Today the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) distributed a press release regarding the appeal of Bennett College. Despite Bennett College’s miraculous achievement of raising $8.2 Million with its #StandWithBennett Campaign, SACSCOC affirmed the decision to terminate the accreditation of Bennett College.
On December 9, 2018, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees removed Bennet College membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges solely based on financial reasons. Bennett College immediately appealed the decision and remained open during the appeal process. According to the “Appeals Procedures of the College Delegate Assembly” policy, an institution removed from accreditation exclusively on the basis of finances is allowed to produce new, verifiable financial information.
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.”
SACSCOC (2019, Feb 22) [Press Release] sacscoc.org
Unfortunately, the Appeals Committee affirmed the actions of the Board of Trustees made in December.
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As a part of our reach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Tom Joyner Foundation has had the opportunity of working with Bennett College. Bennett served as one of our June Schools of the Month in 2017. We raised nearly $10,000 in donations that month.
Bennett College is a small, private, historically Black liberal arts college for women. At Bennett College, education takes place in an environment of open inquiry where teachers and students are immersed in educational processes that build community, foster authentic research, create knowledge, and advance scholarship and personal empowerment. As a United Methodist Church-related institution, Bennett promotes morally grounded maturation, intellectual honesty, purposeful public service, and responsible civic action.
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