College of DuPage responds to accreditation agency report

College of DuPage officials say "extraordinary steps" have been taken in the wake of a scathing report from an accreditation agency that was highly critical of the school's administration and board of trustees.

The Higher Learning Commission last month released the report that cited numerous concerns under former President Robert Breuder's watch, including administrators being reimbursed for alcohol purchases at the college's high-end restaurant, a theft at the campus radio station and the assignment of credits at COD's Suburban Law Enforcement Academy.

The 45-page report also suggests the current board is dysfunctional and bickers while its leader micromanages or bypasses the college administration.

But in a letter sent Wednesday to HLC President Barbara Gellman-Danley, COD's Acting Interim President Joseph Collins wrote that the college has taken "extraordinary steps" to correct the issues that prompted the HLC to conduct its review. That review included sending an advisory team to the Glen Ellyn campus in July.

"Under the new college leadership, most of the other issues, such as lack of ethics training and the SLEA credit concern, have been quickly and effectively remediated," Collins wrote. "The issues that remain are all being addressed in complete cooperation between our board, the administrators, the staff and the faculty."

Trustees, for example, have agreed to participate in a retreat and to establish a comprehensive orientation program for new board members "to allow the board to more effectively conduct business for the good of the college," Collins wrote.

When it comes to the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, officials have decided to stop awarding academic credit to the suburban police cadets who train there. "The program has been moved from the educational unit to the auxiliary unit, completely separating it from all academic processes and approvals," Collins wrote.

Other steps taken by the college include:

• Adopting more controls to prevent questionable equipment purchases after a former WDCB radio station employee was charged with stealing more than $200,000.

• Closing the Waterleaf restaurant where administrators were reimbursed for alcohol purchases. The school also stopped using house accounts, which allow designated individuals to simply sign for business-related campus purchases.

• Requiring vendors who do business with the college to disclose potential conflicts of interest when they submit bids.

• Firing Breuder along with two other high-ranking administrators - Thomas Glaser and Lynn Sapyta. Glaser served as the school's senior vice president of administration and treasurer, and Sapyta was assistant vice president of financial affairs and controller.

The Higher Learning Commission board eventually will decide whether to put COD on probation or impose a lesser sanction of "Notice" if it concludes that the core components for accreditation are met but with concerns.

Institutions placed on probation must host a comprehensive evaluation visit within two years from the date of the sanction to demonstrate they meet all 21 criteria for accreditation. At that time. the commission determines whether the school will continue to be accredited.