St. Augustine’s wins injunction to stay accredited. What it means for the HBCU.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Federal judge grants injunction allowing St. Augustine’s to keep accreditation.
- Injunction enables students to remain eligible for aid during fall 2025 semester.
- Alumni donations, including $100K, funded $1M lawsuit to challenge accreditation loss.
St. Augustine’s University has won a reprieve that will allow the historically Black college in Raleigh to hold onto its academic accreditation, for now.
St. Aug’s announced Friday that a federal judge had awarded a preliminary injunction against the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that would allow the university to retain accreditation for the fall 2025 semester.
The university had filed a lawsuit after SACSCOC upheld its decision to strip St. Aug’s of its accreditation and membership from the organization.
“This is a tremendous win for Saint Augustine’s University and, most importantly, for our students,” St. Aug’s interim president, Marcus H. Burgess, said in a news release. “Thanks to our supporters, we will open our (virtual) doors on Sept. 2 as an accredited institution, just as we promised. We have said all along that we will stop at nothing to maintain our accreditation and continue serving our scholars — and we meant it.”
The university will retain its accreditation while the legal battle plays out. Accreditation is important because students need to attend an accredited school to be eligible to receive federal student aid.
”Students can enroll, receive financial aid, and continue their studies with complete confidence that their degrees will be accredited while the case is underway,” the university said in its news release. ”In addition, the injunction provides SAU with time to present its case and pursue alternative accreditation avenues if necessary, all while students’ education continues uninterrupted.”
Donations help pay for lawsuit
St. Augustine’s, which is located in the Oakwood area of Raleigh, was founded by Episcopal clergy in 1867 to educate freed enslaved people. Among its issues, the university on multiple occasions has been unable to pay its employees on time and has owed major, multimillion-dollar debts, including unpaid taxes to the IRS, The News & Observer previously reported.
SACSCOC first voted to strip the university of accreditation in December 2023, citing a host of reasons tied to the university’s finances and governance,
The financially strapped university turned to alumni and other supporters to raise the money to mount the lawsuit. The university has previously said it expects to spend at least $1 million on litigation, including a $350,000 retainer fee for attorneys.
In its news release, the HBCU cited how it received donations such as $100,000 from the National Alumni Association of Saint Augustine’s University to cover the filing of the preliminary injunction.
“We are immensely grateful for the outpouring of support from our alumni and friends,” said Sophie L. Gibson, the newly appointed chair of St. Aug’s Board of Trustees. “Their commitment ensured we had the resources to take this crucial legal step to protect our students and our mission.
“This injunction is not just a legal reprieve; it is a testament to the power of the Falcon community. It allows us to continue educating our students without interruption as we vigorously defend SAU’s future in court, and it shows that we soar higher when we soar together..”
