Auburn president criticizes college accreditation group

AUBURN, Ala. - The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is appealing a federal judge&#39;s ruling that limited the extent of its investigation of Auburn University. <br> <br> Auburn president William Walker said SACS should concentrate on the school&#39;s accreditation rather than an appeal. <br> <br> &#34;Auburn University is ready to move forward and put this issue behind us,&#34; Walker said. &#34;We&#39;ve always been willing to work with SACS, and we&#39;re anxious to cooperate with them now under the provisions set forth&#34; by the court. <br> <br> U.S. District Court Judge J. Owen Forrester ruled Jan. 16 that SACS investigation should focus only on accreditation issues. The court said SACS cannot investigate whether the university complied with Alabama&#39;s open meetings laws, the manner in which trustees are selected, the authority of trustees to remove or select presidents, adoption by the trustees of minimum standards for admission, retention and graduation, or grade forgiveness policies. <br> <br> The judge said those issues are not part of a university&#39;s accreditation standards. <br> <br> Auburn officials had filed suit to block SACS from looking into key aspects of campus discontent, including business dealings by trustees and the departure of former president William Muse. <br> <br> <br>