Morris Brown faces long road to recovery

Errin Haines

ATLANTA — The Greek quadrangle at Morris Brown College was bustling again on a recent afternoon, abuzz with young people laughing and socializing among the grass and oak trees.

This idyllic image of college life was actually an illusion: A production crew was filming a scene for an upcoming movie on the campus. The scene was an ironic one for this 125-year-old historically black school, referred to by students from nearby colleges for years as “MBC: Make Believe College.”

Four years ago, the school was nearly reduced to just a footnote in black history after financial mismanagement revealed a $25 million debt and an embezzlement scheme masterminded by the school’s former president, Dolores Cross, and financial aid director, Parvesh Singh.

In the past week, the pair admitted in court to stealing federal funds to cover the college’s expenses. Their guilty pleas were perhaps the biggest steps in helping Morris Brown move forward and repair its reputation — a daunting challenge with no president, no accreditation, no access to federal funding and anemic student enrollment.

Since 2002, Morris Brown has operated as a shadow of its former self. Its enrollment dropped from around 3,000 students to a low of 66 this year. Its 48 courses of study have been whittled down to two — Management Entrepreneurship and Technology, and Organizational Management and Leadership for adult learners. Teacher education, one of the majors eliminated, was the bedrock of the school, which was known for producing many of the Georgia’s black educators.

“Our graduates are in the halls of government, the police force, the fire department, small business, and neighborhoods across the city,” said Getchel Caldwell, the school’s vice president of institutional advancement. “Brownites have stayed in Atlanta and made tremendous contributions to the quality of life here.”

Supporters look to the school’s challenging beginnings as inspiration for starting over.

With roots in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and named after one of the church’s bishops, Morris Brown College was founded by former slaves in 1881, the same year as sister school Spelman College. For decades, the school was part of the cluster of historically black colleges known as the Atlanta University Center, comprised of Spelman, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, the Morehouse School of Medicine and the International Theological Center.

Morris Brown was lagging behind in funding, fundraising and status in November 1998 when Dolores Cross became its president. Vowing to boost the school’s image and enrollment, Cross stretched the school’s tight budget even further — increasing the annual payroll by $6 million and operating costs by nearly $9 million.

“When she came in, everything else escalated, and the capacity couldn’t handle what she wanted to do,” Caldwell said.

Over the next three years, federal prosecutors said Cross helped funnel 1,800 federal grants and loans worth $3.4 million into the school’s coffers in the names of about 600 students who registered for classes they never attended.

Cross initially denied wrongdoing and maintained her innocence for four years. “I believe that when the case is concluded, the facts will show that I am innocent,” she said in response to her indictment in 2004.

Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, said the consequences of Cross’ actions have been devastating for Morris Brown and its students.

“I don’t know of any other instance where an executive in higher education at one of our institutions has pleaded guilty to a federal crime,” Lomax said, adding that Morris Brown was dismissed from the 39-member UNCF when the allegations surfaced in 2002.

“It’s very difficult to regain accreditation. Those students are no longer eligible, if they stay, to receive federal funds. They’ve lost the ability to attract students,” he said. “I’m not going to predict whether they will or won’t be able to recover, but this is a very challenging situation for Morris Brown.”

A new strategic plan developed by a senior management team in the absence of a president has identified business leadership as its niche area for courses of studies. After it regains accreditation, teacher education will return.

Morris Brown also plans to open dorms in the fall and enroll a minimum of 107 students. By 2009, the school hopes to be reaccredited.

“This is a three-year process,” Caldwell said. “We had to wait until all of this was over. Now that it’s quite clear what it’s about, we can move forward.”

Corey Odom, a 1997 business administration graduate, said he never believed the school would close.

“I hope they return to an even greater status than they were before,” Odom said. “I believe they can do that. Sometimes you have to start from the ground level to rebuild with a greater foundation.”

(Associated Press)