The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, started 82 years ago by a man who changed American architecture, could lose its ability to produce future architects, reports Sonja Haller for The Arizona Republic.
The Higher Learning Commission, a Chicago-based non-profit that accredits universities and colleges, told the school it no longer meets accreditation requirements, threatening its ability to offer a Master of Architecture degree, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation said Thursday.
The school, with locations at Taliesin West in Scottsdale and Taliesin in Wisconsin, will retain its accreditation through 2017. But it must find an accredited institution to partner with in the next 2½ years to offer an advanced architecture degree and maintain accreditation, said Sean Malone, foundation president.
The current accreditation crisis was brought on by HLC policy changes adopted in 2012 that “accredited institutions must be separately incorporated from sponsoring organizations,” said John Hausaman, the HLC’s public information officer.
“This would require the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, which is not currently separately incorporated, to file for incorporation as an institution with a primary purpose of offering higher education,” Hausaman said.
Malone said that move was “not appropriate.”
Bernt Rostad/Flick
