Education

Morris Brown’s New Fundraising Strategy Includes Renting Out The Campus

June 17th, 2019

Morris Brown College has struggled to stay afloat in recent years. The school lost its accreditation in 2002 and has yet to regain it. In 2006, the college’s former president pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges. In 2012, Morris Brown filed for bankruptcy, which included selling 26 acres of property to Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm.

In February, the board of trustees named Kevin James interim president of Morris Brown. He has made fundraising and regaining accreditation his main priorities.

One of James’ fundraising strategies is renting out the campus. He says a film crew is shooting a movie at Morris Brown now, although he can’t reveal any details about the film.

The school will also host the Atlanta Greek Picnic this weekend and a car and bike show in August. James said rapper Missy Elliot shot a music video on campus a few weeks ago.

“It’s just a strategy of using what you have, and one thing that we have is a beautiful campus,” James said. “You know, much of our campus we sold to the city of Atlanta, Invest Atlanta, but we still have a nice space here left, so we’re going to utilize that.”

James said the school plans to host a tailgate party for Seattle Seahawks fans who come to town to watch their team play the Atlanta Falcons. However, he said the plan isn’t limited to big productions. James will rent the campus out for weddings and family reunions too.

“We want to do concerts, we want to do events, any and everything,” he said. “We’ll open our campus to the public. If they want to have their event here, they can have it here.”

Fundraising is a big part of James’ plan to regain Morris Brown’s accreditation. He has announced plans to apply for accreditation through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). To achieve that, he’ll have to prove the college is financially stable.

The school also recently solicited funds from supporters to help pay for building repairs from a fire.