South University

South University was founded in Savannah, Georgia, in 1899 as Draughan's Practical Business College.^[3] The private school taught accounting, banking, typewriting, bookkeeping and shorthand.

The South family acquired the institution in 1974 and changed its name to Draughan's Junior College.^[4][5] In 1986, the name was changed to South College. In 2001, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited South College at the master's level and the school was renamed South University.^[4]

The institution's name change to South College resulted in a 2002 legal dispute with Sewanee: The University of the South, which had registered the name "The University of the South" with the U.S. Patent Office.^[6] The issue was resolved in 2003 with both schools retaining their names.^[7]

In 2003, Education Management Corporation (EDMC) acquired South University. The following year, the university expanded from its main campus in Savannah, Georgia, to eleven other locations in the United States and began offering online courses. Fifty-two percent of South University students were enrolled entirely online.^[8]

Scandal and decline (2012-present)

In 2015, EDMC, South University's former parent company, agreed to forgive more than $100.8 million in student loan debt held by more than 80,000 former students.^[9] U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania stated that 'Companies cannot enrich their corporate coffers at the expense of students seeking a quality education, or on the backs of taxpayers who are funding our critical financial aid programs ... 'Today's global settlement sends an unmistakable message to all for-profit education companies: the United States will aggressively ferret out fraud and protect innocent students and taxpayer dollars from this kind of egregious abuse.'^[10]

In December 2016, South University was placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) due to financial concerns regarding its parent company at the time, EDMC.^[11][12] South University was removed from probation in December 2017 after the sale to Dream Center Education Holdings and SACS approved the university's conversion to not-for-profit status (although the U.S. Department of Education classifies the institution as for-profit.^[13]).^[14]

South University Novi Campus, which closed in 2019

South University's Savannah campus (which includes its online students) celebrated its largest graduating class in the institution's history in June 2017, when more than 3,500 students received degrees.^[15] On October 17, 2017, the university's former parent company, Education Management Corporation, reported that it had sold its schools to the Los Angeles-based Dream Center Foundation, a non-profit organization.^{[16][17][18] [19]}

In 2019 South University fired a large majority of their workforce including the online support staff located in Chandler, Arizona, closing the site. South University was expected to be transferred to Education Principle Foundation.^[20] In the meantime, all South campuses were being operated independently.^[21] The court appointed receiver, Studio Enterprise, and the university had until April 11, 2019 to negotiate to separate South & remaining Art Institute schools from the Dream Center Education IT Platform by September 11, 2019. Writing for the Republic Report, David Halperin opined that "[s]hould they fail to agree, the plan of reorganization will likely fail, thereby dooming South University and the Art Institutes."^[22] The court-appointed receiver has also reported that "there is a 'scattered matching of revenues and expenses' among all the former EDMC schools, making it difficult to determine the true financial picture at the schools in receivership and those controlled by Education Principle Foundation."^[23]

In 2020, South University received $7,726,170 in federal funding under the CARES Act.^[24] South was allocated an additional $5.1 million under HEERF II.^[25] On December 4, 2020, South University closed on a loan from Blue Ridge Bank under the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending Program, assuming $50 million in debt, with a $35 million balloon payment in 2025.^[25]

In 2021 a class action lawsuit was filed against Education Principle Foundation and South University for making illegal robocalls. ^[26]

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Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fifth-largest city, with a 2020 U.S. Census population of 147,780. The Savannah metropolitan area, Georgia's third-largest, had a 2020 population of 404,798.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and private educational institutions ranging from preschool to college level in the Southern United States. Its headquarters are in North Druid Hills, Georgia, near Decatur, in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Sewanee: The University of the South

Sewanee: The University of the South

The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee, is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of the church. The university's School of Letters offers graduate degrees in American Literature and Creative Writing. The campus consists of 13,000 acres (53 km2) of scenic mountain property atop the Cumberland Plateau, with the developed portion occupying about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2).

Education Management Corporation

Education Management Corporation

Education Management Corporation (EDMC) was a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based operator of for-profit post-secondary educational institutions in the United States and Canada. The company was founded in 1962. At its peak in 2011, Education Management Corporation operated 110 schools through its higher education divisions: Argosy University, The Art Institutes, Brown Mackie College, and South University, and enrolled 158,300 students.

David J. Hickton

David J. Hickton

David J. Hickton is the director and founder of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security. Prior to that, he was the 57th U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He resigned following the election of President Donald Trump and began his position at Pitt in January 2017. While a U.S. Attorney, Hickton brought several indictments for cybertheft and hacking. Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney, Hickton engaged in the private practice of law, specifically in the areas of transportation, litigation, commercial and white collar crime.

Chandler, Arizona

Chandler, Arizona

Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the south by the Gila River Indian Community, and to the east by Gilbert. As of the 2020 census, the population of Chandler was 275,987, up from 236,123 at the 2010 census.

CARES Act

CARES Act

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020, in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The spending primarily includes $300 billion in one-time cash payments to individual people who submit a tax return in America, $260 billion in increased unemployment benefits, the creation of the Paycheck Protection Program that provides forgivable loans to small businesses with an initial $350 billion in funding, $500 billion in loans for corporations, and $339.8 billion to state and local governments.

Federal Reserve

Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of financial panics led to the desire for central control of the monetary system in order to alleviate financial crises. Over the years, events such as the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Great Recession during the 2000s have led to the expansion of the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System.

• Savannah, online (6,724 students)
• Montgomery, Alabama (395 students)
• West Palm Beach, Florida (522 students)
• Tampa, Florida (809 students)
• Savannah, Georgia (787 students)
• Columbia, South Carolina (625 students)
• Round Rock (Austin), Texas (359 students)
• Glen Allen (Richmond), Virginia (462 students)
• Virginia Beach, Virginia (314 students)

• Atlanta, Georgia (at the Art Institute of Atlanta)
• High Point, North Carolina
• Orlando, Florida

Faculty

South University relies on an unbundling of academic labor. The online campus has no full-time instructors and 720 part-time instructors for 5,405 students. South's largest physical campus, in Tampa, Florida, has 25 full-time instructors and 73 part-time instructors for 867 students.^[27]

Accreditation

South University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award doctoral, master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees. The institution is classified by SACSCOC as a Level VI institution, meaning it offers four or more doctoral degree programs. The University also offers post-graduate certificate programs through its College of Nursing and Public Health.

School of Pharmacy

South University became the first university in the Savannah area to offer a health professions doctorate when it launched its Doctor of Pharmacy program in 2002. South University's accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) program is one of only a limited number nationwide that provides four academic years of study within three calendar years.^[28] The degree program is offered at both the Savannah, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina campuses.

The Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPTE).^[29]

College of Health Professions

South University and Emory University are the only two institutions in the state of Georgia that offer a Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia Science program. South University's program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Committee for the Anesthesiologist Assistants (ARC-AA). An Anesthesiologist assistant is qualified by virtue of their education and training at the master's degree level to deliver anesthesia as a member of an anesthesia care team led by a physician anesthesiologist.

The University launched its Master of Science in Physician Assistant program in 2002, and it is one of only five programs in the state of Georgia.^[30] A Physician Assistant is prepared to work in a medical setting with the ability to evaluate, monitor, diagnose, counsel, refer patients and prescribe medication.

The Master of Science in Physician Assistant program is offered at South University's Savannah, Tampa, West Palm Beach, and Richmond campuses and is accredited by The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).^[31]

College of Nursing and Public Health

South University's College of Nursing and Public Health prepares students to practice at all levels of the nursing profession by providing programs at the bachelor's, master's, doctorate and post-graduate certificate level. Programs include an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice. The University also offers Master of Science with a Specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner.

The institution's College of Nursing and Public Health programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) ^[32]

College of Business

The College of Business offers undergraduate degrees in areas that include business administration, healthcare administration and information technology. Graduate programs include a Master of Business Administration and Accelerated Master of Business Administration (AMBA) in Healthcare Administration.

The Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management, Master of Business Administration, Accelerated Master of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration and Accelerated Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration programs at South University, Savannah are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).^[33]

College of Theology

South University's College of Theology was established in 2013, and graduated its first Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) student in 2016 ^[34]

The South University College of Theology differs from traditional seminaries, because rather than focusing on the doctrine of one faith, it prepares its students (who come from different denominations and religious backgrounds) to minister in the Christian tradition to people of various faiths and, potentially, in various times of spiritual crisis.^[35]

College of Arts & Sciences

The College of Arts & Sciences houses South University's undergraduate programs in Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Paralegal Studies.

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Unbundling

Unbundling

Unbundling is a neologism to describe how the ubiquity of mobile devices, Internet connectivity, consumer web technologies, social media and information access in the 21st century is affecting older institutions by "break[ing] up the packages they once offered, providing particular parts of them at a scale and cost unmatchable by the old order." Unbundling has been called "the great disruptor".

Doctor of Pharmacy

Doctor of Pharmacy

A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a doctoral degree to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist. In many countries, people with their Doctor of Pharmacy are allowed to practice independently and can prescribe drugs directly to patients. A PharmD program has significant experiential and/or clinical education components in introductory and advanced levels for the safe and effective use of drugs. Experiential education prepares graduates to be practice-ready, as they already have spent a significant amount of time training in areas of direct patient care and research.

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is a non-profit accreditation national agency recognized by Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the US Department of Education. It was established in 1932 as the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education and was renamed as the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education in 2003. ACPE is based in Chicago and accredits and pre-accredits schools offering PharmD degrees and providers of continuing pharmacy education. The accrediting body is made up of professionals from the American Council on Education, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association, and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Emory University

Emory University

Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of higher education in Georgia.

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs,, is an accreditation agency for postsecondary education programs in 30 health science fields.

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a professional degree in nursing. In the United States, the DNP is one of three doctorate degrees in nursing, the others being the research degrees PhD and the Doctor of Nursing Science. Internationally, since the 1990s, there have been a wide number of doctorate degrees available for nurses, including DProf, PhD and others. Internationally all such doctoral nursing degrees include mandatory research elements and take longer than a single year to complete.

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Master of Business Administration

Master of Business Administration

A Master of Business Administration is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounting, applied statistics, human resources, business communication, business ethics, business law, strategic management, business strategy, finance, managerial economics, management, entrepreneurship, marketing, supply-chain management, and operations management in a manner most relevant to management analysis and strategy. It originated in the United States in the early 20th century when the country industrialized and companies sought scientific management.

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learning.

South University's undergraduate online campus (3,481 students) is 46 percent black, 37 percent white, and 10 percent Hispanic. Eighty-five percent are eligible for low-income Pell Grants and 79 percent receive federal loans.^[36]

Honor societies

South University students are eligible for membership in a number of national and international honor societies. These include the Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society in Business,^[37] Sigma Theta Tau,^[38] which recognizes outstanding academic achievement by nursing students, and Pi Gamma Mu,^[39] which is the International Honor Society in Social Sciences. South University Doctor of Pharmacy students are eligible for membership in Rho Chi, the academic honor society in Pharmacy.^[40] South University's College of Theology was granted a chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa, the National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology in 2017.^[41]

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Delta Mu Delta

Delta Mu Delta

Delta Mu Delta (ΔΜΔ) is an international honor society that recognizes academic excellence in Baccalaureate, Master's, and Doctorate degree business administration programs at Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)-accredited schools. It was founded November 18, 1913 by the Dean from Harvard University and four professors from Yale University and New York University.

Sigma Theta Tau

Sigma Theta Tau

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (ΣΘΤ) is the second-largest nursing organization in the world with approximately 135,000 active members. While often referred to by nurses as simply Sigma, its official name is "Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing".

Pi Gamma Mu

Pi Gamma Mu

Pi Gamma Mu or ΠΓΜ is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. It is also the only interdisciplinary social science honor society. It serves the various social science disciplines which seek to understand and explain human behavior and social relationships as well as their concomitant problems and issues. Pi Gamma Mu's constitution defines the social sciences to include the disciplines of history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, international relations, criminal justice, social work, social philosophy, history of education, and human geography. Membership is also extended to interdisciplinary social science fields that build on the core social science disciplines, such as business administration, education, cultural and area studies, public administration, and organizational behavior.

Rho Chi

Rho Chi

Rho Chi (ΡΧ) is an international honor society for pharmaceutical sciences. It was founded on May 19, 1922, to "encourage high scholastic achievement and fellowship among students in pharmacy and to promote the pharmaceutical sciences".

Theta Alpha Kappa

Theta Alpha Kappa

Theta Alpha Kappa (ΘΑΚ) is the national honor society for religious studies and theology. It was founded in 1976 at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York City to recognize the academic achievements of religion and theology students. Currently Theta Alpha Kappa has more than two hundred chapters nationally in four-year educational institutions ranging from small religiously affiliated colleges to large public research institutions. It is the only national honor society dedicated to recognizing academic excellence in baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate students and in scholars in the fields of religious studies and theology.

In 2020, South University had $77 million in assets and $92 million in liabilities, losing $6,054,000 in value. The schools spent $87.4 million on employee compensation and $27.7 million in advertising. Twenty million dollars went to Studio Enterprise. ^[25]

According to the US Department of Education's College Scorecard, South University is on Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 "requiring additional oversight because of financial or federal compliance issues."^[42]

According to the College Scorecard, the Savannah online campus has an undergraduate graduation rate of 8 percent. Forty percent of South University's students earn more than a high school graduate after attending. Nine percent of South University's student debtors are making progress with their federal student loans two years after completion. ^[43]