By Dennis Rogers, Ph.D., Contributor
Alumni are striving to save St. Augustine University in Raleigh, North Carolina. The recent reaccreditation failure is being appealed by the Board of Trustees. Yet, the Save St. Augustine Alumni Coalition believes, “the Board is the Problem.” To that end a 204 page law suit was filed against individual members of the St. Augustine Board of Trustees. What happened to the 157 year old institution?
In 2024, St. Augustine University lost its accreditation due to financial mismanagement. The institution has $10 million dollars missing from its records, has a $32 Million Debt and IRS Battle. All institutions of higher education accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) are required to undergo a review for reaffirmation of accreditation every ten years. Alumni of St. Augustine University are hopeful that the institution can regain its accreditation like Morris Brown College. Morris Brown College lost and took 20 years to regain full accreditation in 2022 from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS).
Following the Class of 2024 Commencement. On Friday May 31, 2024 the Save St. Augustine Coalition filed lawsuit to remove the current University Board of Trustees. The lawsuit, in part, states that the Board has not followed appropriate vetting protocols on construction projects. The most recent and prominent being an agreement between Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), and Carter, a real estate development firm in Atlanta. GA, agreed to implement a proposal valued in excess of $75 million. It includes developing a 320-unit multifamily project on the property and offers the University the option to invest in the project as a partner. The proposal also includes a partnership between Carter and Swift Services as a minority partner on the development. The agreement was approved on January 21, 2023 at the SAU board of trustee’s meeting.
St. Augustine University sits on 136 acres of lush land in the second hottest real estate market in America. Known as the City of Oaks, FORBES Magazine Ranked Raleigh #2 among “Cities With the Best Quality of Life to Move to in 2024.” St. Augustines has storied history, built in 1867, has had a plethora of distinguished alumni including, Dr. Anna Julia Cooper, Frank Davis (father of Angela Davis), Mother of Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell and N.C. State Auditor Ralph Campbell, and the centenarians Delaney Sisters.
The Save St. Augustine University Alumni Coalition has called for a community wide meeting seeking community input on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at Men at Work Care Facility located at 330 Tryon Rd, Raleigh, NC 27603
