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L CHE Middle States Commission on Higher Education 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680. Tel: 267-284-5000. Fax: 215-662-5501 MS A www.msche.org March 6, 2009 Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster President University of the Virgin Islands #2 John Brewer's Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802-9990 Dear Dr. Ragster: At its session on March 5, 2009, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education acted: To accept the progress letter. To note that the Commission received the monitoring report due March 1, 2009. The Periodic Review Report is due June 1, 2012. Enclosed for your information is a copy of the Statement of Accreditation Status for your institution. The Statement of Accreditation Status (SAS) provides important basic information about the institution and its affiliation with the Commission, and it is made available to the public in the Directory of Members and Candidates on the Commission's website at www.msche.org. Accreditation applies to the institution as detailed in the SAS; institutional information is derived from data provided by the institution through annual reporting and from Commission actions. If any of the institutional information is incorrect, please contact the Commission as soon as possible. Please check to ensure that published references to your institution's accredited status (catalog, other publications, web page) include the full name, address, and telephone number of the accrediting agency. Further guidance is provided in the Commission's policy statement Advertising, Student Recruitment, and Representation of Accredited Status. If the action for your institution includes preparation of a progress letter, monitoring report or supplemental report, please see our policy statement on Follow-up Reports and Visits. Both policies can be obtained from our website. Please be assured of the continuing interest of the Commission on Higher Education in the well-being of University of the Virgin Islands. If any further clarification is needed regarding the SAS or other items in this letter, please feel free to contact Dr. Andrea A. Lex, Vice President. Sincerely, Ce aa Peter F. Burnham Chair The Middle States Commission on Higher Education accredits institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other locations abroad. Supplemental Information Report: This is required when a decision is postponed and are intended only to allow the institution to provide further information, not to give the institution time to formulate plans or initiate remedial action. Progress letter: The Commission needs assurance that the institution is carrying out activities that were planned or were being implemented at the time of a report or on-site visit. Monitoring report: There is a potential for the institution to become non-compliant with MSCHE standards; issues are more complex or more numerous; or issues require a substantive, detailed report. A visit may or may not be required. Warning: The Commission acts to Warn an institution that its accreditation may be in jeopardy when the institution is not in compliance with one or more Commission standards and a follow-up report, called a monitoring report, is required to demonstrate that the institution has made appropriate improvements to bring itself into compliance. Warning indicates that the Commission believes that, although the institution is out of compliance, the institution has the capacity to make appropriate improvements within a reasonable period of time and the institution has the capacity to sustain itself in the long term. Probation: The Commission places an institution on Probation when, in the Commission’s judgment, the institution is not in compliance with one or more Commission standards and that the non-compliance is sufficiently serious, extensive, or acute that it raises concern about one or more of the following: 1. the adequacy of the education provided by the institution; 2. the institution’s capacity to make appropriate improvements in a timely fashion; or 3. the institution’s capacity to sustain itself in the long term. Probation is often, but need not always be, preceded by an action of Warning or Postponement. If the Commission had previously postponed a decision or placed the institution on Warning, the Commission may place the institution on Probation if it determines that the institution has failed to address satisfactorily the Commission’s concerns in the prior action of postponement or warning regarding compliance with Commission standards. This action is accompanied by a request for a monitoring report, and a special visit follows. Probation may, but need not always, precede an action of Show Cause. Suspend accreditation: Accreditation has been Continued for one year and an appropriate evaluation is not possible. This is a procedural action that would result in Removal of Accreditation if accreditation cannot be reaffirmed within the period of suspension. Show cause why the institution's accreditation should not be removed: The institution is required to present its case for accreditation by means of a substantive report and/or an on-site evaluation. A "Public Disclosure Statement" is issued by the Commission. Remove accreditation. If the institution appeals this action, its accreditation remains in effect until the appeal is completed. Other actions are described in the Commission policy, "Range of Commission Actions on Accreditation."