Q&A with Michael Thurmond on Paine College’s fight for its future

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond likened Republicans' embrace of mass transit to "Nixon going to China." ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM

Credit: ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJ

Credit: ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJ

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond likened Republicans' embrace of mass transit to "Nixon going to China." ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM

DeKalb County Government CEO Michael Thurmond was in Dallas, Tex. on Tuesday for a cause that’s personal for him: protecting the future of his alma mater, Paine College.

Thurmond, Paine’s board chairman-elect, was part of a group that met with the Dallas-based Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) accrediting commission. It was their back-up plan after recently losing a court battle with the college’s longtime accreditation agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

The commission gave the college "candidacy status," the college announced Thursday. The status gives Paine all the rights of a fully-accredited college, which allows students to receive federal financial aid and their degrees to be recognized by other schools or employers.

Thurmond, discussed the pitch and the path forward during a telephone interview Thursday. Here are excerpts.

Q: How did the process worked?

A: It was really a year and a half-long process that first involved submitting some detailed information about the college’s financial status, the academic offerings and the quality of the governance of the board of trustees. We submitted over 2,500 pages, documents and information about the college. In the spring of this year there was an on-site visit by a committee that interviewed administrators, trustees, faculty, staff and students as well as alumni and supporters. On Tuesday, we made a brief presentation to the national board of TRACS and awaited their decision. It was an exhaustive process. But let me tell you what’s most important. This process, this evaluation was in real time...The reason Paine got into trouble was for financial issues. Debt that could not be serviced and not enough enrollment there to support the college. The most recent assessment showed the college has paid down debt. We had two successive years in which we balanced the budget. We’ve strengthened our endowment and more importantly because we are an enrollment-driven institution, we’ve seen substantial growth in our freshman class population this year. On those critical issues, what we have independent verification of is that the college’s financial status has improved significantly over what it was two and a half years ago.

Q: Is Paine in the black now?

A: Yes, we’ve had balanced budgets the last two years. We’re continuing to be very cautious...We’re watching every penny and ensuring that we don’t make the same mistakes to get back in the situation that created this traumatic period in the history of our college.

November 1, 2017 Augusta: Ms. Chellita Carlyle buys a Straight Outta Paine shirt during a college spirit event on the campus at Paine College on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, in Augusta. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

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Q: What is the difference between SACS accreditation and TRACS accreditation?

A: The optimum position is to have both. But we were in a situation where we respected that SACS made a decision that’s still being litigated. In order to maintain the viability and existence of the college it was incumbent upon us to seek accreditation also with TRACS. Our goal is to be dually-accredited at some point.

Q: What’s the latest with SACS?

A: Our lawyers are still working on that and we’ll follow whatever legal advice they provide.

Q: What’s the next step to gain full accreditation status?

A: Obviously, the goal is to gain full accreditation through TRACS. I don’t have the details on the next step. I was focused on this step.

Q: What’s important in all of this that we haven’t discussed?

A: The lessons learned is when you’re dealing with small, historically black colleges and universities, constant vigilance, integrity and oversight is critical because the margin of error is so narrow...The bottom line is you learn from your mistakes and I am still convinced that Paine College’s best days are ahead of us.