Accreditor puts Southwestern College on notice over finances

Southwestern College’s accreditor has placed the Winfield school on notice over its finances, a public warning that the college is at risk of falling out of compliance with accreditation standards if it can’t steady its budget and enrollment.

The Higher Learning Commission’s board of trustees took the action Nov. 5. HLC President Barbara Gellman-Danley informed Southwestern President Elizabeth Frombgen in a letter dated Nov. 10, and the commission posted the letter and a public disclosure notice on Nov. 11. The college’s status on the HLC directory now reads “Accredited On Notice.”

What it means for students

Notice is the mildest of HLC’s public sanctions. Southwestern remains fully accredited, and the commission says other colleges will in most cases keep accepting its credits for transfer or graduate admission. Students planning to transfer are told to check directly with the school they want to attend. Accreditation is what makes a college eligible for federal student aid, and that has not changed.

The initial period of notice can last up to two years. The college must tell students, faculty, staff and its board about the sanction, send the commission its planned disclosures in advance, and mention the status whenever it refers to its HLC accreditation.

Why the commission acted

The board found that Southwestern meets, “with concerns,” the standard that a college’s money and staff can support its operations and keep it going over the long term. Its letter lists the reasons:

• Financial problems and falling enrollment have continued despite steps the college has taken since 2022, including new academic programs, cost cuts and more revenue from fundraising and auxiliary services.
• The college has little operating cash, an ongoing operating deficit of about $2.16 million and an accumulated unrestricted deficit of about $12.05 million, with debt and interest payments adding pressure.
• Its enrollment projections “have consistently appeared to be overly optimistic” and have been missed over the last several years.
• Several parts of its recovery plan, including revenue from new programs, better retention, fundraising growth and future surpluses, “remain prospective.”

The action came after a focused visit on the college’s budget and finances. HLC’s records show the commission has been watching Southwestern’s finances for years, with financial reviews and monitoring dating to at least 2017 and an earlier focused visit on enrollment, finances and strategic planning that was accepted in February 2024.

Bets on new programs

Some of the programs the commission called unproven are recent. Southwestern announced in March that HLC had approved Kansas’s first Doctor of Medical Science program, an online degree for practicing physician associates that was set to start its first cohort in August. The college said then it was also working toward a physician associate program in Winfield, with up to 40 students in a first class planned for January 2027 if it won provisional accreditation, and that it had begun renovating the 800 Main Place building downtown to house it.

The college’s finances also touch the local school district. USD 465 and Southwestern have been negotiating a longer lease for Richard L. Jantz Stadium, which Winfield’s high school and middle school teams use, after a nine-month extension through June 30, 2027. The district pays $105,000 a year, including $5,000 for maintenance, the Cowley CourierTraveler reported in October.

What happens next

Southwestern stays on its regular review cycle. It must file a Notice Report at least eight weeks before its next comprehensive evaluation, set for spring 2028, showing it is no longer at risk. HLC’s board will review the outcome at its November 2028 meeting. At that point it can remove the notice, extend it or take stronger action, which under HLC policy could range up to probation or withdrawal of accreditation.

As of Thursday, the accreditation page on Southwestern’s website did not yet mention the new status. Founded by Methodists in 1885, the college has held HLC accreditation continuously since 1932.