[B]URLINGTON — Burlington College officials last week discussed the school’s future with the regional accreditation agency that has it on probationary status that’s scheduled to end this summer.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ Commission on Institutions of Higher Education placed Burlington College on probation in July 2014 after concerns emerged about its deteriorating finances. The two-year probationary period is up in July, and the association’s higher education commission must decide in the coming weeks whether to revoke the school’s accreditation, extend the probationary period or bring the school off probation.
The April 21 meeting in Massachusetts was an opportunity for Burlington College to report back on its efforts to improve its finances and increase enrollment, said Burlington College President Carol Moore in an interview Monday.
During a portion of an October exit interview with NEASC officials at Burlington College, which the college posted online, the accrediting agency said the school had “vastly improved” its governance since being placed on probation.
The sale of much of its North Avenue campus to a developer for roughly $9 million improved the struggling college’s finances, officials said. However, the school’s declining enrollment was still a “major risk” to its long-term viability.
Enrollment dropped from 186 full-time students in the fall of 2014 to 123 in the fall of 2015. Burlington College has a plan to increase enrollment to 215 by the fall of 2018, according to the video, with 165 expected next fall. Meeting that growth plan “will be essential to the success of the college,” a NEASC official said during the exit interview.
As part of its effort to meet those enrollment goals, Burlington College announced in December that it would be reducing its tuition, a move that cuts against the rising cost of higher education at most institutions.
Moore said Monday that while it’s very early in the college’s recruitment cycle, it has received a volume of applications that “mirrors” the number of applications received prior to the two largest classes to enter Burlington College. That gives her confidence the school will hit its enrollment target, she said.
Moore expects a decision from NEASC in the next three to four weeks, she said. She’s hopeful the agency’s decision will allow the college to move forward, she added.
