Bennett College files a lawsuit in an effort to keep its accreditation
Bennett College has filed a federal lawsuit to keep its accreditation, the school’s president, Phyllis Dawkins, announced late Friday.
A federal judge in Atlanta granted a temporary restraining order, which means the college’s accreditation will remain intact while the court case proceeds, Dawkins said at a news conference. The legal proceeding is expected to last months or even years, she said.
The action followed the news earlier Friday that Bennett had lost an appeal to its accrediting agency. The college had raised $9.5 million in a dramatic, two-month drive to prove to the agency that it could survive financially.
In a news release posted earlier Friday, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges had announced that an appeals committee had upheld a December decision by the accreditor’s board to revoke Bennett’s accreditation.
The appeals committee, the news release said, “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 decision was a blow to the historically black women’s college in Greensboro — one of two such schools in the nation. Bennett had waged a successful national campaign for its survival, bringing in well more than its $5 million goal for fundraising.
A loss of accreditation typically carries with it the loss of federal funding, such as student financial aid, and can lead to a school’s closure.
The fundraising campaign had drawn donations from alumni, banks and other businesses, as well as $1 million from nearby High Point University.
Some gave in honor of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett following his report that he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago. Smollett had been a vocal supporter of Bennett’s campaign. After an investigation, police debunked Smollett’s story and said they had evidence that the attack was a hoax perpetrated by him. The actor was arrested on a charge of filing a false police report, and multiple media outlets reported Friday that he was removed from the “Empire” TV show for the remainder of this season.
Bennett officials had vowed to restructure the college to make it more financially stable. Dawkins said the daily operations of the college would not be affected while the lawsuit proceeds. The college has retained two law firms to wage the battle for its future.
She said she felt that many of the Bennett students will stay, though parents watching the news conference on YouTube said they wanted more information about college’s health.
“We urge everyone to keep the faith and know that Bennett is standing strong,” Dawkins said.
The college has also submitted an application to another accrediting agency that focuses on Christian schools. A team from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools will visit Bennett in March, Dawkins said.
She said the Bennett team was surprised with the news from the accrediting body Friday.
“We were devastated,” she said, “because we thought we put forth our best defense in terms of presenting new and verifiable financial resources to support our appeal.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2019 at 3:53 PM.
