A new website called The Paine Project has made its debut online. The site, which does not disclose who is behind the online effort, says it is dedicated to “protecting the integrity and prosperity of Paine College” in Augusta, Georgia. The website says that it is supported by former and current staff, faculty, and students.
In June the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed Paine College on accreditation probation. The college has 12 months to address the commission’s concerns or it could lose its accreditation. Colleges that lose their accreditation are no longer eligible to participate in federal financial assistance programs.
The Paine Project states that it believes the well-being of the college “can only be accomplished by the ouster of George C. Bradley and his administration from the leadership of Paine College.” The site says that President Bradley “has brought unprecedented mismanagement to the college’s financial and fiscal affairs, and intimidation and threats to faculty, staff, and students.”
The Paine Project also lays blame on the college’s board of trustees by stating that “the Board of Trustees of Paine College, under the leadership of the last two Board Chairmen, Dr. Eddie Cheeks and Dr. Silas Norman, have been derelict in their appointed duties. We intend to hold both accountable for allowing the Bradley administration to destroy what was once a good and viable college. Our college, Paine College.”