meeting was originally planned for Oct. 30, but had to be pushed back due to the damage from Hurricane Sandy. 

The hearing board with the HLC is expected to make a decision on whether or not to grant MSU accreditation in about two weeks. That would be just before the commencement ceremonies planned for Dec. 19.  If they choose not to grant accreditation to the University this will be the last class of graduates to receive a degree from Mountain State. Then on Dec. 31 there will be a transfer of assets to the University of Charleston.

Public Relations Director, Andrew Wessels said this is the last step in a process that began in June.

"Back during the summer we were shocked at the decision and very disappointed at it, but at this point we've tried to prepare for all different types of contingencies and the ultimate goal is making sure the students are taken car of an that they can reach their goals," said Wessels.

For students who haven't finished their degrees, arrangements have been made for them to transfer to University of Charleston, New River Community and Technical College and WVU Tech in Montgomery.

If the HLC makes the decision to grant accreditation to MSU, Wessels said there is a lot of decisions that will need to be made by the Board of Trustees in a short period of time.