College board reaccredits FSCJ; move viewed as positive step after numerous problems

A Southern college board reaccredited Florida State College at Jacksonville last month, a move that shows the board believes the state college is turning itself around after a year of financial problems.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges reaccredited the state college for 10 years at its June meeting. The commission told FSCJ President Cynthia Bioteau about her college’s reaccreditation last week.

FSCJ is dealing with a period of upheaval after the state college was ordered to pay the federal government $4.7 million for Pell Grants that were given to students who didn’t meet federal qualifications for aid.

The aftermath included Gov. Rick Scott calling for a top-down review of leaders at the college, the order from the U.S. Department of Education to pay back the federal grants and the resignation of college president Steve Wallace.

The accreditation process happened at a critical time for the college, and renewal of that essential label could be taken as a nod to the college that it is on the right track.

“I would believe that this is certainly a stamp of approval that they believe that we are a high-quality institution and that we have met their standards for an institution that should have the mark of its accreditation,” said Lynne Crosby, FSCJ associate vice president of institutional effectiveness and accreditation.

In the six months since Bioteau stepped in as FSCJ’s new president, she’s outsourced the college’s 39-person financial aid office to consulting firm ProEducation Solutions, eliminated underperforming programs that were draining resources from the college and replaced three campus presidents.

Bioteau compared her first few months to walking into an emergency room and setting up a triage, she said in a Times-Union editorial board meeting Wednesday. She removed programs and employees who were hurting or holding back the college and brought in new individuals.

She said her goal from here is to run FSCJ as a lean, efficient and ethical college.

“We really had great work to prove we were on the right track,” she said.

Michael Johnson, a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges vice president, said FSCJ didn’t stray from the commission’s core standards. An organization can still be reaccredited, even when going through certain issues.

“Every organization has difficulties from time to time,” he said. “They obviously were found by the people who were reviewing their case to properly address the concerns.”

Meredith Rutland: (904) 359-4161

By Meredith Rutland Thu, Jul 10, 2014 @ 5:00 pm | updated Tue, Jul 15, 2014 @ 10:41 am

Read the article in The Florida Times Union.