The HLC requires that a governing board must not be influenced by donors or those outside the university and must not interfere in the day-to-day business of the administration. An outside investigation completed earlier this year found that two trustees have done just that.

The HLC promised a review of the board concerns last year when accusations of impropriety first surfaced.

MSU argues that it’s taken steps to address board actions that may have placed the university’s accreditation in jeopardy, including implementing new policies and training for the board.

Losing accreditation would jeopardize MSU's federal funding and ability to offer financial aid.

Randy Smith, vice provost for academic programs at The Ohio State University and chair of the HLC peer review team that came to campus, told The State News that his team is reviewing the board issue and has met with senior leadership as part of its review.

“It’s really just about us understanding where things are today, knowing what’s happened in the last year and a half,” Smith said.

The university has been consistently accredited since 1915, though its accreditation was briefly inactive or withdrawn in 1922, according to MSU’s accreditation website.

Now that the campus visit is finished, the HLC has up to six weeks to finalize its report on MSU’s accreditation status.

A timeline of MSU’s accreditation troubles

On Oct. 22, 2023, Trustee Brianna Scott publicly called for then-board Chair Rema Vassar’s removal, outlining in a seven-page letter allegations that Vassar overstepped her role as trustee.

Days later, an MSU administrator in charge of compliance with the HLC said that some of Scott’s allegations — that Vassar has repeatedly overstepped into the administration's business, flew to a sporting event on a donor’s private jet and appeared in an ad for a former trustee’s wealth management firm — could jeopardize MSU’s accreditation. 

Then-Faculty Senate Chair Jack Lipton, a vocal critic of the trustees, wrote a complaint to the HLC the next month outlining these concerns. The HLC responded, saying the allegations raised “potential concerns” and promising a review of MSU’s compliance.

In December 2023, an MSU student tried to cast doubt on Lipton’s HLC complaint with a complaint of her own. 

Criminal justice senior Missy Chola, currently the political affairs director for the Black Students’ Alliance, wrote to the HLC that she was “troubled by the alleged claims” in Lipton’s letter and that Vassar and Trustee Dennis Denno were the only trustees who consistently provided support for students. 

Members of the Black Students’ Alliance have often spoken in support of Vassar and Denno. At the October 2023 board meeting directly following the release of Scott’s letter, students vocalized their support for Vassar, occasionally interrupting presenters and other speakers.

Lipton later told The Detroit News that Vassar "let the mob rule the room” during the meeting by allowing the disruptions to continue. The statement sparked criticism from several Black campus groups.

Chola mentioned Lipton’s comment in her letter to the HLC. By calling Black students a “mob,” she argued, Lipton put the safety of students at risk. Lipton later apologized for the statement.

The HLC responded, saying there was “not enough to pursue an investigation” in Chola’s letter, Chola told The State News. 

In January 2024, MSU wrote back to the HLC, saying the university was taking steps to remedy the board situation. Alongside initiating training on board governance, the university had commissioned an outside investigation to better understand the totality of the misconduct, Provost Thomas Jeitschko wrote. 

The board impropriety investigation, conducted by law firm Miller & Chevalier, concluded in February. It backed up many of Scott’s allegations, finding that Vassar and Denno interfered in university affairs, accepted gifts from donors and encouraged students to attack their colleagues. 

Notably, the firm found that Vassar and Denno encouraged Chola to write her letter to the HLC that criticized Lipton. Investigators reported that in a private meeting in November 2023, Denno told students to “call (Lipton) out, call him a racist.”

Chola has denied any outside influence on her letter. She previously told The State News that she wrote the letter independently as a “Black student leader fighting for marginalized communities on our campus.”

Following the report, the rest of the board voted to censure Vassar and Denno, temporarily strip them of their duties and ask the state governor to consider their removal from the board. The governor is still reviewing the request.

What MSU has done to address concerns

In preparation for the HLC’s review, MSU published a 109-page document in October arguing why its accreditation should be renewed. It addresses all of the HLC’s requirements for accreditation, boasting enrollment statistics and an array of initiatives and programs supporting student success. 

It also dedicates several pages to the board controversy, arguing that the university has “used all resources at our disposal” to comply with the HLC requirements on the conduct of governing boards.

“When there was a reason for concern that something was potentially out of compliance, we took robust action in accordance with our policies and procedures,” the document says.

Part of those efforts included the board signing pledges to not interfere in the new president’s administration, according to the document.

MSU’s board has also continued work with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges to develop policies around travel, communication and community engagement, according to the document. 

In the coming months, MSU will continue reviewing policies on board conduct, implement an “enhanced onboarding program” for new board members and the next board chair, and have discussions with the board on crisis management and investment oversight responsibilities, according to the document.

HLC’s visit

The HLC sent a survey to students asking about their experiences at MSU in early September. Then, a peer review team visited campus on Nov. 18 and 19 to conduct six open forums for students, faculty and staff to hear their perspectives.

Though it was advertised through multiple campus-wide emails, only two students showed up to the forum for students.

Another forum saw more participation. Over a dozen administrators and their staff attended a session on MSU’s mission and ethics and integrity, though their discussion was largely positive. Many participants admired the university’s “land-grant” mission and the depth of the training material provided to new staff. 

Smith, the HLC reviewer, said at the end of the meeting that attendees “verified and supplemented” the university’s argument for accreditation.

What’s next?

The HLC peer review team will draft a report on MSU’s accreditation within four to six weeks of its visit, according to HLC protocol.

The university has two weeks to respond to the HLC’s findings and recommendations.

Both the report and MSU’s response are then sent to an HLC decision-making body that would decide whether to reaffirm the university’s accreditation or make major decisions regarding its status.