Georgia’s HBCUs: Augusta’s Paine College in a fight for its future

November 1, 2017 Augusta: The campus of Paine College on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, in Augusta.    Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

November 1, 2017 Augusta: The campus of Paine College on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, in Augusta. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

For more than a year, Paine College has conducted a multi-layered campaign for its future.

In 2016, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools attempted to revoke the Augusta college’s accreditation, citing several concerns about its finances. Without its accreditation, aren’t eligible for federal student aid, and degrees conferred may carry no weight with employers or graduate schools. The college filed an injunction and has attempted to negotiate an agreement.

Founded more than a century ago, Paine is one of several smaller Historically Black Colleges and Universities with financial or academic troubles that has some experts questioning their viability. Paine leaders counter the college is in the black financially and have enlisted U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to keep its accreditation.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution visited Paine and talked to its president, officials and students to get a better sense of the college’s challenges as part of the newspaper’s three-part series on HBCUs.

To read more about Paine, click here, or go to www.myajc.com to read the entire series and check out our podcast, HBCU Journeys.

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The AJC's Eric Stirgus keeps you updated on the latest happenings in higher education affecting metro Atlanta and Georgia. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

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