1815 Southern Assoc. Takes Action to Remove Accreditation of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic
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Dynamic Chiropractic – January 28, 1994, Vol. 12, Issue 03

Southern Assoc. Takes Action to Remove Accreditation of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic

Sherman Has 30 Days to Appeal

By Editorial Staff
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has taken action at its December 1993 annual meeting "to remove the accreditation of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic for failure to comply with Condition of Eligibility Number 13 and Section 6.3.1 of the Criteria for Accreditation," according to the Commission's office. Both provisions deal with "adequacy of financial resources."

Sherman College officials acknowledged the school received notification on December 15, 1993 that the Commission voted to "deny the college's membership."

Sherman has 30 days from the receipt of the letter to notify the Commission whether it intends to appeal the action. Until the expiration of those 30 days, Sherman retains accredited status and is on probation.

The Commission has stated that if the college appeals the decision, a hearing will take place in April. Sherman President Thom Gelardi, DC, said the school will appeal the action. "We believe that when the appeal hearing takes place in April, the 1993 audit will demonstrate that Sherman meets Southern's financial criteria," Dr. Gelardi predicted.

The Commission's office explained the three possible actions available to the appeals committee: 1) uphold the Commission's original action to remove accreditation; 2) remand to the Commission for reconsideration at its next meeting (June 1994); 3) overturn the Commission's original action, which would result in the college being removed from probation and reaffirmed in its accreditation.

A statement from Sherman College asserts that the Commission's decision was based on audited information through Dec. 1992, but that Sherman's financial position had "improved significantly in 1993."

"1993 was a great year for Sherman," President Gelardi said. "Enrollment was up significantly, as was giving." Sherman College points to over $800,000 in donations in 1993, a result of the 'Meet the Challenge' fundraising campaign headed by Dr. Joseph Donofrio, chairman of the Sherman College Board of Trustees. (Editor's note: In our Jan. 14, 1994 issue, we reported the $125,000 donation by Reginald Gold, DC, to Sherman College.)

So while the status of Sherman's regional accreditation is on hold, the school has revealed it will move forward to enroll a previously unscheduled spring 1994 class to handle the increase in student applications.

Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email .

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