The University’s accrediting agency has decided to monitor UNC for another year while it works to implement a plan to “make whole” a number of degrees with ties to the academic scandal.
But so far the University has shown little progress in putting its plans into action. UNC has avoided a sanction for now, but the University should use this year of monitoring to truly move forward with its proposals — not delay action even further.
UNC submitted plans to the agency detailing what it was going to do to fix the issue — plans that involve offering free courses to alumni and requiring current students to make up the credits for courses exposed as irregular.
The agency accepted the plan, saying that as long as it’s executed successfully, the University has done enough.
More than 300 alumni took illegitimate courses, however, so making substitute classes available and feasible to such a large and likely widespread population will obviously not be a simple task.
But inquiries into further details revealed little about any extra thought or effort put into the plan.
University spokeswoman Karen Moon said “a number of offices” are involved with the supplementary classes — but everyone reached in those offices either declined comment or had no new information to offer.
Administrators should stop wasting time and start making concrete plans to redeem the University.
