Accreditor Urged to Investigate North Dakota Chancellor

The former president of one of North Dakota's public universities has urged the region's accreditor to investigate recent actions by the state's public higher education system and its new chancellor, The Grand Forks Herald reported. In a complaint to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Ellen Chaffee, president emerita of Valley City State University and a consultant on college governance, expressed her "grave" concerns over the direction the State Board of Higher Education has taken since Hamid Shirvani became chancellor last summer. She cited a range of alleged violations of the commission's standards on governance and a destructive personal style on Shirvani's part. A spokeswoman for the North Dakota system told the newspaper that Chaffee's complaint appeared to be based on rumor and misinformation.