Degrees no good for 25 students at New Birth

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UPDATED: 5:19 p.m. August 11, 2008
25 students got no-good degrees from New Birth campus

By CHRISTOPHER QUINN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/11/08

Twenty-five students who attended a satellite program of North Carolina Central University at Bishop Eddie Long's Lithonia megachurch earned bachelor's degrees that are not recognized by the school's accrediting agency.

A school spokeswoman said 39 other students were in the program earlier this year when it was shut down.

Related links:

• Bishop Eddie Long donates $1M to alma mater

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Long and the school, in Durham, started the satellite campus four years ago. They closed it in June after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools learned of it, reviewed the program and refused to sanction it. All extension programs have to be approved by SACS for degrees to be recognized.

Tom Benberg, chief of staff at the Commission on Colleges at SACS, said any degrees earned in the program at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, "would not be a degree from an accredited operation."

Long released a statement saying the church has partnered with various education programs to hold classes at the church.

"Regrettably, the university did not seek appropriate approvals at that time prior to launching the program. Last month [SACS] denied approval for NCCU to continue the program offerings at the New Birth site."

Long said the church and the school are continuing to work toward getting the program recognized by SACS so it can continue.

Long is a graduate of NCCU, a school trustee and announced a $1 million gift to university last week.

The University of North Carolina system, of which NCCU is part, learned of the program last week, according to a spokeswoman. The program should have been vetted by the system's board of governors.

Erskine Bowles, president the University of North Carolina system, said in a written statement, "I can think of no justifiable reason why the former NCCU leadership would have completely ignored and failed to abide by the appropriate approval process in creating this program. Such action is contrary to all university policy."

Bowles continued, "This circumstance is one of many problems Chancellor [Charlie] Nelms inherited when he arrived last year, and he has managed each of them professionally and effectively."

The university system and the staff at NCCU are investigating the situation and trying to answer the legal and academic questions caused by it, said Joni Worthington, vice president of communications at UNC.

The school and Long's church tried to get the program approved ex post facto, but SACS denied their request in June.

A SACS report said the program did not prove that faculty was qualified or that it had adequate library and learning resources. The program was unable to measure whether students were adequately leaning the subject matters and it did not provide an adequate financial statement from the program.

NCCU provided The Atlanta Journal-Constitution a list of 11 NCCU faculty members who taught in the program, all of whom had graduate degrees. However, four were listed as non-compliant because they had no graduate course work in the classes they were teaching. The university paid the teachers and their travel expenses.

The program also had adjunct faculty members from the Atlanta area.

The college offered business, criminal justice and hospitality degrees at New Birth. The program began under then-Chancellor James Ammons of NCCU, who left to become president of Florida A&M University in 2007.

Calls and an e-mail Monday morning to Ammons were not returned. Ammons was engaged in board meetings there, an A&M spokeswoman said.

A statement from Chancellor Nelms at NCCU denied responsibility for the program. A university spokeswoman referred questions to Kimberly Phifer-McGhee, director of distance education at NCCU.

Phifer-McGhee said she did not know why or how the program started, did not know how much the university paid to run the program, or why SACS was not notified of it.

"I was not part of the leadership," she said.

She said that faculty members had degrees, but may not have had course work to teach what they were teaching at the school.

The university is trying to work out a program that would allow current students to remain in school in good standing, she said.

Benberg said that SACS would not likely recognize the degrees already awarded.

"I am not aware that we have ever done that," he said.

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Comments

By Perplexed

Aug 20, 2008 5:16 PM | Link to this

Speak what you know and not what others presume. Neither Bishop Long or New Birth had/has any authority over the academics offered at the satellite location. The students applied directly through NCCU and were accepted based on NCCU's standard requirements for entry. NCCU advisors worked with students in developing their curriculum plans and signed off on registration forms. All administrative functions were handled on the Durham campus, not in Lithonia. Students conferred received their degrees after having met the requirements for graduation set forth by NCCU in Durham. The arrangement with New Birth was simply to provide classroom space for face-to-face classes; students participated in online classes facilitated by professors at the Durham campus as well. Be realistic people. Since when does a college/university Trustee have academic decision-making authority? HMMMMM! Then why do you expect that Bishop Long vicariously assumed such responsibility at NCCU?

By HarryO

Aug 20, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this

Everytime I look up Bishop Long is being scrunitized in the AJC. I am not a member of New Birth nor am I a fan of megachurches, but something about the AJC's obsession with this man stinks of racism. You mean to tell me no white megachurch pastor is questionable in Atlanta, but this brother is? He can't pee without them writing about it as if its an exposed gossip. People of color you may not care for church or pastors, but look past your frustration to see what's really going on with a newspaper constantly going after one black pastor as if he is the ONLY one questionable. Something is not right and quite obvious.

By Nicole

Aug 19, 2008 7:14 PM | Link to this

You all are free to think whatever you want about Bishop Long, but only God knows what he did and his intentions. People are always trying to boast about pastors, bishops, evangelists, etc., but are you true christians. True christians don't sit around and gossip about what someone else is trying to do to help others. True if the allegations are true, but who are you to condemn him? I'm pretty sure that bishop had no intentions of doing anything wrong. I am a member of Bishop Long's church and I will continue to be a faithful member. No one is forcing members to stay with the church and God has the last say so. Mind your business and get with god and leave Bishop Long and his family alone, please. Thank you in advance!!!!

By marie

Aug 17, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

Reverend Long

I believe you to be an honest man. I say this sincerely. Please, pay off the loans of those students that attended your college. For those who paid by cash, reimburse them. However, they can never regain the time spent earning these degrees which are not recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges. Please, do the right thing. I don't believe that you will miss the money.

By Scott Helnes

Aug 14, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this

When can i begin registering for fall classes? I am 12 credits away from graduating!

By Vonnetta West

Aug 14, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this

I am presently serving in Liberia, West Africa as an English teacher and facilitator of youth programs. My pastor teaches me that service is one of God's requirements and that to be Christ-like in giving, we must be business minded and astute in attaining the resources needed to give to others. As an example, my pastor is a businessman who gives tremendously to others. I continue to be amazed by his intelligence, his generosity, and...by the criticism he receives, particularly from fellow Christians. He is a man; sometimes he fails, but he is not a failure. It is not even factual that he failed in this circumstance. He will endure this issue with NCCU and be even more committed to education and empowerment than he was before. I am a member of New Birth and Bishop Eddie Long is my pastor. I thank all of you who speak ill of him and of my church...it makes us stronger and better. Grace and peace!

By goldeagle

Aug 13, 2008 8:31 PM | Link to this

big b,

That 'old, unused campus down I-75 in Forsyth', is presently unbder renovation to become the new home for the GA Dept of Corrections. Better luck next time!

By goldeagle

Aug 13, 2008 8:30 PM | Link to this

big b,

That 'old, unused campus down I-75 in Forsyth', is presently unbder renovation to become the new home for the GA Dept of Corrections. Better luck next time!

By Former Student

Aug 12, 2008 9:30 PM | Link to this

I happen to know good people who paid to take these classes at this church. These students and what they worked hard for have been forgotten! I think the intention of the church/ school was a good one, to help people in their educational goals, but it all ended badly. Near the end students were contacting Nccu to discuss course choices, financial aid, etc. Please do not be fooled. NCCU was full aware of the schools existence! I must continue to believe that NCCU will do the right thing and fix the mess they helped create for the families affected!

By BigB

Aug 12, 2008 7:27 PM | Link to this

Although I went to NC A&T and NCCU was a rival school, I cannot stand by and read where folks tear down the institution because of this gaffe. Now, I'll clown some of their grads later, I guess they are grads, but that's a different story.

Sometimes school officials make mistakes and they probably overlooked a satellite program. NCCU may have only thought that the New Birth Compound was offering classes and not a complete degree offering. All schools go through SACS reviews and it could be that the program was set up in good faith but it just didn't pass the SACS review. NCCU is fully accredited (for now at least) and I doubt seriously that folks in NC are even discussing this issue. Long is a Pastor, so he knows about Pastoring, maybe he just bit off a little more than he could chew by jumping into the Higher Ed market at this time. Who should be ashamed are the folks tasked with implementing this idea. The idea was noble, the follow through, less than competent -- nothing more, nothing less.

I bet the skeptics push him (Long) to starting up his own college. Oral Roberts University and Liberty University were both started by Pastors of mega-churches. Why not buy that old, unused campus down in Forsyth, GA off of I-75? Shoot, why not have a new birth at Morris Brown (pun intended). Mo Brown could use the money. If Pastor says, er, I mean suggests, that his flock send their kids to a particular school, I bet about 15% would do it.

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