The traditionally Black faculty in Atlanta obtained its full accreditation after shedding it 20 years in the past, in line with a information launch from the college.
“Many thought that this feat was unimaginable, however as a result of our sturdy religion in God, our hardworking and great college and workers, the help of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, our devoted alumni, and our resilient spirit, we have been in a position to obtain full accreditation,” faculty President Kevin James mentioned in an announcement.
“This was really The Exhausting Reset. That is just the start!” James mentioned.
The faculty was rewarded its accreditation from the Transnational Affiliation of Christian Faculties and Faculties (TRACS), a Virginia-based accreditation company.
CNN has reached out to TRACS for remark, however has not heard again.
Reaccreditation means the college is as soon as once more eligible to use for federal schooling funding that might go towards scholar monetary assist and Pell Grants or on-campus housing, as long as the school stays compliant with federal situations and requirements.
College was holding on by a thread
The 20-year journey of Morris Brown begins in 2002, when the college’s accreditation was revoked due to debt and monetary mismanagement. The once-flourishing faculty then noticed its enrollment plummet from about 2,000 to lower than 50. Over time, the enrollment ranged between 30 and 50 college students.
The faculty by no means formally closed, nevertheless it was holding on by a thread.
Confronted with mounting debt and a crumbling infrastructure, the college’s board of trustees provided the administration an choice: shutter their doorways for good. The grounds might theoretically be transformed right into a museum or a website for personal growth, however its days as an lively faculty seemed to be ended.
James, the school’s president, disagreed. He believed there was nonetheless an opportunity to regain accreditation, and evolve as an operational campus.
James was named interim president in early 2019 and formally made president in Might 2020. He instantly centered on what he has labeled “the exhausting reset” for the school.
In April 2021, Morris Brown formally obtained accreditation candidacy by TRACS. This meant an establishment is in fundamental compliance with the requirements and standards of TRACS and has been evaluated by an on-site peer staff that discovered the establishment gives sound instruction and scholar providers.
Quick ahead a yr later and the college is celebrating its reaccreditation.
Morris Brown was a part of the historic Atlanta College Heart (AUC), which incorporates Spelman Faculty, Morehouse Faculty, Morehouse College of Drugs and Clark Atlanta College. Whereas the college is now not a member, the AUC’s web site states Morris Brown is “largely important to the Consortium’s wealthy legacy.”
It was based in 1881 by previously enslaved non secular leaders at Massive Bethel AME Church, in line with the college’s launch.
The faculty was the primary faculty in Georgia to be owned and operated by African Individuals whose notable alumni embrace Alberta Williams King, the mom of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and James Alan McPherson who was the primary Black author to win a Pulitzer Prize in fiction.
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