Bennett College racing to meet a Feb. 1 deadline to raise $5 million


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Last month, Bennett’s accreditation was revoked, based solely on financial shortcomings.

School officials have appealed that decision and remain accredited during the appeal process.

MARK RUMSEY: Gwen, before we get into the fundraising campaign, let’s get a sense of how the school ended up with its’ accreditation revoked.

GWENDOLYN GLENN: In 2016, Mark, Bennett was placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or SACS, for being out of compliance with the agency’s financial stability rules.

Rumsey: Now, Bennett’s finances have been a cause for concern before right?

Glenn: Yes, its accreditation was also threatened in 2002. Dr. Johnetta Cole came to Bennett then from Spelman College in Atlanta — the country’s only other all-women’s historically black college — where she increased the school’s endowment five-fold. Cole raised more than $20 million in about two years.

Related Story: 2 Organizations Donate To Bennett, Bringing College Closer To Goal

Rumsey: So, Bennett officials say this $5 million campaign is crucial to getting their accreditation reinstated. How is the campaign going?

Glenn: Well, last week the private, family-operated, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem donated $500,000 to help Bennett reach its goal. Also, Papa John’s pizza chain gave the school a $500,000 grant. That brings the campaign up to $2.7 million.

“38 percent of the money we’ve raised has come in from alumnae and they are beating the streets and doing what they can do to save their institution and keeping it alive.”

Glenn: Bennett has a twitter slogan of #STANDWITHBENNET that’s being reposted on people’s accounts all over social media and Gatling says a large portion of the donations have come from those online appeals, with amounts ranging from $1 to $10,000.

Rumsey: They’ve also received substantial donations from black sororities and fraternities and churches haven’t they?

Glenn: They have. Last week they say they received about $80,000 dollars from churches and more than $130,000 from fraternities and sororities. There seems to be a lot of energy picking up around the campaign off and on campus as the deadline nears. Students are wearing the #STANDWITHBENNETT t-shirts with the proceeds going to the campaign. President Dawkins and others say they are confident they will reach the $5 million goal.

..... We have applied to another accreditation body to ensure we are accredited by TRACS or SACS or both, transnational Association for Christian schools.”

Glenn: Bennett can apply to TRACS because they are a United Methodist college. I’d just add, Mark, that this effort to save Bennett has almost gone viral with national shows targeting African-Americans such as the Tom Joyner Show, Rickey Smiley and Roland Martin calling for donations.
https://www.wfae.org/post/bennett-college-officials-get-major-donations-help-accreditation-effort
 
Goal Surpassed: Bennett College Raised $8.2 Million To Help Keep Accreditation

Bennett College‘s deadline to raise $5 million to help keep their accreditation arrived Monday. Following a 90-minute gathering Monday afternoon, school officials announced that they’ve raised $8.2 million.

Hundreds have been working to maintain the school’s accreditation after the board of trustees with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges voted to remove Bennett’s membership due to financial instability in December.

“When we were cited in December that we would be removed from membership in SACS, we were told that we did not meet one standard, which was financial resources. And so, SACS has 90 to 95 standards, and that’s the only standard we did not meet. So, to that extent we have to produce $5 million to demonstrate financial stability,” Bennett College President, Phyllis Worthy Dawkins said.

https://hbcubuzz.com/2019/02/goal-s...Dlpua-xThMJlAK1y7KWT7Im6ixs8j2JKF4tLD3kXernTQ
 
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Alot of people may not agree with me, but I would have not have given this school a dime.

Dr. Cole during her tenure gave this school millions for new buildings and millions in the endowment. The question should be where did all money go
 
I donated! But, in the end. We (HBCUs) and Alumnis' have to to step our game up in this economic climate.
 
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