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GREENSBORO — Bennett College for Women had its accreditation reaffirmed this month, according to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The small college of less than 700 students has struggled with accreditation in the past decade, with financial problems landing the school on probation from SACS.

John D. Jones, the school’s SACS accreditation team coordinator, said the school needed to keep its accreditation to prove itself, but also to help students continue at the school.

“Accreditation means that degrees granted by your institution have value,” Jones
said. “It also means that students attending your institution can continue to qualify for financial aid. These are imperative.”

The school posted four budget deficits in five years before regaining full accreditation in 2003. A change in leadership and aggressive fundraising put the school back in positive financial territory, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey helped raise money — and the school’s profile — at a benefit gala in 2006.

The reaffirmation was the result of extensive preparation and review by the college and independent observers. President Julianne Malveaux said the accreditation, now good for 10 years, means the school is meeting high standards in preparing its students.

“It also means that our financial stability and institutional vision are as they should be,” Malveaux said in a statement Thursday.
 

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com