Morris Brown president to seek another accreditation agency

ATLANTA - Morris Brown College will seek accreditation from another agency if it loses an appeal of its loss of standing with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, president Charles Taylor said. <br> <br> Taylor said being accredited with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools would make Morris Brown eligible to receive the federal financial aid the college relies on. <br> <br> The SACS revoked Morris Brown&#39;s accreditation earlier this week because of financial problems, its lack of compliance with federal regulations for student financial aid and a failure to maintain audits and other documents. <br> <br> Even with a new accrediting agency, under federal law the private, historically black college must wait two years to be eligible for financial aid, according to officials with the U.S. Department of Education. <br> <br> And officials of Transnational said Morris Brown would have to be in good financial standing. <br> <br> ``Institutions must be solvent and have financial capabilities to continue to operate,&#39;&#39; said Russell Fitzgerald, the executive director of the accrediting agency. <br> <br> ``We have not talked with Morris Brown,&#39;&#39; Fitzgerald said Thursday. <br> <br> Taylor has said the school would focus first on appealing Southern Association&#39;s decision. The school technically retains its accreditation while it awaits an appeal hearing, expected to be held in March. <br> <br> If the Atlanta-based college loses, the U.S. Department of Education has said it would immediately cut off the financial aid that most Morris Brown students rely on.