Raleigh, NC-based HBCU Saint Augustine’s University is fighting for its life after a judgment against its accreditation was affirmed on Tuesday.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission agreed with the December decision of their Board of Trustees to remove the school’s accreditation.
Dr. Marcus H. Burgess, the interim president at Saint Augustine’s University, vows that the school will not go away quietly.
“Students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters out there- we still have our accreditation and we’re going to continue to fight for this great institution,” Burgess told CBS17. “157 years of great support, we’re going to continue fight on.”
Saint Augustine’s was set to meet with representatives from SACSCOC’s appeals committee sometime between Feb. 19-21.
“SACS prohibited us from showing them the new things we are currently working on,” Burgess said. “Thus far, the decision was based on everything that happened from Dec. 1 on back.”
The IRS filed a $7.9 million lien against Saint Augustine’s University for unpaid taxes dating back to the end of 2020. It also has several other significant debts, and several of the university’s money issues are athletics-related.
FieldTurf USA filed a $598,000 lien against Saint Augustine’s University for failing to pay for a new artificial turf field in Dec. 2023. Former football head coach Howard Feggins is also suing the HBCU for Breach of contract, Breach of Implied Covenant of Good Faith & Fair Dealing, Fraudulent/Negligent Misrepresentation and Tortious Interference With Contractual Relations.
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