Morris Brown College’s newly installed president is seeking accreditation for the troubled school.
Interim President Kevin James announced his intentions via Facebook on Monday, reports WXIA.
"We are proud to announce that it has been accepted by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools," the post read. James has a meeting scheduled with association officials on April 10.
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Morris Brown also unveiled its new logo, meant to be a symbol of the school’s perseverance. Morris Brown was founded in 1881 by the Georgia Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, making it the first HBCU in the state to have Black founders.
Its troubles began in 2002, when Morris Brown lost its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools due to its debt, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The school's issues continued when some officials were punished for committing fraud in a scheme that included masquerading as students to apply for financial aid. By the time Morris Brown filed bankruptcy in 2012, the storied institution was $9.4 million in debt.
"It has been a long 17 years,” James wrote in his post. “We will accomplish our goal of accreditation."
James became interim president on March 1, following Dr. Stanley Pritchett’s departure in December. Pritchett said he was disappointed the college didn’t regain accreditation during his tenure.
“Morris Brown College could always meet most of the standards except for financial stability,” Pritchett told CBS46 in December. “That's the crutch that we are going to have to get over. If we can get over that then I think that we will be move back and be a premiere institution again.”
Pritchett said students are still interested in attending, but the lack of accreditation has spooked them, mainly because students at unaccredited colleges cannot receive financial aid from the government. Attending an unaccredited college can also limit students' graduate school options.
Currently, Morris Brown has 42 students currently enrolled. At its peak, the institution had over 2,000 students enrolled.
“We have had a lot of people wanting to come to Morris Brown College, but because they were not eligible for financial aid, they were not able to come,” Pritchett said. “So, as a result we would end up with 50 students [or] 60 students. One year, we had over 200 students that were enrolled.”
James is optimistic about the school’s future but acknowledges the school needs more help.
During a recent meeting, James said Morris Brown had raised $85,000 since March 1. However, that is far less than the amount needed to pay off its debts, and James hopes the school will receive help from supporters, the Black community and alumni.
“If we don’t believe in us, why should anyone else?” he said.
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