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UNION — Kean University's president lashed out Wednesday at the higher education accrediting agency that has placed his school on probation after claiming it failed to meet academic standards.

University president Dawood Farahi released a joint statement with Ada Morell, the university’s board president, accusing the agency of violating its own procedures in a "staff-driven agenda" to discredit the Union Township-based school.

"Rather than recognize Kean University for the dramatic transformations it has made to benefit students over the last decade, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education has placed the university on probation," the statement said. "The commission has made compliance with its accreditation review process a moving target, applying its standards both subjectively and surreptitiously."

A Middle States spokesman, Rich Pokrass, said last evening he could not comment other than to say the commission "has spent an extensive amount of time examining the Kean University situation."

Kean, one of the largest public colleges in New Jersey, will keep its accreditation while on probation.

But the university and its 16,000 students could face serious consequences if it does not meet Middle State’s standards. Students at schools without accreditation may not be able to get financial aid, transfer their credits to other colleges or use their degrees to attend graduate school.

The increasingly contentious accreditation dispute comes after months of turmoil at Kean. Earlier this year, Farahi was accused of misrepresenting several items on his résumé. But the school’s trustees gave him a vote of confidence and allowed him to keep his job after a board investigation.

In April, the NCAA also punished Kean for "major violations" of its rules and placed all 13 of the university’s athletic teams on probation until 2016. Most of the violations were related to Kean’s women’s basketball team, which was given a postseason ban for the 2012-13 season.

The dispute with Middle States — the group that accredits colleges and universities in New Jersey and other mid-Atlantic states — has been going on for more than a year.

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Last July, the commission cited Kean for not having adequate systems to assess whether students and the school are meeting goals. The school was given until March to correct the problems, submit a report and undergo another inspection by a team of Middle States investigators.

But the spring inspection did not go well. Instead of finding Kean had corrected its problems, the inspection team cited additional violations.

On Monday, Middle States placed Kean on probation, saying it violated the group’s standards related to integrity, institutional assessment, general education and assessment of student learning, according to the commission’s report.

The report cites more than 15 problems that need addressing, mostly related to a lack of procedures to measure how students are learning. The accrediting agency also wants proof Kean, known for its public battles between its president and faculty, has "an institutional climate that fosters respect among students, faculty, staff, and administration."

Kean has until Sept. 1 to issue another report proving it has made changes. That will be followed by another visit from inspectors.

Kean will keep its accreditation while Middle States continues its assessment.

Though colleges and universities are sometimes warned or put on probation by their accrediting agencies, it is extremely rare for a major university to lose its accreditation. Stripping an institution of its accreditation is often the last step before a college shuts down.

Kean officials are convening a special meeting of the board of trustees Monday to "examine all of our options," according to the statement.

"While we explore our options, we must continue as a university to operate in an honest and forthright manner, answering all of Middle States’ requirements," the statement said. "We have no doubt that with hard work and ongoing commitment the university will meet the accreditation requirements and the probation label will be removed."

Farahi and Morell’s statement outlined several recent accomplishments at the university, including increasing its graduation rate by more than 25 percent over five years and graduating the largest number of teachers in the state.

"These standards, not the biases of bureaucrats far removed from the realities of our campus experience, should be bellwethers of accomplishment," the statement said.

The commission’s website describes itself as the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region, including Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and several locations internationally. It says the voluntary, non-governmental commission, defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources, examining each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs.

Star-Ledger staff writer Jessica Calefati contributed to this report.

Related coverage:

• Kean University still not in compliance for accreditation, report finds

• Irate Kean students march to office of N.J. senator who supports university president

• Kean University president stays put after board shows confidence in leadership

