Dear Lincoln University Students:

The purpose of this communication is to update you regarding the situation created by the decertification of Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).

On December 12, 2016, the Secretary for the US Department of Education announced that the certification of ACICS as a National Accreditor of higher education institutions has been terminated. Technically, the accreditation of Lincoln University as well as four hundred other ACICS accredited schools was taken over by USDOE for a period of 18 months starting that day. The Department will continue the participation of schools accredited by ACICS in the Federal Student Aid Programs through provisional certification. This provisional certification requires the affected institutions to meet specific requirements, and initiate actions to pursue accreditation by other operating accrediting bodies. The administration of Lincoln University has taken all actions required by the USDOE.

Provided below is an overview of the process which Lincoln University administration plans to implement to protect (and possibly, enhance) the welfare of Lincoln University's students in the context of the Institutional accreditation, and the Specialized Program Accreditation of the Business Administration and Diagnostic Imaging programs:

1. The administration of Lincoln University has initiated process that is expected to result in the Institutional accreditation of Lincoln University by a regional accreditor, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC);

2. To enhance the value of the university degrees we also looking for the specialized programmatic accreditations:

• For the Business Administration graduate programs by International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), one of the top three business studies program accreditors, recognized by the USDOE. This process has started and we passed the first site visit;

• For the BS degree and Certificate in Diagnostic Imaging programs by Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), a highly regarded accreditor in this area of specialization, will be initiated in the near future.

It is appropriate to state that institutional and specialized program accreditation processes are lengthy and burdensome. I plan to keep our students and other stake holders at Lincoln University informed about significant developments as we move forward in pursuit of the accreditations mentioned earlier.

Please be assured that Lincoln University is an accredited institution despite the current decertification of ACICS. In confirmation of this statement please read a letter of the US Department of Education Secretary to ACICS accredited institutions at http://www2.ed.gov/documents/acics/ppa-provisions.pdf. The letter clearly states:

During the period of provisional participation, the Secretary will deem institutions to hold recognized accreditation, which will allow institutions to avoid consequences in which are triggered in certain states when an institution is no longer accredited by a federally recognized accrediting agency.

Dr. Mikhail Brodsky, President and Rector

Posted on: January 4, 2017