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The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine finds that the ''entire institution is unstable.''
By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 9, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine is on the verge of having its accreditation stripped, a move that would likely close the 16-year-old acupuncture school.
The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine recommended late last month that the school's accreditation be withdrawn. The school can appeal the decision, but success seems unlikely.
An on-site inspection and the school's self-report revealed numerous problems, including non-compliance with 16 accreditation requirements. The commission wrote in its report that the "entire institution is unstable."
"Given the extensiveness, pervasiveness and seriousness of these issues, the commission concludes that these deficiencies cannot be corrected within a reasonable period of time," the report states.
Without accreditation, the school would not be eligible for federal grants and guaranteed loans, crippling the school's main source of funding. Also, without accreditation, students can't take the national exam, which is required to practice acupuncture.
The St. Petersburg Times profiled the school's woes in January. Current and former students had complained about canceled classes, faculty attrition and poor record-keeping. The school's problems included lawsuits, an Internal Revenue Service lien and a foreclosure suit.
Institute president Su Liang Ku, who opened the school at 5335 66th St. N in 1986, said the accreditation commission "was overly punishing the school." He agreed that the school had financial and administrative problems, but most of those stemmed from 2000 and 2001.
The school had addressed the root of the problems, and now is getting rid of the remaining symptoms, he said.
"I think the commission over-emphasized the problems," Ku said. "If they were to dig deeper, they would know that all the causal factors have been removed."
About 60 students attend the school, where they learn acupuncture, among other disciplines. The three-year program costs about $23,000. Ku began the school as a certificate-granting program, but it eventually became degree-granting, which requires more stringent accreditation.
Among other problems, the accreditation commission concluded: The program was financially unstable with no cash reserves and no line of credit. Budgets were not based on realistic enrollment projections or realistic assesments of department needs.
The school-affiliated corporation that owns the property hadn't paid back property taxes, jeopardizing the facility.
Ku has provided inadequate leadership, evidenced by substantial administrative problems and strategic errors.
There are unacceptably high levels of staff turnover, inadequate student and staff files, and an insufficient library.
The school can appeal the commission's decision. If that fails, the school can enter into binding arbitration. The process can take several months. Ku said he will appeal and thinks the school will remain open.
Meanwhile, the classes students take might not be accredited, and thus won't count toward their degrees. If that is the case, Ku acknowledges, the school would not be able to continue much longer.
"There would be no point for the students to keep going to class," he said.
The school remains licensed by the state, said Guery Davis, a program specialist for the Florida Commission for Independent Education. The state will wait to see what happens with accreditation before taking action, he said.
When a school is closed, the state helps remaining students by contracting with someone to teach them or by finding spots in similar schools, Davis said.
Davis said he has been familiar with the school for more than a decade and thinks it remains academically solid. The school, however, has administrative and financial problems.
-- Graham Brink can be reached at (813) 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com