Dive Brief:
- Knoxville College has submitted an application to the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, or TRACS, to become accredited for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to an update from the Tennessee institution.
- The historically Black college lost accreditation in 1997 over financial problems and management of student aid after an appeal and has not been eligible for federal financial aid since. It also temporarily lost its state authorization in 2015 over enrollment and financial issues, forcing it to close at the time.
- TRACS will review the application for compliance with the body’s eligibility requirements. If approved, Knoxville College will then need to complete a self-study and TRACS officials will visit its campus. The college said the process “can take some time” but did not provide further details.
Dive Insight:
Knoxville College’s history extends back to 1875, when it was founded by Presbyterian missionaries to promote moral and educational leadership among freed slaves. It was designated as a college two years later, in 1877, with a former Civil War chaplain serving as its first president.
Today the liberal arts institution serves as the only HBCU in eastern Tennessee.
Local media documents decades of struggles with enrollment and finances at Knoxville College, starting in the 1970s. In 2015, the college closed its doors when it lost state authorization. At the time, it had just 11 students, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. It didn’t start enrolling students again until 2018 after fundraising and revitalization efforts at the college.
Among other issues was its deteriorating campus infrastructure — an ongoing problem for many years prior.
“When I came there, residential facilities were unkempt, leaking, leaky roofs, buildings that needed to be renovated,” Lois Williams, Knoxville College’s president in the mid-1990s, told Higher Ed Dive in 2018.
The college has been working to get its finances under control and accreditation back. But as of its fiscal year ending June 2023, its liabilities still outpaced its assets by about $1.9 million. In fall 2023, the institution had about 1,000 students, down 20.4% from 2019, according to self-reported data.
In June, Knoxville College President Leonard Adams announced he would step down from his post at the end of September, shortly after his term was up.
The college is currently searching for a new leader, saying that it is looking for a top executive who “will guide the institution through this critical period, ensuring its sustainability and success.”
Board Chair Michael Bowie credited Adams with “significant strides towards fully reopening and achieving our long- term goals including Board approval of the TRACS accreditation package.”