Darius Foggy

News Report

Bennett College Under ATTACK

Bennett College is an all-female Historical Black College in Greensboro NC with

a long history of excellence since 1873. It is one of two all female black colleges in the

country. Recently,due to lower enrollment and mismanagement of funds, they faced

losing their accreditation.

They were accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

(SACS)​.​On December 9, 2018, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

rescinded their accreditation due to failure of completion of the chapter 13, section 1 of

the Principles of Accreditation.

This created a social media campaign called #StandWithBennett from alumni

and other members of the black community to help raise money. In the weeks following

the decision and with the help of the public Bennett raised over 4 million dollars to help

keep the school open. ​However, the college still faced rejection of the appeal for

accreditation.

Following this announcement, Bennett College sued (SACS). According to a

Sacs press release,“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,”.

 Bennett college SGA President,Alexis Branch,released a statement initiating a

petition to remove LeRoy Summers Jr., Vice President of Business and Finance,

following the institution’s struggle with accreditation. Branch and her supporters believe

that Summers,ineffective leadership led to Bennett’s situation .

The petition reached 251 supporters out of the goal of 350. The college

conducted an investigation of Summers. Some Belles are against the petition Branch

released and are calling for her removal as SGA president.

Bennett college plans to use corporate sponsorships to keep the school open.

Papa John's is one corporate entity that pledged its support.CEO of Papa John’s, Steve

Ritchie, formally presented Bennett College with their $500,000 donation check for their

#StandWithBennett campaign.

At a press conference following the panel, Ritchie announced The Papa John’s

Foundation for Community Building, in which Bennett College would be the first grant

recipient.The foundation has also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, Lean Into

Louisville and the Association of American Colleges & Universities, and promises to

“support communities as they work together for equality, fairness, respect and

opportunity for all,” according to its website.

Bennett’s current president, Dr. Phyllis Dawkins, appreciates the decision of

Papa John’s to develop a relationship with the institution. Dawkins plans to create more

partnerships as well as a re-engineering team to help re-imagine Bennett. In the

meantime, Bennett College is planning to apply for new accreditation in the coming
months. The school anticipates the new ​accreditation will remain in place while the

college files a lawsuit against the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools