Edward Waters Reaches Settlement To Keep Accreditation

POSTED: 3:07 pm EDT June 3, 2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Edward Waters College has reached a settlement with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that should let the college keep its accreditation.
The motion filed in federal court Friday stays the lawsuit EWC filed after its accreditation was revoked for plagiarism, pending a meeting by the SACS June 23 in Ponte Vedra Beach.
EWC attorney Mike Freed is optimistic the association will go along with the settlement, which would mean the lawsuit would then be dismissed.
EWC challenged the revocation by saying the SACS didn't follow due process or its own rules in revoking the accreditation, and maintained the punishment was too harsh, given the infraction.
EWC officials have warned that loss of accreditation, and the subsequent loss of federal tuition assistance for students, could be disastrous for the school. Students at non-accredited schools are also not eligible for scholarships from the United Negro College Fund.
An estimated 90 percent of the college's students receive financial aid.

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