Sue Bennett College

Sue Bennett College was a private college in London, Kentucky which operated from 1897 through 1997. It was affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It began life as an elementary school and ended its days as a four-year college.

History

Sue Bennett was a nineteenth-century social activist, who longed to provide education opportunities to the low-income citizens of her Kentucky area. She and her sister, Isabel "Belle" Bennett, petitioned local businesses and organizations for support and were successful in obtaining a $20,000 grant from the women of the Methodist Parsonage Society and $20,000 in matching funds from local donors.[1] With those funds in hand they began planning for the school. Sue died before the school opened its doors, but in 1897 Belle Bennett opened The Sue Bennett Memorial School in London, with elementary (and later, secondary) classes.

In 1922 the school became a junior college, and its name was changed to Sue Bennett College.[2] In 1932 it received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

A new president, Paul Bunnell, was elected in the fall of 1991 who added four new sports programs for the following season: football, men's soccer, women's volleyball and cross country.[1] The athletic programs, which were to be hosted off-campus, were projected to add 50 students to campus without increasing administrative costs, but the enrollment growth never came. Additionally, the new president pushed to begin a four-year business degree program. Other programs, such as social service, paralegal, nursing, secretarial services, law enforcement and education, were also proposed.

Closing

Finances remained unstable at the college for years. By the mid-1990s, the $2 million debt load was being used to cover student financial aid. Vendors were complaining about bills not being paid, followed by complaints from faculty that retirement benefits withheld from their salaries were not being paid.[1] In June 1997, its accreditation was recommended for removal due to a lack of educational resources, technology and guidelines, an unclear institutional purpose and poor finances. It was formally stripped on September 22.

On October 6, the United States Department of Education imposed an emergency action against Sue Bennett College, issuing a Notice of Intent to Terminate the institution from participation in the federal student financial assistance programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.[3] The college requested a hearing to appeal that proceeding. The appeal was based on SBC's pending litigation versus the Eastern District of Kentucky to have the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reinstate its accreditation. However, Judge Richard I. Slippen rejected SBC's request, and thus the possibility of continued federal financial assistance was dead.

The United Methodist Daily News issued this statement in December:

After 101 years of educating students, United Methodist-related Sue Bennett College in London, Ky, closed its doors Nov. 26, the end of the fall semester. The college was stripped of its accreditation Sept. 22 by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools because of ongoing financial and administrative problems. The school was notified in June that the association had recommended its removal from its list of approved members. The trustees appealed the decision and diligently worked to save the school - including launching a fund-raising campaign - but the appeal was not successful. Without accreditation, no federal or state funds were available to Sue Bennett students and the State of Kentucky withdrew the school's license to teach effective Nov. 26.[4]

Several of the school's programs and many of the school's students were absorbed by nearby Union College in Barbourville, Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia and Cumberland College (now the University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg.[4][5] In addition, the University of the Cumberlands also serves as the official custodian for the academic records of Sue Bennett College.[6]

Redevelopment

London-native Jim Hayes, the eldest son of former president Earl Hayes, acquired the former Sue Bennett campus in early 2014. The campus at the time was being used for by Laurel County Adult Education, Sunrise Children’s Services, and Connect Church, and one of the dormitories was reused as an apartment complex. Hayes’ goals were to reuse the Administration Building for an antique store, and for an alumni suite, clear out Helm Hall of its dormitory supplies, and secure the Belle Bennett Auditorium. Hayes also planned to lease the swimming pool in the Scoville Building to the London-Laurel County Rescue Squad for $1 per year.

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brown, Alice (2012). Cautionary Tales: Strategy Lessons from Struggling Colleges. Stylus. pp. 69–77.
  2. ↑ Ellis, William (2011). A History of Education in Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky.
  3. ↑ "United States Department of Education v. Sue Bennett College". United States Department of Education. 10 February 1998.
  4. 1 2 "Sue Bennett College Closes". Worldwide Faith News. 2 December 1997.
  5. ↑ "Sue Bennett College". 9 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Kentucky: Council on Postsecondary Education - Closed Institutions". Archived from the original on 2015-08-31.

Coordinates: 37°07′30″N 84°05′19″W / 37.1250°N 84.0885°W / 37.1250; -84.0885

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