JBHE: Latest News for 5/13/10

Paul Quinn College Vows to Fight On

In 1872 Paul Quinn College was founded in Austin, Texas. Named after a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the college later moved to Waco. Twenty years ago the college moved to Dallas. About 1,000 students were enrolled the first year the Dallas campus was open.

Since that time enrollments have dwindled. At the start of the 2008-09 academic year there were 440 students enrolled. During the year the college was stripped of its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The college filed a lawsuit against the accrediting body and has retained its accredited status pending the outcome of the lawsuit. But the prospect of the college’s losing its accreditation has put further pressure on enrollments. At the start of the current academic year, there were only 150 students on campus.

But Paul Quinn College reports that it has an operating surplus and has embarked on a $2 million capital improvement project. New academic programs in writing and speech have been introduced. Faced with the prospect of losing accreditation from the regional authority, the college plans to apply for accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.