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Saint Augustine's University is a private historically black Christian college in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded by Episcopal clergy in 1867 for the education of freed slaves.[2]
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Former names | Saint Augustine's Normal School (1867–1893) Saint Augustine's School (1893–1924) Saint Augustine's Junior College (1924–1928) Saint Augustine's College (1928–2012) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Veritas vos liberabit |
Motto in English | The truth will set you free |
| Type | Private historically black college |
| Established | 1867 (as normal school) 1924 (as college) |
| Founder | Jacob Brinton Smith |
| Accreditation | SACSCOC |
Religious affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| President | Marcus H. Burgess (interim) |
| Provost | Josiah J. Sampson |
| Students | 200 (2024–2025)[1] |
| Location | , , United States 35.7861°N 78.6204°W |
| Campus | Urban, 105 acres (0.42 km2) |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Nickname | Falcons |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II — CIAA |
| Website | www |
Following years of financial and leadership instability, the institution's accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), voted in December 2023 to remove St Augustine's from its membership and revoke its accreditation.[3] Despite an initial appeal by the institution[4] and subsequent developments,[5] SACSCOC again voted in December 2024 to remove St. Augustine's University from its membership. The university intends to file a further appeal, and remains accredited on probation pending a decision by the accreditor.[6]
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Early years
Incorporated as St. Augustine's Normal School and Collegiate Institute on July 19, 1867, St. Augustine's opened on January 13, 1868, with Jacob Brinton Smith as its first principal.[7] The first classes were held at the state fairgrounds in a former army barrack donated by Major General Oliver Otis Howard, the head of the Freedmen's Bureau.[7] On January 16, 1869, the school moved to its present site, and its first building was dedicated. Brinton Smith died suddenly in October 1872, and was succeeded by John Eston Cooke Smedes. All of the classroom buildings, which were wooden, were destroyed in an 1883 fire, due to the refusal of White fire companies to fight the blaze, which had to be fought by an underequipped Black fire company.[7] With leadership from Smedes, however, instruction resumed within a week in a converted women's dormitory. In the 1883–84 academic year, collegiate instruction, roughly equivalent to the first year of university, was introduced. Under Robert Bean Sutton, who succeeded Smedes in 1884, the first diplomas were granted in 1885, and the Lyman Building, the school's first brick-built main building, was completed the same year.[7]
Aaron Burtis Hunter, who became the school's fourth principal in 1891, introduced industrial training, which was provided to all students until 1933.[7] The institution became Saint Augustine's School in 1893, and the school chapel and a new library were built in 1896.[7] On October 18, 1896, the St. Agnes' Hospital and Training School for Nurses opened, becoming one of the primary Black healthcare facilities between Richmond and Atlanta. The following year, the school acquired 64 acres of land and expanded its campus to 110 acres. Electric lighting began to be installed from December 1906.[7]
From school to university
In 1917, Edgar Hunt Goold became the institution's fifth principal, and introduced the first courses for college credit that year.[7] The number of junior college-level courses increased over the next two years, and the school became a junior college in 1924,[8] with Goold as its first president from 1925.[7][9] The first junior college class graduated in 1925, and the institution officially became the four-year Saint Augustine's College in 1928, with the first baccalaureate degrees awarded in 1931 and accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) following in 1933.[7] In 1947, Harold Leonard Trigg became the first Black president of St. Augustine's and oversaw an expansion of the curriculum and the college facilities, including the completion of Pennick Science Hall in 1952.[7] In 1949, the college joined the United Negro College Fund. Trigg was succeeded in 1954 by James Alexander Boyer, the first alumnus to head the institution. Under Boyer, St. Augustine's enrollment doubled, several new buildings, including the Emery Health Center, were built, and the curriculum further shifted from that of a normal college to a predominantly liberal arts focus.[7]
In 1967, Boyer relinquished the presidency and returned to teaching. He was succeeded by Prezell Russell Robinson as the eighth leader of the school and the second alumnus to head it.[7] During Robinson's administration, enrollment reached 1,800 students, an ROTC program was instituted, and a new library, student union, and fine arts center were built.[7] In 1982, St. Augustine's created a Department of Communications and began operating a radio station, WAUG 750-AM, from 1983, followed by a television station, TV-68 (later WAUG-LD) from 1988. Robinson retired in March 1995, and was praised by the college's board of trustees for his leadership, which had earned St. Augustine's "an international reputation for quality education and public service of an unprecedented order."[7] He was succeeded by Bernard Wayne Franklin, who served as president until 1999, when Dianne Boardley Suber became the 10th and the first female leader of the college.[10] In August 2012, the college officially became St. Augustine's University.[11]
Since the 2010s, St. Augustine's has experienced significant instability in its administration. President Suber was dismissed in April 2014, shortly before her intended retirement.[12] After serving as interim president, Everett Ward was appointed president in 2015.[13] In March 2019, St. Augustine's board of trustees dismissed Ward four months prior to his intended retirement.[14] Gaddis Faulcon, the university's former vice president of enrollment management, was appointed to replace Ward as interim president.[14] In March 2020, Faulcon was himself dismissed by the board.[15] In October 2020, the new president of St. Augustine's, Irving Pressly McPhail, died from COVID-19 after three months in office.[16] He was succeeded by his widow Christine Johnson McPhail in 2021; Christine McPhail was herself fired in November 2023. The university board of trustees subsequently voted to name Marcus Burgess, vice president of institutional advancement at Claflin University, interim president.[17]
To help address significant financial difficulties, on November 26, 2024 the university announced it had partnered with 50 Plus 1 Sports, a South Florida-based sports stadium and mixed-use development firm, to lease "certain real estate" for 99 years. As part of the agreement, 50 Plus 1 Sports would split any revenues from development 65:35 between the university and itself, and would also assist the university with its payments for accrued debts and interest.[18] The development firm would pay Saint Augustine's $60 million by the end of 2024, with another $10 million payment due by June 2025.[18]
Challenges and controversies
St. Augustine's University has been severely challenged by financial and leadership instability in recent years,[19][20] along with other controversies. In 2011, the institution barred a student from participation in commencement exercises because of a negative comment he had made on the college's Facebook page.[21] Shortly thereafter, the student initiated a lawsuit against the college in North Carolina State Court[22][23] which was later settled out of court.[24]
In the summer of 2013, local news affiliates reported that two convicted murderers had been hired by the college to work for a children's summer camp.[25] Although the college defended the employees as "exemplary employees and productive members of the community",[26] both were subsequently reassigned.[27] A September financial audit uncovered disorganized accounting and checks being improperly issued.[28][29] During 2012–2013, St. Augustine's experienced a 12 percent decline in enrollment, with the number of full-time equivalent students decreasing from 1,442 in fall 2012 to 1,267 the following fall,[29] leading to a $3 million shortfall in net tuition revenues.[28] By early 2014, with 203 students not returning for the spring semester, enrollment had slipped to 1,064.[29] In January 2014, a contractor building the university's new football stadium sued for breach of contract, alleging the institution had ceased payments and owed them nearly $675,000.[28]
In April 2014, amidst what The Chronicle of Higher Education characterized as "significant turmoil" and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education described as "financial problems...stemming from a loss in enrollment and revenue", the institution's board of trustees fired president Dianne Suber one month prior to her planned retirement, after nearly 15 years of leading the university. At the same time, the board reinstated two senior employees recently fired by Suber.[12][30] In December 2016, St. Augustine's accreditor placed the university on probation, citing financial and institutional effectiveness issues. After reforms, including implementing a computer-based accounting system, the probationary status was lifted in December 2018.[19]
In July 2019, together with the former athletics director, acclaimed track and field coach George Williams, the university's former general counsel Kyle Brazile, and the former facilities and construction manager Clarence King, all of whom had been fired around the same time, former interim president Gaddis Faulcon filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against St. Augustine's. In the suit, which cited interim president Maria Lumpkin and the chair of the board of trustees James E. C. Perry, the plaintiffs alleged the institution's leadership, including those cited, had engaged in age discrimination, retaliation, and other unlawful conduct, such as the potential misappropriation of government funding.[15] Williams subsequently settled his suit, but did not receive any apologies from the university or its leaders.[31]
In December 2022, the university was again placed on probation "on good cause" by its accreditor, with a review of its status scheduled for December 2023.[32] In October 2023, the university fired its head football coach, Howard Feggins, for allegedly fielding ineligible players, according to the university. Feggins subsequently filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against St. Augustine's, alleging retaliation, intimidation, and the institution's deliberate neglect of its student athletes, including refusing to provide adequate healthcare, meals, and insurance coverage for its football players.[33] In November, president Christine McPhail was fired by St. Augustine's board of trustees, which she alleged was in retaliation for filing race and gender-based discrimination charges against the university with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); the board of trustees rejected "the unfounded allegations."[32]
- Financial crisis and accreditation challenges
On December 3, 2023, St. Augustine's reached crisis point when its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC), voted to rescind the institution's accreditation for continued governance and financial management issues.[3][34] University leadership stated they would appeal the decision, thereby maintaining the institution's accreditation on probation until a final ruling.[17] In January 2024, just five days before the spring semester began, college administrators informed students that all on-campus classes would begin online, due to boiler problems in multiple instructional buildings and a women's dormitory, resulting in student complaints about the short notice.[35][36] The following month, local media reported that the college was failing to pay all of its employees with some faculty members unilaterally cancelling their classes until they received their paychecks.[37]
Into 2024, multiple organizations accused the university of having failed to pay bills, including a $7.9 million lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid taxes dating back to 2020, a $598,000 lien by a company who installed a turf field for the university, an insurance company who claimed that the university owed over $400,000 for unpaid student health insurance plan deductibles, and a claim by the state of North Carolina that the university had nearly $27,000 of unpaid unemployment taxes.[38] An audit revealed that existing policies regulating wire transfers were often disregarded.[39] According to interim president Burgess, the university was able to account for $10 million previously reported as unsupported by contacting vendors and creditors.[40]
On February 27, 2024, SACSCOC denied St. Augustine's appeal of its decision to revoke the university's accreditation.[4] On March 1, university officials said they would submit the matter to arbitration, followed by further litigation if necessary; until the conclusion of legal proceedings, St. Augustine's would remain accredited on probation.[41] Interim president Burgess subsequently stated the institution was also pursuing accreditation through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS).[40] He also stated 10 positions from various roles would be eliminated,[40] and said St Augustine's was looking into sharing essential services, including security, maintenance, and dining, with Shaw University; in an interview, he expressed confidence the university would open for the new academic year that fall.[42] He said, however, that St. Augustine's was $20 million in debt.[43]
On March 8, the university reported it had been unable to meet its latest payroll.[44] On March 20, Burgess confirmed reports that the university would transition to online learning in April. The same week, Wake County Schools announced they would discontinue leadership academy classes at St. Augustine's after 2024,[45] eventually announcing their students would instead attend Shaw University, another local HBCU. On April 3, Burgess said the institution required "$27 to 28 million, and $30 million for good judgement," to pay its creditors.[46] He said that as of April 5, the university would have gone three consecutive pay periods without having met payroll obligations, that all but approximately 120 students with senior status had left campus, and that the university would suspend football for the 2024 season.[46] According to Burgess, however, he and other employees remained committed to Saint Augustine's full recovery, with the support of alumni and other organizations.[46] The college rejected rumors that it would merge with nearby Shaw University.[47] In July, an arbitration panel unanimously reversed the SACSCOC decision to remove St. Augustine's from the accrediting agency's membership. This restored the university to its former SACSCOC status as an accredited institution on probation for good cause, until December 2024, when the university would reach the maximum possible period with its accreditor as an institution on probation.[5]
On August 16, St. Augustine's secured an initial $7 million line of credit with Gothic Ventures, a Durham-based venture capital firm, against a lien on all of the university's property, with the main campus and 40 other properties as collateral.[48][49] The funds would allow the institution to cover essential operating expenses, including paying employees their back wages, issuing student refunds, and covering the costs of financial audits.[48] According to the terms of the initial loan, scheduled to come due in 2025, $3 million was earmarked for past due and future payroll and taxes, $1.8 million for payments to the U.S. Department of Education, $650,000 for completing overdue financial audits for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, $600,000 for student refunds, $545,000 for property insurance, $375,000 for fees, title insurance and expenses, and $30,000 for appraisals.[49] With an interest rate of 24 percent, an additional 2 percent "management fee," and a $75,000 "due diligence and documentation fee," the lending agreement was strongly criticized by alumni and advocates for the university, who characterized the terms as unsustainable and predatory.[49] The lender, however, defended the high interest rate as due to the "...financial challenges facing the University, which included its most recent audit report indicating concerns about the University’s ability to continue operating as a going concern, the lack of audited financial statements for the last several years, historical losses because revenues exceeded expenses, significant outstanding debt, IRS liens...and the suspension of the University’s accreditation [in 2023]."[49]
After a delayed opening on September 3, due to the need to conduct maintenance to campus buildings, St. Augustine's began the 2024–2025 academic year with a diminished enrollment of 200 students.[1] That month, Wake County Superior Court Judge James F. Ammons Jr. ruled FieldTurf USA could recover unpaid bills for installing artificial turf on a St. Augustine's football field by placing a lien on university property.[50] Another suit concerning over $1 million in unpaid fees to Management Professionals, a maintenance and custodial services vendor, was also ruled in the vendor's favor, allowing Management Professionals to likewise pursue recovery of their fees from the university, potentially through another property lien.[50] Due to doubts about the university's ability to remain in compliance with their requirements, on October 4 the CIAA suspended all St. Augustine's athletics teams from conference competition for the remainder of the academic year, with immediate effect.[51]
In early November, the university reported completion of two overdue audits for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years; among other issues, the audits revealed inaccurate accounting, a lack of oversight concerning financial reporting and major transactions, inappropriate procurement and approval procedures for "certain significant contracts," and that as of November 8, the university had unpaid payroll withholdings and taxes outstanding "of approximately $8.4 million, excluding interest and penalties."[52] According to the audits, St. Augustine's responded to the findings by creating monthly financial statements, establishing a more rigorous approach towards recording business ledger entries, and implementing internal policies to ensure audit deadlines would be met in future, among other measures.[52] In the 2023–24 fiscal year, the university recorded a deficit of $6.4 million, in addition to a $9.1 million deficit the previous fiscal year.[53] The audits also revealed that net tuition and fee revenues had declined by nearly 50 percent between 2022 and 2024, to $7.9 million, although operating expenses had decreased to $27.3 million in 2024.[53]
On November 14, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on May 31 by "Save SAU," a coalition of university alumni and supporters suing to remove the university's board of trustees for alleged financial mismanagement, and alleging Brian Boulware, as board chairman, had benefited from loan brokerage fees and had permitted large wire transfers without documentation. Judge Becky Holt ruled the coalition lacked standing under state law to file suit against a nonprofit institution.[54] A forensic audit subsequently found no evidence of such fees having existed or that Boulware had received any unethical payments.[55] On November 22, university leaders announced that to reduce costs and reduce annual operating expenses by $17 million, several programs with low enrollment would be discontinued and half of all employees - totaling 67 staff and 69 faculty members - would be fired.[53]
On December 10, SACSCOC voted to remove St. Augustine's University from membership, but noted it had resolved most of its accreditation-related concerns apart from those related to finances. As the university will appeal the decision, St. Augustine's remains an accredited institution on probation, pending the verdict of a SACSCOC appeals committee in February 2025.[6] The same day, the CIAA announced it had indefinitely suspended St. Augustine's athletics program from conference participation until "...such time the university proves readiness to fulfill and maintain a holistic NCAA Division II athletics program, in accordance with NCAA and CIAA bylaws."[56]
Leaders
Before 1925, the leader of the institution held the title of "Principal". Since then, the leader has been a "President".
| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Jacob Brinton Smith | July 1867–October 1872 |
| John Esten Cooke Smedes | October 1872–1884 |
| Robert Bean Sutton | 1884–1891 |
| Aaron Burtis Hunter | 1891–June 1916 |
| Edgar Hunt Goold | June 1916–September 1947 |
| Harold Leonard Trigg | September 18, 1947–January 6,1955 |
| James Alexander Boyer* | January 6, 1955–March 1, 1967 |
| Prezell Russell Robinson* | March 1, 1967–March 31, 1995[7] |
| Bernard Wayne Franklin | March 31, 1995–May 31, 1999[7] |
| A. Melvin Miller* (interim) | June 1–November 30, 1999[57] |
| Dianne Boardley Suber | December 1, 1999–April 5, 2014 (acting until March 31, 2001)[10][58] |
| Everett Ward* | April 23, 2014–March 14, 2019 (interim until April 10, 2015)[59][60] |
| Gaddis Faulcon* (interim) | March 2019–March 2020[60][15] |
| Maria A. Lumpkin (interim) | March–July 2020[15] |
| Irving P. McPhail | July 15–October 15, 2020[61] |
| Maria A. Lumpkin (interim) | October 15, 2020–February 23, 2021[61] |
| Christine Johnson McPhail | February 24, 2021–November 4, 2023[62] |
| Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon (acting) | November 5–December 13, 2023 |
| Marcus H. Burgess (interim) | December 13, 2023–present |
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St. Augustine's College Campus | |
   | |
| Location | Oakwood Ave., Raleigh, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002903[63] |
| Added to NRHP | March 28, 1980 |
The college's sits on 105 acres (0.42 km2) of historic land in an urban setting and large city (250,000 – 499,999). The main area of the campus is approximately 60 acres (240,000 m2) of land housing the following facilities:
- St. Agnes Hospital - Rev. and Mrs. A.B. Hunter founded St. Agnes Hospital in 1895. I.L. Collins gave $600 of the $1,100 raised to start the hospital, which was named for Collins' late wife Agnes. The hospital opened in the residence of Robert B. Sutton, the school's third principal. By 1904, despite improvements, St. Agnes needed to expand, and Mrs. Hunter raised half the $15,000 needed.[64] Under the direction of Bishop Henry Beard Delany it became a 75-bed center "built of stone quarried on the St. Augustine's campus" that opened in 1909. For many years St. Agnes was "the only well-equipped hospital ... with one exception" for blacks between New Orleans and Washington D.C., and served 75,000 black people in the three states.[64] The building was severely damaged by fire in December 1926. One of its most famous patients was boxer Jack Johnson, who was taken there following a fatal 1946 auto accident near Franklinton, NC. Part of the building still remains, and is regarded as a historic property, but the hospital has not operated since 1961.[65]
- Saint Augustine's College Historic Chapel - The college cornerstone was laid in 1895 under the guidance of Henry Beard Delany, the first African-American Bishop elected to the Episcopal Church and the first Bishop to graduate from the college. The chapel was made possible through the acquisition by the Freedmen's Bureau and is one of the oldest landmarks at St. Augustine's University.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Reception Center Center - Built in 1973, it was previously the school's Student Union and now holds the cafeteria, mailing room, bookstore, and ballroom.
- Benson Building of Technology
- Charles H. Boyer Administration Building (Office of the President)
- Charles Mosee Building (Office of Academic Affairs)
- Cheshire Building (Division of Business)
- Delany Hall (Office of Financial Aid & Admissions)
- Emery Gymnasium
- George "Pup" Williams Track & Field Stadium
- Goold Hall Student Union
- Hermitage Faculty Building
- Hunter Administration Building
- Joseph C. Gordan Health & Science Center
- Penick Hall of Math & Sciences
- Prezell R. Robinson Library
- Tuttle Hall of Military Sciences
- Seby Jones Fine Arts Center
- Residence Halls
- Baker Hall - 1963) - all-female
- Boyer Hall (1990) - all-male
- FalkCrest Court (2007) co-educational, upperclassmen
- Latham Hall (1974) - all-male, freshmen
- Lynch Hall (1961) - all-male, athlete upperclassmen
- Weston Hall (1986) all-female, freshmen
- Atkinson Hall (1961) - inactive
Until 2024,[45] the campus hosted the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy, an early college high school program in grades 11-13.[66]
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Saint Augustine's University was the nation's first historically black college to have its own on-campus commercial radio and television stations (WAUG 750 AM, WAUG-TV 8, and Time Warner cable channel 10). It is one of two colleges or universities in the Raleigh/Durham area to offer a degree in film production.
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St. Augustine has over 30 student organizations, including fraternities and sororities.
Athletics
Saint Augustine's competes in NCAA Division II in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. As of December 2024, the university's athletics program is indefinitely suspended from CIAA participation.[56]
Varsity sports include:
- Baseball (see also: USA Baseball National Training Complex)
- Cheerleading
- Football
- Softball
- Men's Golf
- Women's Bowling
- Women's Volleyball
- Men's/Women's Basketball
- Men's/Women's Cross-Country
- Men's/Women's Tennis
- Men's/Women's Outdoor Track
- Men's/Women's Indoor Track
Notable alumni
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard Allen | 1962 | Educator and long-time lobbyist for the North Carolina Association of Educators; North Carolina House member, 2003–2006 | [67] |
| Hannah Diggs Atkins | 1943 | first African-American woman elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives (1968–1980) | |
| Luther Barnes | 1976 | Gospel music recording artist | |
| Ralph Campbell, Jr. | 1968 | former North Carolina State Auditor; the first African-American elected to that position in North Carolina | [68] |
| Travis Cherry | Grammy Nominated Music Producer | ||
| Anna Julia Cooper | writer, educator, one of the first African-American women to receive a PhD. | ||
| Bessie and Sadie Delany | Bessie, 1911 Sadie, 1910 |
African Americans who published their best-selling memoir, Having Our Say, at the ages of 102 and 104, respectively | [69][70] |
| Henry Beard Delany | 1885 | first African-American Episcopal Bishop | |
| Hubert Thomas Delany | 1919 | American civil rights pioneer, a lawyer, politician, Assistant U.S. Attorney, the first African American Tax Commissioner of New York and one of the first appointed African American judges in New York City | |
| Ruby Butler DeMesme | 1969 | former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Installations and Environment | |
| Ramon Gittens | Sprinter at the 2012 Summer Olympics | [71] | |
| Robert X. Golphin | Actor "The Great Debaters" | ||
| Trevor Graham | former track & field coach | ||
| Alex Hall | professional football player | ||
| Maycie Herrington | 1940 | documentarian of the Tuskegee Airmen and social worker | [72] |
| Ike Lassiter | 1962 | the first NFL player ever from St. Augustine's College | |
| William McBryar | 1885 | Medal of Honor recipient | |
| James E.C. Perry | 1966 | Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida | |
| Antonio Pettigrew | Gold medalist at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo. | ||
| Cynthia A. Pratt | 1983 | 12th Governor-General of the Bahamas | |
| Lloyd Quarterman | 1943 | chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project | |
| Chaz Robinson | 2014 | professional football player |
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