Tag: Mountain State University

WVU Exploring Purchase of Beckley Campus

West Virginia University announced Thursday it is exploring the purchase of the former Mountain State University Beckley campus.
The University announced a due diligence agreement in a press release. The agreement allows WVU to explore the facilities, location, and academic programs among many other areas at Mountain State to determine if it meets their academic and fiscal expectations.

WVU Provost Joyce McConnell said in the release the two schools are in the very early stages of the process.

 
“We have entered into an exclusive agreement to explore the possibility of purchasing the Mountain State University campus,” said WVU President Gordon Gee. “This truly is a unique opportunity – and one we feel an obligation to explore – especially as it has the potential to increase West Virginia University’s ability to serve our state.”

Mountain State put the campus up for sale in August to settle litigation brought by some 14,000 MSU students after the school lost its accreditation in 2012.

 
The University of Charleston is currently using the facilities, but said over the summer the school would not buy the campus and is searching for other options in the Beckley area.

14,000 Former MSU Students Closer to Compensation

A Jan. 15 hearing is scheduled in Charleston on a proposed settlement of hundreds of lawsuits against the now defunct Mountain State University.

A three-judge mass litigation panel gave preliminary approval to the settlement Monday following a hearing in Beckley.

The proposed settlement will establish a fund to compensate over 14,000 students who filed claims when the university lost its accreditation in 2012.

Yesterday’s decision allows the former university to begin liquidating its assets.

The compensation fund also would include money from Mountain State’s insurance carrier and the U.S. Department of Education.

The University of Charleston took over Mountain State’s campuses in Beckley and Martinsburg, allowing students to complete their degrees.  UC’s lease runs through June 2015.

The January hearing will discuss the settlement’s final terms.

Settlement Reached in Mountain State Lawsuits

  The University of Charleston says it has reached a tentative settlement of lawsuits filed by former Mountain State University students against the now-defunct Beckley school.

The proposed settlement announced Wednesday would resolve hundreds of lawsuits and set up a compensation fund for former Mountain State students.

That fund would include $8.5 million from Mountain State’s insurance carrier, money from the U.S. Department of Education and from expected income from the liquidation of Mountain State’s remaining assets.

The students sued after Mountain State closed because it lost its accreditation. The lawsuits alleged school officials were deceptive about the problems the school was facing.

UC took over Mountain State’s campuses in Beckley and Martinsburg so students could complete their degrees but will move out of facilities owned by Mountain State.

Officials of Former Mountain State Sue Commission

  The former Mountain State University is suing an accrediting body over the loss of its accreditation.

The lawsuit says the Higher Learning Commission didn’t follow its policies, rules and practices when it revoked the university’s accreditation in June 2012.

The lawsuit says the loss of accreditation forced the private Beckley-based university to close. Without accreditation, the university was no longer eligible for state and federal funding, including student aid.

A commission spokeswoman told the Charleston Gazette that no one would comment on the lawsuit.

Bridgeport attorney Jack Merinar filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of three Mountain State board members. He tells the newspaper that the lawsuit tells a different side of the accreditation story.

The University of Charleston took over Mountain State’s Beckley and Martinsburg campuses.

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