AUGUSTA – Paine College leaders on Tuesday announced some key partnerships — including with Augusta National Golf Club — that they hope will mark a new history for the historically Black school.
The goal is to increase revenue and invest in the school’s facilities. The college is in an ongoing effort to grow after nearly losing its accreditation several years ago.
Other partners include Bank of America and EAB, an education company, which is pairing Paine with leaders that will improve the school’s infrastructure. The United Negro College Fund and the Sixth Episcopal District Church are also chipping in, donating nearly half a million dollars, said Michael Thurmond, the college’s board chairman and chief executive officer of DeKalb County government.
Those donations earned applause from Paine alums. These partnerships are more than just a fundraiser, though. Thurmond said that this level of support was different.
“What’s different today is that we’re not just addressing generating additional revenue. We are also accessing additional technical support and assistance,” said Thurmond.
Credit: Toni Odejimi
Credit: Toni Odejimi
It’s all part of a ten-year plan to restructure the college. Issues like physically entering in students into recruiting programs will now be done automatically, said board member J.R. Henderson.
This aid comes on the heels of financial trouble for the college. In 2016, Paine nearly lost its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The association cited low enrollment and finances as the reason.
Paine sued back, and eventually gained its accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges, but the college still struggles with enrollment and retention. Paine has always been a smaller school, but only 241 students are enrolled as of this year.
Still, Paine board members and alums do not define the school by its years of financial trouble or small enrollment. They define it by their community.
“No one’s a stranger. No one. Like anyone walks up, we’re family,” said Basheba Smallwood.
White-haired alums still wore their Paine purple with pride during Tuesday’s announcement. They chatted with faculty, joking amongst themselves and taking photos. That family persists outside of the brick walls of the university.
The institution’s relationship doesn’t stop at its students and alumni, but reaches into the larger Augusta community too.
“Paine is a critical piece of the cultural fabric of Augusta,” said Shell Knox Berry, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area.
Others who gathered at the college Tuesday echoed those remarks, saying the investments are a commitment not only to Paine, but Augusta.
“This is special. God exists here. It’s a spirit that transcends boundaries,” said Thurmond.
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