Kevin James, president of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, announced that to college’s accreditation application with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools has been approved. This is a major step toward the institution receiving full accreditation. Representatives from the Virginia-based accrediting agency intend to visit the campus in January 2021 for their final evaluation before candidacy consideration in April 2021.
Morris Brown College was founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 2002, Morris Brown College lost its accreditation due to an unstable financial position. It filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The college filed a reorganization plan that was accepted by the bankruptcy court. The plan involved the sale of 26 acres of land to the city for $14.7 million. The college emerged from bankruptcy in 2015. Yet, due to the fact that the college is not accredited, enrollments remain very low. Earlier this year, the college reported enrollments of 35 students. Before it lost accreditation, enrollments were as high as 2,700 students.
Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Bishop of the sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, said, “I am excited about the future of Morris Brown College. Morris Brown has made tremendous progress within the last 20 months. The funds raised at this year’s homecoming [more than $550,000] represents the largest homecoming fundraiser in the past 20 years. Morris Brown College is headed in the right direction and gaining momentum for its future.”
