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Alliance University, Formerly Nyack College, to Close Its Doors after Losing Accreditation
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Published Jul 06, 2023
Alliance University, a New York-based Christian college affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination, formerly known as Nyack College, will shut down after losing its accreditation status.
In an announcement titled “A Heartbreaking Farewell,” the institution explained that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) will remove its accreditation by the end of this year.
“On the afternoon of Monday, June 26, Alliance University received notice from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that its accreditation is being withdrawn as of December 31, 2023,” the announcement, released last Friday, states.
“We were surprised by the Middle States’ decision and have worked hard all week to evaluate the different options available to us as an institution. The administration learned of Middle States’ decision on Monday afternoon, and the Board of Trustees met Tuesday evening and again Thursday afternoon.”
Alliance University will stop offering courses this Fall semester.
“After carefully evaluating all the options and the current financial situation, the Board has made the difficult decision to wind down on-campus and online educational offerings as of August 31, 2023. Alliance University will not offer courses for the Fall semester. This news is a tremendous loss for us who love Alliance University and the people here. We are all grieving.”
The Christian school also said the Board of Directors for the Christian and Missionary Alliance is “exploring the possibility of continuing the Alliance Theological Seminary program” and are considering “a number of options.”
“Please pray with us for wisdom and guidance,” the announcement concluded.
In March, the MSCHE announced that Alliance would be put on “show cause,” meaning that the university had to justify why it should continue to be accredited.
As reported by The Christian Post, MSCHE found “insufficient evidence that the institution is in compliance with the Commission’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements.”
In a statement emailed to The Christian Post, Alliance University President Rajan Mathews argued that the “show cause” status was “a bit premature.”
“Given the devastating impact of COVID on academic institutions, especially those institutions catering to economically disadvantaged, marginalized and minority students, we believe MSCHE should have noted the significant improvements we were making on all fronts, including financial, and provided us adequate time to complete the improvements we had already commenced,” Mathews asserted.
“Placing us on show cause only makes it harder for us to overcome yet another ‘challenge’ on our road to financial health and self-sufficiency.”
In 1882, Canadian pastor and Christian and Missionary Alliance founder Albert Benjamin Simpson founded Alliance University as the Missionary Training Institute. The school was later renamed Nyack College in 1972 after the town where it was located.
In 2020, the institution changed its name to Alliance University after it sold its 107-acre campus in Nyack and moved all its academic programs to its campus in Lower Manhattan.
Photo courtesy: Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash
