Facing financial struggles, this NC HBCU seeks community input for revitalization plan

Barber-Scotia College, one of the Charlotte area’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is turning to residents in its Concord home for feedback on ways to revitalize itself.

The 154-year-old college, which is currently unaccredited, is still open to students seeking four-year bachelor’s degrees. Since students are unable to receive federal government assistance due to lack of accreditation, the college continues to face financial issues and has seen a continued decline in its enrollment.

In February, Barber-Scotia and the city of Concord reached a formal agreement to work on developing a path forward for the college. The statement of collaboration recognized the financial, legal, physical, and logistical challenges facing the HBCU.

The city created a Barber-Scotia Community Task Force, which is led by city council members JC McKenzie and Ella Mae Small, to work with college leadership and forge a revitalization plan.

As part of the task force’s work, it created an online survey for residents in the spring.

The Concord Community Vision Input Project surveyed residents about developments they hope to see as part of the college’s revitalization. Questions included what educational programs and community impact facilities should be added to the campus.

The survey gathered responses from 797 participants.

Some 59% believed that a trade school program should be explored while over 60% supported the college creating community-related programs, such as a job training center and mixed-use area for office buildings and residential space.

According to its website, the college offers three undergraduate concentrations and five institute certificate programs, as well as vocational certificate programs.

In a news release, college President Melvin Douglass said he was working with the Board of Trustees to explore additional entrepreneurial, vocational and technical programs.

Struggles over the years

In 1867, the Freedman’s Committee of the Presbyterian Church built Scotia Seminary, the first higher education institution built for African American women after the Civil War. In the 1940s, it evolved into Barber-Scotia Junior College, a four-year women’s college.

The college became coeducational in 1954 and received its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 2004, SACS revoked the college’s accreditation, stating that the school awarded degrees to students in its adult program who did not fulfill proper requirements, the Observer reported at the time.

The revocation meant that students were no longer able to receive federal financial assistance, which impacted over 90% of students in the college.

Renewed attention on HBCUs

HBCUs have been in the news of late, in part thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris and others celebrating their HBCU roots.

Donations and government funding are coming to HBCUs, which had been struggling financially for decades despite their long history, The New York Times reported.

State officials also started to discuss the future of HBCUs in North Carolina. Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) has been a long-term advocate for HBCUs.

In 2017, Adams and the Black caucus organized a day on Capitol Hill to celebrate the 150th anniversary of nine black colleges, including Barber-Scotia and two North Carolina’s HBCUs, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte and Fayetteville State University.

Changes for Barber-Scotia

In a news release, Barber-Scotia and the city of Concord said that the college had seen many positive developments in the past two years.

Through the U.S. Department of Education’s HBCU Capital Financing loan forgiveness program, the college had nearly $12 million of debt forgiven. The college borrowed $14 million to build student housing in 2000, but defaulted on the loan when it lost its accreditation, WSOC previously reported.

While city and college leaders expressed optimism about the college’s future, the college’s current financial standing has affected its operation. The reported number of enrollment plummeted since it lost its accreditation.

In 2015-16, the school temporarily closed. When it reopened in the 2016-17 school year, only about a dozen students enrolled in the college, while the former college president worked on a volunteer basis, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It is unclear how many students are enrolled in the college now.

Barber-Scotia College did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Observer. According to its statement with the city, the two would jointly respond to media inquiry. City spokeswoman Lindsay Manson referred the questions to Douglass, who didn’t respond.

The Concord Independent Tribune reported that the college is at best a decade away from accreditation, given the typical time for schools to receive accreditation.

Douglass and the college’s Board of Trustees met with community leaders as he works with the city to plan for the campus’ future.

In an op-ed for the Independent Tribune written by Douglass, Barber-Scotia Board of Trustees Chair Karen Soares, and the task force leaders, the group said that it is looking towards the possibility of having a four-year accredited undergraduate program. College officials did not detail plans of seeking reaccreditation in the op-ed.

“The input of the community will help us formulate a viable plan for Barber-Scotia’s path forward.” Douglass said in the news release.

This story was originally published August 15, 2021 at 6:30 AM.