{"id":40494,"date":"2022-05-04T03:24:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T03:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loopbeatzz.info\/wp\/morris-browns-accreditation-restored-now-what-saportareport\/"},"modified":"2022-05-04T03:24:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T03:24:19","slug":"morris-browns-accreditation-restored-now-what-saportareport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loopbeatzz.info\/wp\/morris-browns-accreditation-restored-now-what-saportareport\/","title":{"rendered":"Morris Brown\u2019s accreditation restored. Now what? – SaportaReport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students, alumni and friends gather at Morris Brown’s campus to hear a special announcement. (Photo by Allison Joyner.)
An almost 20-year loss prevented students from getting financial aid.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>
By <\/span>Allison Joyner<\/span><\/a>
Morris Brown College<\/span><\/a>\u2019s (MBC) accreditation was reclaimed last week as the Historically Black College demonstrated operational excellence and completed \u201cthe hard reset.<\/span>
\u201cOn April 26th, the <\/span>Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools<\/span><\/a> gave Morris Brown College the approval for accreditation,\u201d said Dr. Kevin James, president of MBC.\u00a0<\/span>
Dr. Kevin James speaks to students, alumni and friends who gathered at Morris Brown’s campus to hear a special announcement. (Photo by Allison Joyner.)
When James took office a few years ago, he faced a $35 million bankruptcy and the loss of land, students and reputation.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201c[MBC] demonstrated that we are an institution of quality that we operate in excellence and are here to stay,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/span>
Previously <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>SaportaReport, <\/span><\/i>a federal criminal case found that MBC\u2019s former president and financial aid director falsely submitted to the Department of Education (DOE) financial aid requests and swindled millions in loans and Pell grants over the years. Ultimately, the <\/span>Southern Association of Colleges and Schools<\/span><\/a> (SACS) withdrew its accreditation in 2003.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cWe just came off the set of \u201cDrumline,\u201d enrollment was past 4,000 students. In the blink of an eye, the news started rolling out that we had all these issues financially,\u201d said Phillip Davenport, medical technology executive and MBC alum.\u00a0<\/span>
For decades the HBCU was in financial ruin, causing staff and administrators to not receive their paychecks on time and buildings to condemn.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cWe lost accreditation,\u201d Davenport said. \u201cWe lost students overnight. It was a mad scramble.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cDuring these 20 years, Morris Brown did not have his accreditation and had very little source of revenue. The sixth district has provided millions of dollars to Morris Brown College to keep its doors open,\u201d said Bishop Reginald Jackson, Board Chair of MBC and presiding Prelate for the Sixth Episcopal District for the AME Church.\u00a0<\/span>
James\u2019 approach to regain accreditation \u2014 what he called \u201cthe hard reset\u201d \u2014 was an effort to demonstrate to TRACS that the school was equipped to maintain good standing with the DOE.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201c[MBC] is operating in integrity,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/span>
Fountain Hall at Morris Brown College. (Photo by Kelly Jordan.)
Offering career-approached programs for degrees in fields like music production and <\/span>eSports gaming<\/span><\/a>, building relationships with organizations like the <\/span>Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce<\/span><\/a>, restoration plans for Fountain Hall and plans to build a 150-key<\/span> hotel and hospitality training facility<\/span><\/a> on campus, MBC will be able to appeal to students all over the world to study there.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cMorris Brown College is operating in integrity and we are now working on growing their endowment and our enrollment,\u201d James said. \u201cAnyone interested in dear ole Morris Brown College, this is a phenomenal place to be.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cThis is an unbelievable redemption story,\u201d Davenport said. \u201cIn 20 years, no school in the history of this country has gone through what we\u2019ve gone through and come back.\u201d<\/span>
Registration for the fall semester at Morris Brown College is happening now. To find out more or to give a donation, log onto their <\/span>website<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>
 
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