MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE:

The Hard Reset

BY NICHOLAS JACKSON

There are certain things you just don’t come back from- or we thought. A $35 million bankruptcy. Loss of land. Loss of accreditation. Loss of students. Loss of reputation. A damaged brand. These are the challenges that faced Morris Brown College, a private Historically Black College (HBCU) in Atlanta, GA. “History will say that I used social media to restore the college,” said Dr. Kevin James, President of Morris Brown College, during an interview. Social media, along with volunteers; a clear vision; incomparable determination; incredible zeal; and most importantly, faith in God, would aid Dr. James in reviving an institution that was all but dead after losing its accreditation for almost 20 years.

In December of 2018, Dr. James was watching the news in Atlanta and saw that his predecessor had retired as president of the college. He immediately said out loud to himself that he wanted to be the next president of Morris Brown College. Following this declaration, he reached out to the 6th District of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, because he did not yet see the position listed on their website.

“The way God set it up,” Dr. James said, “the assistant to the Chairman of the Board answered the phone. After talking for about 30-45 minutes, she told me, '“Send me your resume.

I’m going to put it directly into the Chairman of the Board’s hands.'” About a month later, Dr. James was informed that he had received an interview for the seat of president at Morris Brown.

“Are you sure?” asked Dr. James’ mentor upon hearing his ambitious goal and plan. “You know that’s never been done before, right? No HBCU has ever come back 20 years after losing their accreditation.” Dr. James’s swift reply was, “Yes, I’m sure.” “Well then,” his mentor replied, “if you are sure, then I believe you are the one for the job.”

During his interview, Dr. James laid out his plan for what he would do if he was hired for the position, which most certainly caught the attention of the chairman and the rest of the college board. His game plan, along with his energy and excitement, would land Dr. James in the president’s seat at Morris Brown College—a role he began on March 1, 2019.

Morris Brown originally lost its accreditation in 2002. The college would appeal but ultimately lose its appeal in early 2003. After losing its status as an accredited institution, Dr. James’ predecessor served at the helm of the college from 2006-2018. During his tenure, all efforts were made to keep the institution alive as well as to continue to educate the students who persisted through it all. But with only anywhere from 20-50 students each of those years, to say that the institution’s case was dire would be a gross understatement.

“I didn’t know how heavy of a lift it would be until after my first day on the job,” said Dr. James. In addition to challenges mentioned above, he would discover on day one of his presidency that the college had not paid its bills in nearly 18 months. To his (pleasant) surprise, the lights and water at the college were still up and running despite the dearth in payments. “When I came in 2019, I discovered we had not done an audit since 2015,” Dr. James admitted.

One day, Dr. James was listening to body builder, C.T. Fletcher as he discussed the concept of will-power. Fletcher said the most important thing a person can do is have will-power. What Fletcher calls “will-power,” Dr. James calls “faith.” He never once thought he could not accomplish what he set out to do. His faith has been at the root of all that he has been able to achieve at Morris Brown. Every position he has had professionally prepared him for his current leadership role. “You have to have the faith and a very strong relationship with God to undertake such an endeavor—especially when it has never been done in history.”

Morris Brown’s history is rooted in faith, hope, love, and perseverance. Founded in 1881, a group of trustees from Clark have never closed our doors since the institution was founded in 1881… The institution has continued pushing forward in educating and graduating students—many of which went on to pursue great careers as well as further their education at the masters and doctoral levels.”

College approached Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Atlanta, GA to ask them if they could use the church classroom space. During the discussion, one of the trustees, Stewart Wiley, stood up in the room and said, “If we are going to allow Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) to use our church for classroom space, why don’t we just start our own school?” To which the pastor of the church at the time responded, “With the help of God, we will.” The church would make a proposal and resolution to the A.M.E. Church;, and on January 5, 1881, Morris Brown College was founded.

Morris Brown is the only HBCU in the state of Georgia founded by Black people. “Morris Brown could not die,” Dr. James said. “When I learned about the history of the college, I told myself that it could not die. It is so important to the culture and to history.” This is where Dr. James’s aggressive social media strategy would play a major role in the movement to restore the college.

”I would post 3-5 times a day—not what I wanted to do—but what we actually did that day. I found that when people saw the progress, they were able to buy into it.” Whether it was a meeting with the Mayor, receiving a large check from a donor, hosting a student event, or being featured on local news, Dr. James made sure the world knew that Morris Brown was not dead.

Walking the campus his first day on the job, Dr. James recalled a sermon his pastor preached. “When something weird is going on with your phone,” his pastor said, “you do a soft reset. But if you want to really clean your phone, you can do a hard reset and wipe everything clean.” It is this word that sparked the idea for the #HardReset. It was exactly what Dr. James felt Morris Brown had to do to restore itself.

“My first week on the job, people didn’t really even want to talk to me,” Dr. James said. “The biggest challenge I had to overcome was getting people to believe that restoring the institution was possible. We have a lot of HBCUs that closed and are still closed today.” From corporate donors, to corporations, to others directly affiliated or connected to the college, many thought this aspiration was folly. “Getting our fundraising up to par was a serious challenge. Why would anyone want to give to an institution that had not moved the needle in almost 20 years?”

“One of the things I give my predecessor credit for is keeping the doors from permanently closing,” Dr. James said. In 2013, the institution filed bankruptcy in order to keep the doors open. “We

After three years on the job, the effects of the "Hard Reset" could be clearly seen. “The finances were stable. We got approved by the State of Georgia (Georgia Non-Public Post-Secondary Education Commission). In January of 2021, the Transnational Association of

Christian Colleges and Schools sent a team to inspect Morris Brown from top to bottom—finances, faculty, facilities, staff, academic programs. In April of the same year, Morris Brown was voted to become a candidate for accreditation.

“That was one of our biggest wins to date. Once we became a candidate for accreditation, we could then apply for Federal Financial Aid.” Morris Brown would have its financial aid program reinstated in December of 2021 and not long after receive its full accreditation; thereby, defying what appeared to be insurmountable odds.

”We overcame every single challenge,” said Dr. James happily. Without a communications team, marketing department, or even an assistant, Dr. James and his supporters achieved the unthinkable and became a bright beacon of hope to other HBCUs that have also experienced such great loss can be restored.

“History will also show that we tripled our enrollment during a pandemic— without the assistance of a federal financial aid program and even without accreditation,” Dr. James continued. One of the groups most excited about the restoration of Morris Brown, of course, is current students. Many of these students enrolled at the college without the ability to apply for financial aid or the opportunity to participate in many traditional collegiate experiences, such as joining fraternities and sororities, marching in the band, playing sports, and more. Now that the institution is fully accredited, Dr. James looks forward to bringing back each of these experiences.

“This institution has been known as a haven for all hungry souls,” Dr. James went on. “What does that mean? We are a safe haven for all—when we say all, we mean all—who want to be safe while receiving an education in a college environment. Many times when a student needed a second chance, it was Morris Brown standing there with its arms wide open.”

Morris Brown has continued to operate with the help of God, alumni, and the A.M.E. church. Dr. James is very proud of this monumental accomplishment. He is most proud of the fact that there was no litmus test, guide, or direction on how to restore an institution after having lost its accreditation. Dr. James has now been contacted by four other HBCUs that are looking to reopen. What’s interesting is that Morris Brown was in far worse shape than some of these institutions.

How can you help support the incredible vision of Dr. James and the Morris Brown College family?

Here are three ways he mentioned:

1. Be a walking billboard. Mention “The Hard Reset.”

2. Help Morris Brown recruit students, as the college is the most affordable HBCU in the city of Atlanta.

3. Go to Morrisbrown.edu and give to Morris Brown College.

Being able to help others, change lives, and change generations for years to come is Dr. James’ "why." "Data shows that once you help someone get a college degree,” he said, “their lifetime earnings increase, their children’s lifetime earnings increase, and you can change the story and trajectory of entire generations. This is my calling, and this is what I enjoy.”

Morris Brown is aiming to be one of the best institutions—not only in Atlanta, and not only in GA,but across the country. Dr. James wants to cultivate the best academics, programs, and overall college experiences the college can possibly have to make sure that the story of his ancestors and of this institution never dies; and that they excel in everything that they do.