Students Return to A Renewed Virginia Intermont

BRISTOL, Va. – As an incoming freshman last August, Carissa Dezort was “a little” worried about Virginia Intermont College’s future, in light of its widely publicized financial problems.

As she prepares to begin her sophomore year, Dezort said Monday those worries are in the past.

“I was a little concerned last year, but I believe everything is going to work out,” Dezort said as she carried items to her fifth-floor dorm room.
“I’m even more optimistic this year that it’s all going to be fine,” she said.

In the face of mounting bills and dwindling resources, college officials last year embarked on a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign, eliminated some athletic and academic programs, reduced financial aid and increased tuition rates.

Sophomore Matt Fowler of San Antonio, Texas, said during his move-in Monday that his concerns also have lessened.

“Now I’m not worried about the school shutting down,” Fowler said. “I believe we’ll be perfectly fine, from what I’ve been told.”

New students are due to arrive on campus Friday and registration is scheduled Saturday for all students. Classes are set to begin Monday.

The school’s current challenge is retaining its accreditation. Last year, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges placed VI on probation and directed school officials to respond to concerns about financial resources, institutional effectiveness, financial stability, qualifications of some faculty members and its physical facilities.

Many of the issues have been addressed, and the school continues to work on fulfilling others – especially those relating to financial viability, VI President Michael Puglisi said.

“They want to see a pattern of financial success and the ability to sustain that, not just a snapshot of success,” Puglisi said. “It isn’t just showing them a good six months; they want to see a trend.”

SACS President Beth Wheelan previously predicted the financial component would present the biggest challenge.

Wheelan was out of the country Monday and unavailable for comment. A phone call to the SACS office in Atlanta was not returned.

The school is required to submit its report to SACS by the end of August, and a representative is due to visit the campus this fall. The commission is scheduled to consider VI’s status during its December meeting.

“All the indications are the steps we are taking are positive,” Puglisi said. “We are making every effort to get back in good standing.”

The school continues to be accredited but under suspension; in December, the SACS commission could vote to reinstate or revoke accreditation, or to continue the suspension.

“Probation is generally a two-year process, and I expect that will be the case in our situation,” Puglisi said. “SACS typically wants to give colleges the full amount of time to address and resolve issues.”

Enrollment, which declined last year, is expected to increase to about 700 students, Puglisi said.

“We expect to be up about 60 to 70 over last year,” Puglisi said. “We’re looking at between 670 and 700. That’s what we’ve budgeted for, but you never know until they all get here.”

Students returning to the Moore Street campus should breathe a bit easier about VI’s long-term outlook, Puglisi said.

“We’ve had a remarkable year,” Puglisi said. “If we go back to May 2007, things have turned around radically. We’ve raised nearly $8 million, we met Bill Gatton’s challenge and met our goal for the past year. We’ve established a foundation. It’s not a salvation, but it is a foundation that has given us the opportunity to succeed in the future.”

Gatton, a local auto dealer, pledged in April 2007 to donate $1 million if the college could raise another $5 million. That donation was the key to VI’s emergence from the financial crisis and inspired others to help the school meet its $1.8 million fund-raising goal for fiscal 2007-08, Puglisi said.

“We’ve been able to project the message to the public that we are here to stay, that we are a successful, viable institution,” Puglisi said.

The school’s fiscal 2008-09 fundraising goal is $2.5 million and includes operating funds and capital expenses to continue renovation work on its Main Hall.

Construction crews are currently renovating a section of the college’s original building and relocating offices of financial aid, registrar and other student services.

The first phase is scheduled to cost $800,000 and is scheduled to be done later this week, Puglisi said.

“Main Hall is the center point of our campus. It is the original college building,” Puglisi said. “The fact that we can undertake a renovation of that building is significant. But in a symbolic sense, it represents we’re rebuilding the college.”

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