FACTORYVILLE, Pa. — The Middle States Commission on Higher Education on Tuesday announced its decision to withdraw accreditation from Keystone College.
The school, which is located at the line of Lackawanna and Wyoming counties, told its students, faculty and staff that it disagreed with the decision and planned to appeal.
"We all knew that the process of rebuilding Keystone and changing our trajectory would not be easy," said college President John F. Pullo Sr. in a statement. "At the same time, I feel the adverse action taken by (Middle States) significantly undervalues the progress the College has made over the past several months to strengthen our financial situation, rectify our weaknesses, and move forward. I pledge that we will pursue every possible opportunity as we prepared our appeal."
The loss of accreditation, a potentially backbreaking development, impacts access to federal financial aid. The college told its community it will retain accreditation and continue to operate during the appeal process. The school expects a hearing early next year.
The school, however, cannot enroll, market to or recruit new students during the appeal process, according to Middle States.
Pullo said the college will formally notify Middle States this week of its intention to appeal. Should it not, the college's accreditation ends Dec. 31.
A spokesperson for Middle States could not immediately be reached for comment.
The decision, dated last week, comes after a year of uncertainty for the college stemming from financial problems. The reasons Middle States cited Tuesday for withdrawing accreditation largely revolved around the college’s finances.
In the spring, Middle States worried the school was in “imminent danger of closing” following the collapse of a proposed partnership agreement with an education nonprofit, the Washington Institute for Education and Research. As the summer began, Keystone cut more than two dozen positions and eliminated some academic programs.
The accreditor required that Keystone craft a “teach-out” plan to safeguard students working toward their degrees should the school close. Middle States on Tuesday directed that the college implement the teach-out plan and required they submit an updated agreement by Dec. 6.
However, Keystone and WIER ended up reaching a new agreement that would see the two merge sometime in in 2025.
"We are thriving," Pullo said during a recent townhall with the student body, according to the school.
In an email sent Tuesday to staff, faculty and students, Pullo said that WIER remains, "steadfast with their support of Keystone and our mission."
"I know that this news comes at a difficult time as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and close out the Fall semester," Pullo wrote. "I want you all to know how grateful I am for your continued support and for all that you do each day in support of each other and the entire College. I still firmly believe that the future includes Keystone College in it and will continue to fight for our success."