LeMoyne-Owen College Is Back on Its Feet

The commissioners of Shelby County, Tennessee, have renewed their commitment to the privately operated LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis. The historically black college will receive a $500,000 grant from the county for basic operating expenses. Another $600,000 donation was recently received from the Plough Foundation.

In the summer of 2007 the college was in severe financial difficulties and many believed that the educational institution would have to close its doors. But $4 million in grants from businesses, religious groups, the city of Memphis, the county government, and the state government gave the historically black institution new life.

Now, Johnnie B. Watson, president of LeMoyne-Owen, believes that the college will operate with a budget surplus for the current academic year.