Pittsburgh Technical College put on probation

Pittsburgh Technical College in Oakdale has been placed on probation by the Middle States Commission for Higher Education and warned that its accreditation “is in jeopardy.”

In a post to its website, the accrediting body said it acted due to “insufficient evidence that the institution is currently in compliance with Standard II (Ethics and Integrity) and Standard VI (Resources, Planning, and Institutional Improvement).”

It said the 80-year-old college remains accredited while on probation. It also said federal regulations limit the period during which an institution may be in non-compliance, which started as of March 14.

The school in Oakdale has 1,066 students, little more than half its enrollment in 2016 when it transitioned from a for-profit to nonprofit institution.

In some respects, difficulties confronting PTC resemble those in higher education generally. But they have been exacerbated by infighting over leadership, accusations of misconduct against its president, Alicia Harvey-Smith, and counterclaims that she has been unfairly targeted.

Middle States, in disclosing the probation decision, said it wants submission of a monitoring report by May 1, “demonstrating evidence that the institution has achieved and can sustain ongoing compliance” in the areas that led to the Middle States action.

The monitoring report should include progress in such areas as response and recording of student and employee complaints, campus climate, documented financial resources and other financial requirements.

Kirkpatrick Group, PTC’s public relations firm, issued a statement acknowledging the Middle States action and noted that the college remains accredited.

“PTC is actively engaged with MSCHE representatives and plans to fully comply with all related requests for information and address any issues raised by MSCHE to its satisfaction,” the statement read in part.

“PTC is one of about 20 institutions of higher education currently in some status of non-compliance action with MSCHE,” it added. “We remain focused on our students and their success, and are committed to filling the workforce pipeline and training the next generation of workers in Western .Pennsylvania and beyond.”

Earlier this year, PTC trustees and senior leaders were in weekly talks with parties holding a stake in the college and its bond debt regarding financial options, Steve Trusnovic, a recently appointed school trustee and mayor of Oakdale, told TribLive in January.

In recent weeks, leaders of a nearly 80-year-old technical college in Oakdale were weighing options that included selling or merging the institution amid falling enrollment and financial strains. The statement did not reference those deliberations.

Founded in 1946, the college was originally known as Pittsburgh Technical Institute. It changed its name as it transitioned in 2016 from a for-profit college to a nonprofit institution.

In 2000, the college moved out of its location in Pittsburgh to a 180-acre campus in the Pittsburgh suburb of Oakdale, citing enrollment and programmatic growth at the time as reasons for the move. The location at 1111 McKee Road includes student housing and a six-story education building, according to bank and college records.