Bennett College files a lawsuit in an effort to keep its accreditation after losing appeal

Bennett College has filed a federal lawsuit to keep its accreditation, the school’s president, Phyllis Dawkins, announced on February 22nd.

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 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.

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 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.

[SOURCE: NEWSOBSERVER]

Bennett College leaders make plea to have accreditation reinstated after raising $9.5 million

School leaders from Bennett College were in Atlanta on Monday to fight to save one of the nation's only historically black colleges for women.

The Greensboro institution presented its case to an appeals panel in an attempt to keep the college's accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges after raising more than $9 million in recent weeks.

On Dec. 11, 2018, Bennett was removed from SACSCOC membership strictly for financial reasons. Bennett did not receive any sanctions against its academics, faculty, leadership or students.

Bennett immediately appealed the SACSCOC decision and remains accredited throughout the appeal process.

Accreditation officials are expected to make a decision by next Monday.

Bennett College President Phyllis Worthy Dawkins said she is confident that Bennett presented a strong case for continuing its membership in the Association, which would restore its accreditation.

"We presented our case to SACSCOC officials this morning, buoyed by our successful #StandWithBennett fundraising campaign, which to date has raised $9.5 million," Dawkins said. "We not only discussed our recent fundraising efforts but also presented a path forward for the college. SACSCOC must notify us of their decision within a week, by Feb. 25, and we are hopeful for a favorable outcome."

[SOURCE: WXII]

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to present Bennett College with $100,000 Endowment

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the country’s oldest African-American sorority, has pledged an endowment in the amount of $100,000 to Bennett College. The gift is one of the largest the Institution has received since announcing on Dec.11, 2018, that it must raise a minimum of $5 million to remain accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded on Jan. 15, 1908, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The sorority has about 300,000 members worldwide. Notable members include Congresswoman Kamala Harris, who this week announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, actress Phylicia Rashad and author Toni Morrison.

Bennett College President Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins was notified of the gift in a letter from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. International President Dr. Glenda Glover, who said the sorority wanted to support Bennett because of its national goal to support and make an impact on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The endowment will be presented at a Black History Month gathering of HBCU presidents at Alpha Kappa Alpha’s International Headquarters in Chicago.

“As an HBCU graduate and someone who has dedicated my life’s work to the HBCU community, I personally know the impact that establishing an endowment has on a student’s enrollment or graduation prospects,” said Glover. “Our organization has established the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund with the goal of investing in the future of our young people and the sustainability of our treasured Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Over the next four years, we have pledged to donate a total of $10 million towards the endowment. We are honored to provide Bennett College with their full endowment immediately to support their fundraising goals.”

Dawkins said the Bennett College family is grateful to Alpha Kappa Alpha for the generous donation. In addition, local AKA chapters have been very supportive of Bennett.

“On behalf of the Bennett College Board of Trustees, as well as our faculty, staff and students, I can’t thank President Glover and the members of AKA enough for their donation to Bennett College,” Dawkins said. “While we appreciate all of the support Bennett has received from individuals, foundations and corporations, substantial gifts like the one from AKA will go a long way toward helping us reach our fundraising goal of a minimum of $5 million by Feb. 1. We are truly appreciative to the women of AKA for their amazing support.”

On Dec. 11, 2018, Bennett College was removed from membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Bennett immediately appealed the decision and remains accredited during the appeal process. Bennett was removed strictly for financial reasons and was not issued sanctions against its academics, leadership, faculty or students.

Founded in 1873 as a coeducational institution, Bennett became women’s only in 1926. Spelman College in Atlanta is the country’s only other all-women’s HBCU.

Bennett has a history of producing outstanding women leaders, including: the first woman or African-American to head the U.S. Peace Corps; the screenplay writer for “The Loving Story,” which in 2016 was made into an Academy Award-nominated motion picture; the Deputy Minority Leader in the N.C. General Assembly; the first African-American female dentist in Indiana; the first African-American woman to serve as an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts; the first woman to hold the position of Director of Drug Program and Policies within the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA); and the first active teacher and youngest person to be elected to the Berkeley (California) Unified School District School Board.

Current Bennett students and recent grads are also impressive, including senior business administration major Tyler Binion, who was selected among 63 students to serve as a Competitiveness Scholar through the White House Initiative on HBCUs, and Delrisha White ’13, who enrolled in Bennett from the foster care system in San Francisco and became SGA President.  She graduated with honors and is now earning her master’s degree at Harvard.

Ways to give to Bennett College:

• Online: bennett.edu/donate
• Text2Give: Text the word BELLES to the number 444999
• Cash App: $StandwithBennett
• S. Mail: Send a check to Bennett College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 900 E. Washington St., Greensboro, N.C. 27401

Help All Women HBCU Bennett College must raise 5 million to maintain accreditation

Bennett College is in danger of losing it's accreditation. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges had voted to remove its accreditation due to failure to comply with the commission’s financial standards.  The all women's HBCU needs to raise $5 million by February , 2019 to maintain it's accreditation.

So far, the college has raised more than $1 million. They need your help!

Stand with Bennett

50 days. Friends, we have 50 days to raise funds to help Bennett College maintain its accreditation with SACSCOC. February 1, 2019, is our target date for accomplishing this goal.

Over the past two years, Bennett has made significant gains in addressing our financial stability. Some of the significant strides made to achieve sustainability include:

• Bennett generated a surplus of $461,038 and had no audit findings.
• Bennett was approved for a capital loan deferment over a six-year period with a financial benefit of nearly $9 million.
• Bennett has steadily increased its fundraising from $3.47 million to $4.25 million over a 3-year period.
• Bennett’s enrollment has been trending upward for 2 years from 409 in 2017 to 471 in 2018.
• Our retention rate is also significantly up from 44% in Fall 2017 to 53% in Fall 2018.
• The average GPA of new freshwomen increased from 2.8 in 2017 to 3.2 in 2018.
• Bennett continues to support mission activities, and academic and student programs.

Despite all of these accomplishments, SACSCOC felt that we fell short.  We are appealing their decision and working hard to demonstrate that we are fiscally stable. This requires us to raise additional money to reduce our debt and improve our cash position.

When you #StandWithBennett, you are preserving the legacy and excellence of black women in the U.S.  Since 1873, @BennettCollege has created a place for black women's voices and brilliance to be developed and cultivated.

We need your help. #StandWithBennett Give to Bennett. Or you may text the word Belles to 444999 and follow the instructions.

If you would like to donate, click here: http://www.bennett.edu/standwithbennett/