CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
T here are certain things you just don’t come back from- or we thought. A $35 million bankruptcy. Loss of land. Loss of accreditation. Loss of students. Loss of reputation. A damaged brand. These are the challenges that faced Morris Brown College, a private Historically Black College (HBCU) in Atlanta, GA. “History will say that I used social media to restore the college,” said Dr. Kevin James, President of Morris Brown College, during an interview. Social media, along with volunteers; a clear vision; incomparable determination; incredible zeal; and most importantly, faith in God, would aid Dr. James in reviving an institution that was all but dead after losing its accreditation for almost 20 years. In December of 2018, Dr. James was watching the news in Atlanta and saw that his predecessor had retired as president of the college. He immediately said out loud to himself that he wanted to be the next president of Morris Brown College. Following this declaration, he reached out to the 6th District of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, because he did not yet see the position listed on their website. “The way God set it up,” Dr. James said, “the assistant to the Chairman of the Board answered the phone. After talking for about 30-45 minutes, she told me, '“Send me your resume.
I’m going to put it directly into the Chairman of the Board’s hands.'” About a month later, Dr. James was informed that he had received an interview for the seat of president at Morris Brown. “Are you sure?” asked Dr. James’ mentor upon hearing his ambitious goal and plan. “You know that’s never been done before, right? No HBCU has ever come back 20 years after losing their accreditation.” Dr. James’s swift reply was, “Yes, I’m sure.” “Well then,” his mentor replied, “if you are sure, then I believe you are the one for the job.” During his interview, Dr. James laid out his plan for what he would do if he was hired for the position, which most certainly caught the attention of the chairman and the rest of the college board. His game plan, along with his energy and excitement, would land Dr. James in the president’s seat at Morris Brown College—a role he began on March 1, 2019. Morris Brown originally lost its accreditation in 2002. The college would appeal but ultimately lose its appeal in early 2003. After losing its status as an accredited institution, Dr. James’ predecessor served at the helm of the college from 2006-2018. During his tenure, all efforts were made to keep the institution alive as well as to continue to educate the students who persisted through it all. But with only anywhere from 20-50 students each of
those years, to say that the institution’s case was dire would be a gross understatement. “I didn’t know how heavy of a lift it would be until after my first day on the job,” said Dr. James. In addition to challenges mentioned above, he would discover on day one of his presidency that the college had not paid its bills in nearly 18 months. To his (pleasant) surprise, the lights and water at the college were still up and running despite the dearth in payments. “When I came in 2019, I discovered we had not done an audit since 2015,” Dr. James admitted. One day, Dr. James was listening to body builder, C.T. Fletcher as he discussed the concept of will-power. Fletcher said the most important thing a person can do is have will-power. What Fletcher calls “will-power,” Dr. James calls “faith.” He never once thought he could not accomplish what he set out to do. His faith has been at the root of all that he has been able to achieve at Morris Brown. Every position he has had professionally prepared him for his current leadership role. “You have to have the faith and a very strong relationship with God to undertake such an endeavor—especially when it has never been done in history.” Morris Brown’s history is rooted in faith, hope, love, and perseverance. Founded in 1881, a group of trustees from Clark
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