Morris Brown Plan of Action

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I just recently read the article where the Council of Bishops identified the following three components as a comprehensive response to the Morris Brown situation:

1. The Bishops have agreed to work to the full extent of our ability to support the Board’s holistic strategy to address each administrative and financial issue before the Board decisively and appropriately.

2. In January, the Bishops will seek the concurrence of the General Board of the denomination for additional funding and to seek other long-term strategies for our educational enterprise.

3. The Bishops have designated the 2003 AME Church Founders’ Day (February 9) as Morris Brown College Day in each Episcopal District, enlisting the tangible support and goodwill of pastors and AMEC congregants throughout the world.

My questions is what is this "holistic strategy" and beyond the call for more money what is being done about the obvious maladministration that allowed the college to find itself in this situation.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2003

Answers

I pray that the conspicuous silence from Brother Richard's post does not mean that no one can answer his plea for the "holistic strategy". The future of MBC is directly tied to Richard's concerns. QED

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2003

Mr. Burden is completely correct in calling for more information about Morris Brown College. In our official board meeting last night when the pastor mentioned the Bishop's plea for an offering to support MBC, there were many questions as to what is the money needed for and how the money will be used to correct the current crisis.

It is time for the Bishops to share complete information on the status of Morris Brown and to share the overall strategy.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2003


Thank goodness for posing these issues. I also wonder about the Council of Bishop's "holistic" strategy. I hope that this strategy includes assessing the realistic number of colleges the A.M.E. Church can maintain today. Colleges cannot be maintained today by asking for sacrificial offerings. When a bishop describes Morris Brown as a premiere institution and then offers the Wolverine Marching Band as evidence it makes you wonder. The bishops must ask why is it that Black Catholics have one institution which does have a premiere reputation around the country for preparing students for medical school and the health sciences generally? Simply put are there too many A.M.E. colleges today? Most A.M.E. members I know have no intention of sending their children to the schools and why is that? Is the quality there? The bishops need to ask and answer these questions. What are the rankings nationally for academic standards? faculty salaries? faculty credentials? the size and variety of materials in the libraries? What is the point in having many colleges with mediocre standards and reputations? Richard Allen and Daniel Payne did not stand for mediocrity but for excellence. Why don't we marshall our scarce resources more effectively today and really establish institutions with premiere reputations for academic achievement. To do that some will have to be eliminated and that issue ought to be faced sooner rather than later.

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2003

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