SAU will instead focus on supporting students through teach-out agreements, developing non-degree certificates and apprenticeship programs, and building a pathway toward reaccreditation," university officials said Tuesday.
The university said the decision was in cooperation with its accreditor to ensure “impacted students were able to graduate from an accredited institution.”
So I guess they will have to operate with two year programs and transfer students out? I am not sure how well this works if their classes aren’t accredited. But maybe the certificate program thing will work?? Who knows. It seems like grasping at straws. But I haven’t been involved so who am I to say?
I understand maintaining a legacy of an institution like SAU, but as stated, “The vessel is taking on water”. Maybe SAU has tried, but I don’t understand why they don’t look at partnering with another HBCU (NCCU, ECSU, Shaw) to try and gain some real traction.
I’m not rooting for their demise, but from a casual outside observer’s perspective, I feel like this has been their m.o. for the last several years. We could all see the handwriting on the wall, but they just keep kicking the can down the road while issuing rosy PR statements that don’t have any basis in common sense or reality. I don’t see a good way out of this other than lending their "brand’ to another HBC, but at least they’re helping out their current graduating students.
At the end of the day, the biggest “losers” here are the poor KIDS that were swindled into enrolling here with the (likely) cheaper tuition than other schools. Unfortunately, they’re getting what they pay for - which will be next to nothing, soon:
…meanwhile I’m willing to bet a majority of their students were looking for a, you know, COLLEGE DEGREE. All this is to say: these poor KIDS are being absolutely scammed by this ONCE-dignified university, and the school should accept reality and close so these KIDS can move on and find better success with a school that actually gives a fucking shit about them. This whole fiasco is disgraceful to St. Aug’s history.
@BoringRaleigh what, exactly, is your purpose here? Legitimately asking. Do you give even half a shit that the kids who enroll at this (clearly) failing university are the ones that are bearing the brunt of their failure? Or do you just like to troll without any actual ideas for solutions? If not, what’s your solution? How do YOU, @BoringRaleigh, “FIX” St Aug’s? Tell us, we’re all ears!
This is not good news for anyone on this blog. I feel sure I can speak for us all that we’d rather see a successful SAU than a failing one. If there is one thing that unites all the participants on this blog is the desire for ALL of downtown and its residents to thrive. If SAU does go under - and as an academic I don’t see how they avoid that fate - discussing what is to become of the property is fair.
We’re all waiting with baited breath on your solution for how in the hell St. Aug’s gets out of the seemingly endless pit of despair THEY have put themselves into??? HELLO!!! EARTH TO @BoringRaleigh ??? Any bright ideas here??? Or just more virtue signaling completely devoid of reality??? H E L P !!! (lmao)
If they can get it out of bankruptcy, SAU has an opportunity to remake itself into a two-year college, similar to a community college. Wake Tech currently doesn’t have a campus anywhere near downtown, besides the healthcare one at WakeMed. Would be beneficial for those who ride the bus or don’t have reliable transportation to the current campuses.
I have no idea what it takes to go from a private university to a public community college, but I suspect it’s not necessarily easy. I suppose that the SAU just has to shut down, and then the State of NC has to pursue the location separately .
Getting shut down is the consequence of years of financial mismanagement and institutional instability. At some point, if an institution cannot correct persistent operational failures, the outcome becomes unavoidable regardless of history or legacy.
St. Augustine’s has reportedly accumulated roughly $32 million in debt, millions in tax liens, suffered repeated accreditation crises, and seen enrollment collapse by more than 80% in just a few years. Student outcomes have also lagged, with graduation rates reportedly in the 25–33% range (well below national averages) and institutional rankings near the bottom of peer comparisons.
It is unfortunate given the importance of HBCUs and SAU’s legacy, but legacy alone does not exempt an institution from accountability. If leadership cannot reverse years of mismanagement, closure becomes the natural consequence of sustained failure, not an injustice.
At some point, stewardship matters.
The most unfortunate part of this situation is what it does to the students. Attending a university in prolonged financial and accreditation distress creates serious uncertainty about whether credits will transfer and whether students will be able to finish their education without disruption.
Students invest years of their lives and take on debt expecting institutional stability and a path toward a credible degree. When a university cannot protect that present reality or provide confidence in its future, it is the students who bear the greatest cost.
A school’s mission should be to create opportunity and not place students in a position where their education and long-term prospects are put at risk by leadership’s current and future failures.
