Hearing set for Morris Brown appeal of loss of accreditation

ATLANTA - Financially troubled Morris Brown College is paying down its debt with nearly $1 million in donations as it prepares for a crucial hearing on its appeal of its loss of accreditation. <br> <br> The one-day hearing will take place April 2 at a downtown Atlanta hotel, according to James Rogers, executive director of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It will not be open to the public. <br> <br> The agency stripped Morris Brown, a historically black college, of its accreditation in December, largely because of the school&#39;s financial problems. It is $27 million in debt. <br> <br> Accreditation is key to students&#39; ability to receive federal financial aid. <br> <br> The hearing will be conducted by a committee made up of administrators from colleges and universities that are members of the accrediting agency. The committee will notify the school of its decision the week after the hearing. <br> <br> So far, almost $1 million has been raised through alumni and religious organizations to pay down the school&#39;s debt, said Deb McGhee Speights, a spokeswoman for the private college&#39;s board of trustees.