Credit: St. Augustine’s University
St. Augustine’s University, a private, Christian HBCU in Raleigh, North Carolina, has had its accreditation temporarily restored after a years-long, uphill battle to keep the university from closing for good.
In a July 22 press release, the university shared that the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the education accreditor recognized by the Department of Education unanimously overturned their 2023 decision to strip the HBCU’s accreditation status. It’s a rare move for the organization to reverse an accreditation decision – even rarer while the school is still in the midst of arbitration for unpaid debts.
St. Augustine’s University is a historically Black university founded in Raleigh in July 1867 by Episcopal clergy for the education of newly freed slaves. Since the early 2000s, the school has faced financial turmoil and rapid changes in leadership that has left its future unstable. In February of this year, interim president Dr. Marcus Burgess shared an email with university faculty members informing them that they would not be able to be paid. In May, St. Augustine’s students and staff transitioned to all virtual learning with classes being offered only online for the remainder of the spring semester.
“Our current financial situation, or lack thereof, has significantly hindered the operations across our campus,” Dr. Burgess said in the email. “Please know that we are tirelessly working to fortify our internal controls and to develop a sustainable business model for our university.”
The IRS filed a $7.9 million dollar lien for unpaid taxes against the university in 2024 amid millions of dollars of debt St. Augustine’s already owed to various other institutions. The SACSCOC revoked the school’s accreditation status in 2023 and St. Augustine’s appealed multiple times to no avail. This recent reversal will maintain St. Augustine’s access to federal student loans and allow the campus to welcome back students while the university works to resolve non-compliance issues related to financial resources and oversight.
According to the Department of Education, HBCUs across the nation are severely underfunded resulting in many losing their accreditation and having low enrollment numbers. In some cases, the colleges and universities were forced to shut down for good. Community members, clergy, and HBCU alliances nationwide have rallied around St. Augustine’s to help raise funds to support the students and staff and help keep the doors open.
“Dr. Burgess, we believe in SAU and your leadership,” said Travis Outlaw, a St. Augustine’s alum, treasurer of the Wayne County HBCU Alliance and a trustee at St. James AME Zion. “We know you’ve been traveling all up and down the road trying to raise money. We appreciate that, and we have a donation that we want to give you to Saint Augustine’s.” The alliance was able to raise a $10,000 donation for university.
“The commitment and resilience shown by our community throughout this ordeal exemplify the spirit and determination that define Saint Augustine’s University,” Dr. Janelle Jennings-Alexander, St. Augustine’s University interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, told The Charlotte Post. “Our faculty and staff’s tireless efforts to preserve SAU’s legacy of educational distinction help strengthen us in this accreditation journey.”
The University will welcome students back to campus on August 19.
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