Saint Paul’s College Board of Trustees Takes Further Action
- Interim President appointed;
- Outside counsel retained to help guide Board
(LAWRENCEVILLE, Va.) – June 29, 2012 – The Saint Paul’s College Board of Trustees announced that it has retained the services of Richmond attorney Ashley L. Taylor to advise the Board as it considers the future of the College in the wake of the recent decision by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS) to deny reaffirmation of SPC’s accreditation.
Taylor, a partner at the Troutman Sanders law firm, is a former deputy Virginia Attorney General and a former member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Taylor will assist the Board as it moves forward with its appeal, attends to all its fiduciary responsibilities and weighs all the options facing the College, including possible partnerships or mergers with others institutions, and/or seeking accreditation from other government-recognized accreditation agencies.
The Board also announced today’s appointment of Claud Flythe, D.A. as Interim President and CEO at Saint Paul’s, succeeding Eddie N. Moore Jr., who is returning to his home in Texas for a long-delayed medical procedure.
Fythe joined the Saint Paul’s College team as Chief of Staff in January. With more than 40 years’ experience in higher education, Flythe most notably served at Virginia State University for 35 years, retiring as Chief of Staff and Vice President of Student Affairs.
“We are very fortunate to have someone of Claud Flythe’s judgment and expertise to lead the College through this next phase of its history,” said Dr. Oliver W. Spencer, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“At the same time, we wish to express our most profound gratitude to Eddie Moore, who agreed to delay a well-deserved retirement to take the reins at Saint Paul’s during its restructuring and reaffirmation campaign. Eddie worked miracles here, and we are confident that if we had had more time, the SACS decision would have been different,” added Chairman Spencer.
“We made major progress in the effort to secure Saint Paul’s future in such a short period,” said Moore. “It was a Herculean team effort and we have every reason to hold our heads high. I will always remember with affection and great appreciation the commitment and dedication of the entire Saint Paul’s family and friends who helped make this possible.”
While Saint Paul’s pursues its appeal, it remains accredited. The College has not yet received written notice of the SACS decision. The SACS Appeals Committee meets in late August.
About Saint Paul’s College:
Founded in 1888 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, Saint Paul’s College is an accredited, private, historically black, four-year coeducational and culturally diverse liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the rolling hills of Brunswick County in Southern Virginia. Its mission reflects the vision of its founder, Archdeacon James Solomon Russell, to educate all students, especially the underserved, with educational, cultural, spiritual, and life-long learning experiences that will enable them to lead in a technological and global society. Saint Paul’s offers baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences, teacher education endorsements, pre-professional programs, and the only Single Parent Support System initiative for degree-seeking single parents in Virginia. Saint Paul’s offers an accelerated degree program for working adults in four locations across Virginia including Richmond, Farmville, Franklin, and on Saint Paul’s Lawrenceville campus. Learn more at www.saintpauls.edu.