Tweet
ajc.com
* Print this page Print this page
* Close this window Close
Morris Brown continues fight for survival
By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3:40 p.m. Friday, December 11, 2009
Allison Jones faces a barrage of questions after she tells people where she attends college. That’s what happens when you’re a student at Morris Brown College.
First people say they’re shocked the school is still open. Seven years ago this month the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the institution’s accreditation citing gross financial mismanagement.
Then people ask if the school has water. Last December Atlanta city officials temporarily turned off the college’s water because of unpaid bills.
Most of all, people want to know why Jones would attend Morris Brown.
“I tell them I’m getting a great education and more than that I’m getting important life lessons,” said Jones, a junior majoring in business. “You don’t just stop and give up if you fail. You have to keep moving and working toward success.”
Morris Brown still exists but the endangered school faces a financial struggle.
The historically black school has nearly $30 million in long-term debt. Acting President Stanley Pritchett estimated the college would need as much as $50 million over the next five years. It costs about $350,000 a month to run the college.
“The only thing standing between Morris Brown applying for accreditation is fiscal stability,” Pritchett said. “We need money, desperately. We need people to understand that an investment in Morris Brown is a good investment.”
Accreditation shows that a college meets widely accepted standards and makes students eligible for federal financial aid.
While Pritchett and other Morris Brown officials remained confident in the college’s future success, others were unsure whether the college could or should continue.
Marybeth Gasman, an associate professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, has worked with Morris Brown students pursuing their doctorates and said they were talented and spoke fondly of the college.
“But when I look at the college’s current situation I have to ask how are they taking care of students?” said Gasman, an expert on historically black colleges. “We’re at the point with Morris Brown that maybe we need to merge with another college. I’m not one for giving up but they’ve been trying on their own for some time now. The college is surviving but is survival enough?”
Other outsiders have wondered why Morris Brown doesn’t declare bankruptcy or shut down.
Pritchett said the college can’t regain accreditation if it’s closed and bankruptcy would set the process back by as much as 10 years. He said it was premature to discuss a merger or partnership with another college, but added Morris Brown would be open to other schools leasing space on campus.
“We will not close,” Pritchett said. “There is no need to close or shut down our doors. We offer quality academic programs and we will continue to do so.”
Morris Brown operates on a scaled down version of its former self. The college enrolled about 3,000 students at its peak, but is down to about 120. The college downsized from 26 majors to three -- general studies, business administration and organizational management & leadership.
Pritchett said the college is looking for niches, such as studies related to sustainability, health care and homeland security. He predicted enrollment to ultimately reach about 1,400 students.
The college also started an online degree program. The program, which has 14 students, gives Morris Brown the opportunity to reach a global audience, including those from countries where the lack of accreditation isn’t an issue.
The school lost accreditation largely because of crushing debt and financial fraud. Dolores Cross, president from 1998 to 2002, pleaded guilty in 2006 to embezzling federal student aid money to try to save the school from financial ruin. She was sentenced to probation, home confinement and required to pay fines and complete community service. Former financial aid director Parvesh Singh also pleaded guilty to embezzlement and was sentenced to probation and told to pay fines.
Of the 20 institutions that lost accreditation since 1990 three regained it and two continue to have it while they fight the agency’s decision, said Belle Wheelan, president of the SACS Commission on Colleges.
Pritchett said the college plans to apply for accreditation when it becomes financially stable. The application process can take about two years.
“Having accreditation is reaching a standard,” he said. “Without it, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a quality program.”
But many students won’t apply to an unaccredited college. Students at Morris Brown don’t have access to federal and other forms of aid — which make it a challenge for the college to recruit and retain students.
About 1,500 students apply to college each year but Pritchett said many can’t attend because of financial constraints. He said the college enrolls legacies, those who decide to apply on their own and students who have difficulty getting in elsewhere.
The college was founded by former slaves in 1881 and its mission has been to teach students who lack the money or academic preparation to go elsewhere.
William “Sonny” Walker, vice chairman of the college’s board of trustees, said people need to remember that Morris Brown graduates work as attorneys, accountants and teachers throughout the area. Alumni include civil rights leader Hosea Williams and Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. McPherson.
Walker and others stressed the millions the college can add to the economy and the prepared workforce it can provide.
“What will happen if there is no Morris Brown?” Walker asked. “Who will pick up that void? That is what my concern is. Morris Brown is a worthy investment for all because of the return that will come to Atlanta.”
Earlier this month the college received $50,000 in scholarship money. Matthew Shannon, an estate attorney who helped establish the scholarship fund, said Morris Brown has made a difference in the lives of needy students. He wasn’t concerned about giving the money to unaccredited institution.
“They are on their way back,” Shannon said. “I am more concerned about the young people there.”
The college raised about $2 million from the AME Church, alumni and friends during the 2009 fiscal year, Pritchett said.
Matthew Hamill, senior vice president of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, said fundraising alone isn’t enough. He suggested a re-alignment of the college’s physical side, such as leasing buildings.
“They are very resilient,” Hamill said. “They do have assets. They have a name and a history and a campus and they must get creative with that.”
The college has allowed movies to be filmed on campus. Pritchett said the college is negotiating to lease space on campus — including the stadium — but declined to provide additional details.
Prtichett said the college’s turnaround also depends on help from large foundations.
Most foundations won’t give money without proof of success andt it will be hard for the college to prove success without any money. Pritchett hopes to win groups over by telling them about the good things happening at Morris Brown, such as the 26 students who graduated last May.
“This is a business proposition,” Pritchett said. “We are helping young people get an education and that will help our economy. This deserves someone stepping forward to help this college in our time of need.”
* Print this page Print this page
* Close this window Close
Morris Brown continues fight for survival
By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3:40 p.m. Friday, December 11, 2009
Allison Jones faces a barrage of questions after she tells people where she attends college. That’s what happens when you’re a student at Morris Brown College.
First people say they’re shocked the school is still open. Seven years ago this month the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the institution’s accreditation citing gross financial mismanagement.
Then people ask if the school has water. Last December Atlanta city officials temporarily turned off the college’s water because of unpaid bills.
Most of all, people want to know why Jones would attend Morris Brown.
“I tell them I’m getting a great education and more than that I’m getting important life lessons,” said Jones, a junior majoring in business. “You don’t just stop and give up if you fail. You have to keep moving and working toward success.”
Morris Brown still exists but the endangered school faces a financial struggle.
The historically black school has nearly $30 million in long-term debt. Acting President Stanley Pritchett estimated the college would need as much as $50 million over the next five years. It costs about $350,000 a month to run the college.
“The only thing standing between Morris Brown applying for accreditation is fiscal stability,” Pritchett said. “We need money, desperately. We need people to understand that an investment in Morris Brown is a good investment.”
Accreditation shows that a college meets widely accepted standards and makes students eligible for federal financial aid.
While Pritchett and other Morris Brown officials remained confident in the college’s future success, others were unsure whether the college could or should continue.
Marybeth Gasman, an associate professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, has worked with Morris Brown students pursuing their doctorates and said they were talented and spoke fondly of the college.
“But when I look at the college’s current situation I have to ask how are they taking care of students?” said Gasman, an expert on historically black colleges. “We’re at the point with Morris Brown that maybe we need to merge with another college. I’m not one for giving up but they’ve been trying on their own for some time now. The college is surviving but is survival enough?”
Other outsiders have wondered why Morris Brown doesn’t declare bankruptcy or shut down.
Pritchett said the college can’t regain accreditation if it’s closed and bankruptcy would set the process back by as much as 10 years. He said it was premature to discuss a merger or partnership with another college, but added Morris Brown would be open to other schools leasing space on campus.
“We will not close,” Pritchett said. “There is no need to close or shut down our doors. We offer quality academic programs and we will continue to do so.”
Morris Brown operates on a scaled down version of its former self. The college enrolled about 3,000 students at its peak, but is down to about 120. The college downsized from 26 majors to three -- general studies, business administration and organizational management & leadership.
Pritchett said the college is looking for niches, such as studies related to sustainability, health care and homeland security. He predicted enrollment to ultimately reach about 1,400 students.
The college also started an online degree program. The program, which has 14 students, gives Morris Brown the opportunity to reach a global audience, including those from countries where the lack of accreditation isn’t an issue.
The school lost accreditation largely because of crushing debt and financial fraud. Dolores Cross, president from 1998 to 2002, pleaded guilty in 2006 to embezzling federal student aid money to try to save the school from financial ruin. She was sentenced to probation, home confinement and required to pay fines and complete community service. Former financial aid director Parvesh Singh also pleaded guilty to embezzlement and was sentenced to probation and told to pay fines.
Of the 20 institutions that lost accreditation since 1990 three regained it and two continue to have it while they fight the agency’s decision, said Belle Wheelan, president of the SACS Commission on Colleges.
Pritchett said the college plans to apply for accreditation when it becomes financially stable. The application process can take about two years.
“Having accreditation is reaching a standard,” he said. “Without it, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a quality program.”
But many students won’t apply to an unaccredited college. Students at Morris Brown don’t have access to federal and other forms of aid — which make it a challenge for the college to recruit and retain students.
About 1,500 students apply to college each year but Pritchett said many can’t attend because of financial constraints. He said the college enrolls legacies, those who decide to apply on their own and students who have difficulty getting in elsewhere.
The college was founded by former slaves in 1881 and its mission has been to teach students who lack the money or academic preparation to go elsewhere.
William “Sonny” Walker, vice chairman of the college’s board of trustees, said people need to remember that Morris Brown graduates work as attorneys, accountants and teachers throughout the area. Alumni include civil rights leader Hosea Williams and Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. McPherson.
Walker and others stressed the millions the college can add to the economy and the prepared workforce it can provide.
“What will happen if there is no Morris Brown?” Walker asked. “Who will pick up that void? That is what my concern is. Morris Brown is a worthy investment for all because of the return that will come to Atlanta.”
Earlier this month the college received $50,000 in scholarship money. Matthew Shannon, an estate attorney who helped establish the scholarship fund, said Morris Brown has made a difference in the lives of needy students. He wasn’t concerned about giving the money to unaccredited institution.
“They are on their way back,” Shannon said. “I am more concerned about the young people there.”
The college raised about $2 million from the AME Church, alumni and friends during the 2009 fiscal year, Pritchett said.
Matthew Hamill, senior vice president of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, said fundraising alone isn’t enough. He suggested a re-alignment of the college’s physical side, such as leasing buildings.
“They are very resilient,” Hamill said. “They do have assets. They have a name and a history and a campus and they must get creative with that.”
The college has allowed movies to be filmed on campus. Pritchett said the college is negotiating to lease space on campus — including the stadium — but declined to provide additional details.
Prtichett said the college’s turnaround also depends on help from large foundations.
Most foundations won’t give money without proof of success andt it will be hard for the college to prove success without any money. Pritchett hopes to win groups over by telling them about the good things happening at Morris Brown, such as the 26 students who graduated last May.
“This is a business proposition,” Pritchett said. “We are helping young people get an education and that will help our economy. This deserves someone stepping forward to help this college in our time of need.”
Comment