25 November 2024
The WANP shares the concern of our community on learning that the accreditation status of Bastyr University has been sanctioned by both the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) - which provides institutional accreditation to the University overall - and by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) - which provides programmatic accreditation for Bastyr's Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine program. Both of these sanctions are related to Bastyr's financial positioning, which has seemingly been adversely impacted by the global COVID pandemic and low enrollment, and NOT to the academic rigor of any of its programs. (Learn more about these accreditation actions on Bastyr's website.)
We recognize and assert that it is in the best interest of our profession for all of our accredited naturopathic medical schools - including Bastyr University - not just to survive but to thrive as leaders in educating future naturopathic physicians and other allied health professionals.
To this end, we have been actively working with University leadership, with other local and national leaders, and with concerned alumni and students to support, collaborate, share information, and work towards solutions that will prevent the loss of another of our key academic institutions.
We will do our best to keep our community updated as we learn more.