Morris-Brown, Historic Black College, to Close

ATLANTA — After a decades-long financial and academic struggle, Morris-Brown College, one of the nation’s oldest historically black colleges and universities, is facing foreclosure this month and an auction of its assets.

Enrollment at the 131-year-old college is down to approximately 50 students, when at times in the school’s history the enrollment topped 3,000 students in any given year. The school formally opened its doors on October 15, 1885, with 107 students and nine teachers. Morris Brown was the first educational institution in Georgia under sole African American patronage. For more than a century, the college enrolled many students from poor backgrounds, a large numbers of whom returned to their hometowns as teachers.

In 2002 Morris-Brown lost its accreditation and federal funding due to a financial mismanagement scandal, and it has since faced long public financial battles with crippling debt.

In a struggle to keep the doors open, income streams have come through the leasing of buildings on the campus and through such innovative programs as the Hope Scholarship, Upward Bound, and the Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant. Concerned alumni have been consistent donors, and both students and faculty have dug deep in their pockets and made contributions. Professors have worked without pay, and the Executive Committee of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which oversees the school, has been more than generous. However, after investors recently called $13 million worth of bonds tied to the college, the school could no longer continue operating, officials said.

Former Atlanta City Councilman and Morris Brown graduate Derrick Boazman called the school’s recent financial developments “just heartbreaking.” Benjamin Harrison, a spokesman for the 6th District AME Church, says officials will soon begin discussions about reorganizing, restructuring, as well as finances.