“Many thought this achievement was impossible, but because of our strong faith in God, our hardworking and wonderful teaching staff and staff, the support of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, our dedicated alumni and our resilient spirit, we were able to “We are achieving accreditation,” college president Kevin James said in a statement. “This was really The Hard Reset. This is just the beginning!” said James. The college was awarded accreditation by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), a Virginia-based accreditation service. CNN contacted TRACS for comment, but received no response. Re-accreditation means that the school is again eligible to apply for federal education funding that could be available for student financial aid and Pell grants or on-campus housing, provided the college remains compliant with federal terms and standards. The return of Morris Brown is also a beacon of hope for smaller HBCUs struggling with finances and enrollment, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The school was held by a thread
Morris Brown’s 20-year journey begins in 2002, when the school’s accreditation was revoked due to debt and financial mismanagement. The once-prosperous college then saw its enrollment drop from about 2,000 to less than 50. Over the years, enrollments ranged between 30 and 50 students. The college never officially closed, but it held a thread. Faced with growing debt and collapsing infrastructure, the school board offered management a choice: close their doors permanently. The spaces could theoretically be turned into a museum or private development space, but his days as an active college seemed to be over. James, the president of the college, disagreed. He believed that there was still an opportunity to regain accreditation and develop into a functioning campus. James was appointed interim president in early 2019 and officially became president in May 2020. He immediately focused on what he has described as “the hard recovery” for the college. In April 2021, Morris Brown was officially nominated for accreditation by TRACS. This meant that an institution essentially complies with TRACS standards and criteria and has been evaluated by an on-site peer group who found that the institution provides sound teaching and student services. Fast forward a year later and the school celebrates its re-accreditation. Morris Brown was part of the historic Atlanta University Center (AUC), which includes Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Clark Atlanta University. While the school is no longer a member, the AUC website states that Morris Brown is “largely important to the rich consortium’s heritage”. It was founded in 1881 by former slave religious leaders in the Big Bethel AME church, according to the school’s liberation. The college was the first college in Georgia to be owned and operated by African-Americans whose notable alumni include Alberta Williams King, the mother of the priest Martin Luther King Jr. and James Alan McPherson who was the first black writer to win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. CNN’s Skylar Mitchell contributed to this report.
