After two years on probation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has notified historically Black Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, that it will lose its accreditation. Bennett College President Phyllis Worthy Dawkins has appealed the commission’s decision. As a result, the college will retain its accreditation until a hearing in February. The SACSCOC only allows schools two years of probation before the commission decides if it will restore full accreditation or revoke it completely.
Bennett College has been on probation due to financial problems. But some progress on this front has been made. The school reported having a surplus of $461,000 during the 2017-2018 academic year, which is a major improvement over the $1.1 million deficit Bennett experienced after the 2016-2017 academic year. Additionally, the institution surpassed their 2017-2018 fundraising goal of $4 million and raised $4.2 million in gifts and donations by the end of the school year.
Another encouraging sign is that this fall, undergraduate enrollment surged for the second year in a row to 469 students. This was a 15 percent increase from the previous year.
President Dawkins plans to contact potential donors across the country in an effort to boost the the college’s financial position. Despite these trying times, she remains hopeful about the school’s future. “The door’s not closed all the way yet,” President Dawkins said.
