> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Student-Success Resource Center
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Despite Raising $9.5 Million, Bennett College Loses Accreditation — and Then Regains It Temporarily

By  Zipporah Osei
February 22, 2019
Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College
Bennett College
Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College

Updated (2/22/2019, 7:20 p.m.) with news of the lawsuit and other developments at a college news conference.

Bennett College, the women-only historically black institution that spent the last three months fighting to remain open, lost its appeal on Friday to keep its accreditation. The accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges, affirmed its December decision to terminate the accreditation of the college, in Greensboro, N.C.

Following the announcement, Bennett sued the accreditor and had its accreditation temporarily reinstated.

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College
Bennett College
Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College

Updated (2/22/2019, 7:20 p.m.) with news of the lawsuit and other developments at a college news conference.

Bennett College, the women-only historically black institution that spent the last three months fighting to remain open, lost its appeal on Friday to keep its accreditation. The accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges, affirmed its December decision to terminate the accreditation of the college, in Greensboro, N.C.

Following the announcement, Bennett sued the accreditor and had its accreditation temporarily reinstated.

Bennett had been given until February 1 to raise enough money to be in good standing before formally appealing the decision. The college surpassed its $5-million goal and ended up raising $9.5 million from tens of thousands of donors, including High Point University, a neighboring institution. With the help of a sweeping social-media campaign, dubbed #StandWithBennett, the college won the support of alumnae, community leaders, national figures, and celebrities.

ADVERTISEMENT

Accreditation is critical to a college’s existence because it allows the institution to receive federal student-aid funds. Most colleges that lose their accreditation close.

At a live-streamed news conference on Friday, Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Bennett’s president, said the college had sued the accreditor and would continue to be accredited for the duration of the legal proceedings, which could last up to two years.

In the meantime, Bennett has submitted an application for accreditation to the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. Officials of that accreditor will be at the college on March 14 for a site visit that’s part of the application process. Dawkins said it was possible that the college could be accredited by both groups at once.

The December 11 decision to remove Bennett’s accreditation was based solely on the college’s financial standing, so it could submit new financial information in its appeal. The accreditor had previously put Bennett on two years’ probation after it reported annual deficits of more than $1 million. At the start of the #StandWithBennett campaign, however, the college generated a surplus of $461,038.

ADVERTISEMENT

A Path Forward

Despite the successful fund raising, the accreditor felt the college had not presented a strong enough case.

In Friday’s announcement, the accreditor said, “The Appeals Committee found that Bennett College had ‘failed to show that the institution possesses resources demonstrating a stable financial base to support the mission and scope of programs and services.’” The loss of accreditation was to be effective immediately.

On Monday, Dawkins and Gladys A. Robinson, chair of Bennett’s board, presented the formal appeal to the accreditor at a hearing. Afterward, Dawkins said in a written statement she was confident Bennett had a strong case for continuing its accreditation.

“We not only discussed our recent fund-raising efforts but also presented a path forward for the college,” Dawkins said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Speaking at the news conference, Dawkins said: “We were devastated because we thought we had put forth our best efforts and showed that we had a clear strategy. We consider this very unfair.”

She said Bennett would use the donated money to finance operations and reduce the college’s debt. Members of this year’s graduating class will receive their degrees at the end of the academic year, she said, and the college is still accepting applications for the next freshman class.

“Our fight continues. The accreditation process can be slow and disappointing, but the decision will not disrupt the daily operations of Bennett College,” Dawkins said. “The goal is to get back to normal as soon as possible.”

Zipporah Osei is an editorial intern at The Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter @zipporahosei, or email her at zipporah.osei@chronicle.com.

A version of this article appeared in the March 8, 2019, issue.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Leadership & GovernanceFinance & Operations
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

  • Bennett College Raised $8.2 Million (and Counting) to Save Its Accreditation, Exceeding Its Goal
  • As Bennett College Faces Loss of Accreditation, High Point U. Steps In With $1-Million Donation
  • For Alumnae, the Fight to Keep Bennett College Open Is a Fight for Black Women in Academe
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
    Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin