Southeastern University
Encyclopedia
Located in southwestern Washington, D.C.
, in the United States
, Southeastern University was a private
, non-profit undergraduate and graduate institution of higher education that lost its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education on August 31, 2009. The Commission reported that the college lacked rigor and was losing faculty, enrollment and financial stability. The 130-year-old school ceased offering classes after an extended summer session in 2009.
Southeastern University was established by the YMCA
and chartered by an Act of Congress
in 1879. It had degree programs in Criminal Justice
, Child Development
, Public Administration
, Business Management, Accounting, Finance
, Liberal Studies
, Computer Science
, and Allied Health, a program initiated in 2006 at Greater Southeast Community Hospital. There were also certificate programs in entrepreneurship, property management, real estate, Web development, and others. It was a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
but lost this affiliation after the fall 2009 semester.
Through the spring of 2009, Southeastern University had a total enrollment of about 870 students, with 222 of those students pursuing postgraduate degrees. About 77% were locally based, and a majority were female, but there was also a significant international enrollment. International enrollment had been in decline after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the student population shifted from international students to primarily low-income District residents. The university employed approximately 140 faculty and staff before the university was notified of its loss of accreditation.
of the District of Columbia in 1879. The Washington School of accountancy was added in 1907, and in 1923 the university incorporated
under the authority of the District of Columbia as, "Southeastern University of the Young Men's Christian Association of the District of Columbia." An August 19, 1937 federal charter from Congress renamed the institution to "Southeastern University". The university since gained other colleges.
Elaine Ryan replaced Charlene Drew Jarvis
as university president on March 31, 2009 after 13 years of service to the school. Prior to losing accreditation, the university was negotiating a merger with the GS Graduate School, also based in Washington, DC. This merger was completed in March 2010. The GS Graduate School has assumed responsibility for Southeastern's student records and issues transcripts upon request.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Southeastern University was a private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, non-profit undergraduate and graduate institution of higher education that lost its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education on August 31, 2009. The Commission reported that the college lacked rigor and was losing faculty, enrollment and financial stability. The 130-year-old school ceased offering classes after an extended summer session in 2009.
Southeastern University was established by the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and chartered by an Act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
in 1879. It had degree programs in Criminal Justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, Child Development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
, Public Administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, Business Management, Accounting, Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, Liberal Studies
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, and Allied Health, a program initiated in 2006 at Greater Southeast Community Hospital. There were also certificate programs in entrepreneurship, property management, real estate, Web development, and others. It was a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area serves as an intellectual resource for the students and faculty of the member universities in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area....
but lost this affiliation after the fall 2009 semester.
Through the spring of 2009, Southeastern University had a total enrollment of about 870 students, with 222 of those students pursuing postgraduate degrees. About 77% were locally based, and a majority were female, but there was also a significant international enrollment. International enrollment had been in decline after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the student population shifted from international students to primarily low-income District residents. The university employed approximately 140 faculty and staff before the university was notified of its loss of accreditation.
History
Southeastern began as a series of classes offered by the YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
of the District of Columbia in 1879. The Washington School of accountancy was added in 1907, and in 1923 the university incorporated
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
under the authority of the District of Columbia as, "Southeastern University of the Young Men's Christian Association of the District of Columbia." An August 19, 1937 federal charter from Congress renamed the institution to "Southeastern University". The university since gained other colleges.
Closure
Three months before the university was notified it would lose accreditation, Southeastern received $1.5 million from the District of Columbia to fund improvements intended to prevent the school's loss of accreditation. Efforts by the DC government to recover the funding after the school lost accreditation were unsuccessful.Elaine Ryan replaced Charlene Drew Jarvis
Charlene Drew Jarvis
Charlene Drew Jarvis is an American educator and former scientific researcher and politician who served as the president of Southeastern University until March 31, 2009...
as university president on March 31, 2009 after 13 years of service to the school. Prior to losing accreditation, the university was negotiating a merger with the GS Graduate School, also based in Washington, DC. This merger was completed in March 2010. The GS Graduate School has assumed responsibility for Southeastern's student records and issues transcripts upon request.
Notable alumni
- Howard CarwileHoward CarwileHoward Hearnes Carwile was an American lawyer and politician.-Family:Howard Carwile was born in Charlotte County, Virginia, to parents Willis Early Carwile...
, Virginia State House Delegate 35th district 1974-5, Richmond, Va. City Councilman, 1966–73, Va. gubernatorial candidate, 1945, 1953, 1957 - Hervey Gilbert Machen (1941), Maryland CongressmanMaryland's 5th congressional districtMaryland's 5th congressional district comprises all of Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert Counties, as well as portions of Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties. The district is currently represented by Democrat Steny Hoyer, the House Minority Whip....
- Faisal ShahzadFaisal ShahzadFaisal Shahzad is a Pakistani American who attempted the May 1, 2010, Times Square car bombing. On , 2010, in Federal District Court in Manhattan he confessed to 10 counts arising from the bombing attempt...
, prime suspect, arrested in connection with the 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt. - William Ralph Basham, Former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as Director of the United States Secret Service.