Early this year, E. LaBrent Chrite, president of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, stated in a letter to the campus community that “2020 will be a pivotal year in the history of Bethune-Cookman University. It will be the year our beloved university prepared to close its doors or it will be the year we turned a corner and began moving toward an exciting future.”
It appears that the latter scenario will be the one that prevails.
The university announced that it had been removed from probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and that its accreditation remains in place. Bethune-Cookman had faced a huge budget shortfall and a decline in enrollments but the administration was able to assure the accrediting agency that the institution was on the right track to secure its financial footing.
“This decision represents the culmination of our collective effort and I am immensely grateful to this community for all its support,” President Chrite said. “The SACSCOC review process was extraordinarily rigorous and we met (and in some instances exceeded) the conditions that were put before us. This is an enormous accomplishment and it reflects the very best of B-CU: strength, resilience, faith, and an enduring commitment to doing what is right and necessary in support of our students and our legacy. While much work remains in a post-COVID environment, there is no doubt as to our ability to secure the future of our beloved university.”
Dr. Chrite–a huge congratulations! I was impressed by your humility at an alumna event and although not a graduate of BCU have subsequently made small contributions to the Foundation. Keep up the great work!