Northrop U. Hires Provost From Cal State Long Beach

Northrop University, struggling against allegations of financial and ethical improprieties, has chosen the second in command at Cal State Long Beach to lead its efforts to keep accreditation and restore confidence in the engineering, business and law school.

Northrop trustees announced Friday that John Beljan, the provost at Cal State Long Beach, has signed a two-year contract as interim president and been given authority to take any measures necessary to lead the 1,800-student institution out of its troubles.

“I know what the game is. The game is to preserve the integrity of the academic programs,” Beljan said during an interview at Northrop’s campus near Los Angeles International Airport.

He replaces B. J. Shell, Northrop’s president for 17 years who resigned recently after the agency that monitors colleges in California and the West called for the school to be stripped of accreditation, which would deprive its diplomas of much of their value. The school keeps accreditation as it appeals the ruling by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges.

“This institution does not intend to be dis-accredited. I am going to take every step to convince (the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges) that this is an institution of value and worth,” Beljan said of Northrop. He said he will be a possible candidate when the school later begins its national search for a permanent president.

Beljan, a surgeon and former medical professor, is known as a problem solver in the academic world, and he jokingly referred to that reputation by saying: “Maybe I’m a masochist.”

Beljan, 59, became vice president for academic affairs at Cal State Long Beach in 1986 and added the title of provost seven months ago. He announced last month that he planned to retire from Cal State Long Beach at the end of this school year and said Friday that he could manage both jobs for a year “by working 100 hours a week.” He earns $101,628 annually at Long Beach, according to a Cal State spokeswoman. Beljan declined to reveal his Northrop salary.

However, later Friday, Cal State Long Beach President Curtis McCray said state rules forbid Beljan from holding the two posts at the same time. “He is a good vice president,” McCray said of Beljan. “I would sure hate to lose him, but he will have to make some choice.” Beljan could not be reached for a response.

Beljan helped the Long Beach university through a financial crisis that led to the forced resignation of its previous president, Stephen Horn. Last year, Beljan was among five finalists for the presidency of Cal State Long Beach, but lost to McCray, who had been president of the University of North Florida.

The Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges’ criticism of Northrop centered on a 3-year-old master’s program in international business and taxation that accounted for more than a quarter of Northrop’s students and catered to Taiwanese. According to the accrediting association, the program showed evidence of unethical admissions standards, mysterious grading, violations of immigration rules and financial irregularities that involved up to $2.4 million a year.

The report said “a climate of fear and apprehension” existed among students in the master’s program, and the agency sharply criticized an arrangement by which the program’s director, Ar-Young Wang, reportedly controlled 60% of its tuition funds. Wang did not properly account for his expenses, the agency charged.

Northrop recently decided to phase out the master’s program and suspended Wang from his administrative duties. However, school officials strongly deny the charges that the entire university is infected with troubles. In addition, Northrop officials said that the accrediting agency exaggerated problems in the controversial master’s program and that there is no money missing.

“The brush stroke was too wide,” Northrop Provost John Lewis said of the report. “It tarred the whole school, and that’s very unfair because for the most part we have a lot of positive things here.”

Shell and Wang could not be reached for comment.

Northrop University began in 1942 as a technical aviation school affiliated with the Northrop aerospace company but became independent in 1953 and later expanded into other studies.