BOSTON – The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) at its meeting April 12, 2019, issued an official Notation for Hellenic College asserting that “the College’s accreditation may be in jeopardy if current conditions continue or worsen with respect to the Commission’s standards on Planning and Evaluation and Institutional Resources.”

The NECHE will be monitoring the School closely in order to assess its situation and decide accordingly.

As The National Herald has been reporting for more than a year now Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology are in dire conditions academically, administrative, and certainly financially. As a result, the president of the institution Fr. Christopher Metropulos was abruptly dismissed two days before Holy Week and was replaced by interim president Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. Fr. Metropulos was even prohibited from participating as a liturgist in Holy Week Services at Holy Cross Chapel. No explanation has been given thus far as to what exactly prompted Fr. Metropulos’ dismissal.

The statement of the New England Commission of Higher Education reads as follows:

“At its meeting April 12, 2019, the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) voted to issue a Notation with respect to Hellenic College, Inc. because the Commission found that the College’s accreditation may be in jeopardy if current conditions continue or worsen with respect to the Commission’s standards on Planning and Evaluation and Institutional Resources.

An institution issued a Notation will be closely monitored by the Commission, including a focused evaluation within two years to assess the institution’s success in addressing the identified concerns.

If the Commission finds the institution has successfully addressed the concerns, it will remove the Notation and specify further monitoring. If the Commission has reason to believe that the institution may or may not meet one or more Standards for Accreditation, the Commission will ask the institution to show cause why it should not be on probation or why its accreditation should not be withdrawn. If the Commission finds that the concerns have not been sufficiently addressed, the Commission may issue a continued Notation.”

His Eminence Metropolitan Methodius of Boston, Interim President of HCHC, commented on the action taken by the Commission. “We want to assure our students, faculty, staff, donors, and our community that our Board of Trustees and administration are working with NECHE to expeditiously remedy the situation to meet NECHE’s standards. Our academic programs and educational commitment remain strong and we look forward to addressing the areas of notation to further strengthen Hellenic College.”

NECHE, formerly operating as the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of NEASC, is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a reliable authority as to the quality of education. The Commission accredits 220 degree-granting institutions in the six New England states and eleven American-style institutions in other countries.

Hellenic College, Inc. was first accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (now NECHE) in 1974. It is a private, independent institution encompassing the undergraduate Hellenic College and the graduate Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.”