Michael J. Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn said, “We are deeply disappointed in their ruling and fundamentally believe that they reached the wrong conclusion.” DALLAS- Last month the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools released its findings on southern state accreditation.  The Commission is charged with ensuring that institutions meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students.  The commission also serves as the common thread of agreed practices among the institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission on Colleges that awards associate’s, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees.

For the past five years it appears that a number of HBCU’s have failed or are failing to meet the “agreed” standard.  This year alone of the four schools removed from probationary status, two of the four are African-American schools, Dillard University and Texas Southern University (TSU).   TSU, the state’s largest historically Black university was placed on probation in December 2007 because of financial and management problems. 

However a new administration along with the enthusiasm of a new president, were able to submit a plan that calmed the fears of the accreditation board and move them to lift the probation status. So the news received by Paul Quinn College that it lost its accreditation because of financial and the lack of academic success, was a devastating blow that jeopardizes the future of the college. Paul Quinn College was established in Austin in 1872 as the first Black college in Texas.

The school spent the better part of its history in Waco, conferring degrees on many students who would later become local educators and community leaders, before it moved to Dallas in 1990. But in recent years, the college has been plagued by dwindling finances and low enrollment.
Michael J. Sorrell, Paul Quinn’s president, said in a statement that the school was disappointed with the ruling and will appeal.  But the appeals will not assist the college in overcoming the stigma associated with losing accreditation. 

Colleges can’t award degrees without accreditation in Texas and an unaccredited school’s students can’t receive federal or state financial aid.
So for many of the 440 students at the south Dallas campus, this could become problematic. There does exist a bigger issue with the growing number of HBCU‘s threatened by accreditation and the many school’s desire to continue to have an “open door” policy. 

Let’s face it, if the schools would just become more selective in the admission process “creaming the crop” so to speak, their graduation rates would increase, one factor reviewed in accreditation.  But that choice would work against the rationale for creating HBCU’s. Paul Quinn is already pursuing partnership opportunities with Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.  

The creation of strong partnerships that will broaden the depth of academic options along with corporate and private infusion of funding to get the school out of a 20 year history of mounting debt, might go a long way in the appeals process. In a letter posted on the school’s Web site, Sorrell stated, “Dear Quinnites: Late yesterday morning, I received a phone call from a representative of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools informing me that they had voted to remove us from their membership.  We are deeply disappointed in their ruling and fundamentally believe that they reached the wrong conclusion.  Therefore, we have decided to appeal their decision and will seek to have it overturned. ... While this matter is under appeal, the status of the college remains unchanged.  Your classes will continue as scheduled, you will not lose any of your credit hours or academic standing and we still have the ability to grant degrees.  Paul Quinn College is open and we intend to remain that way.  If anything changes, I will contact you and explain every detail. ... Remember, there is no ‘quit’ in the Quinnites.
Take care,
President Michael J. Sorrell, Esq.”

Paul Quinn College was founded by a group of African Methodist Episcopal circuit-riding preachers in Austin, Texas in 1872. It was later relocated to Waco and established as a modest one-building trade school at Eighth and Mary Streets, where the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway Station now stands.
At the College, newly freed slaves were taught blacksmithing, carpentry, tanning and other skills.