The financial issues facing Johnson C. Smith University must be addressed immediately if it is to survive as a quality historical educational institution.  Therefore, it will need the support of the Duke Foundation, the corporate community, alumni, faculty and the community at large.

From a historical perspective, in November 2015, Elizabeth Leland, writer for the Charlotte Observer, accentuated the fact that Johnson C. Smith University was continuing to experience deficits in the millions.  She further stated that documents filed with the Internal Revenue showed a $7.5 million deficit for year ending June 30, 2014; a $10 million deficit in 2013.  In year 2012 under the leadership of Dorothy Cowser Yancey, the school demonstrated a $29 million surplus. 

To add further insult to the school’s financial woes, the U.S. Department of Education, according to the Charlotte Observer “placed the university on its heightened cash monitoring list” which included more than 500 colleges and a disproportional number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The school’s accrediting body issued an official warning followed by a recent downgrade to probational status and the university’s president and board leadership attempted to spin it off as a minimum occurrence.

This writer during the same period of time of Leland’s article authored an op-ed article published in The Charlotte Post titled “Transparency a must at Johnson C. Smith University” and highlighted a number of responses and strategies that may be considered.  One centered around the reappointment of Talmadge Fair, former member of the Board of Trustees who had abruptly been dismissed from his position because he failed to acquiesce to the present condition of things. The latter became quite apparent when he raised legitimate concerns relative to the university’s overall financial position.  

In the eyes of a significant number of Smith graduates, he was clearly responding to his fiduciary role as a trustee.  It is clear that former trustee Fair’s concerns fell on “deaf ears.”  The same article further stated the school’s president, Ronald Carter, should meet with representatives of the alumni association, such as key leadership from the JCSU 100 Club, the school’s Audit Committee and the auditing firm of record to review in detail the overall financial condition of the institution.  The latter recommendations were never implemented.

The school’s leadership may have failed to take advantage of the opportunity to share with the alumni, corporate supporters and the overall foundation community the steps or plans being developed to eliminate the present financial issues.

This careless and self-centered approach by the present board leadership continued.

Smith’s road to continued excellence and survival as a higher educational institution is highly probable but yet difficult.  The first step on this journey is for the present Board of Trustees to resign because they have, in the eyes of many, failed to carry out their fiduciary responsibilities.

The Duke Endowment, corporate leadership and the president-elect should move forward to identify a new group of trustees that have access to resources, knowledgeable about higher educational issues, politically astute and clearly understand the mission of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  In this board reassignment effort, a member of the Duke, Drexel or Biddle family should be seriously considered.  This writer would like to go further and suggest two of Anthony Drexel Duke’s children such as Nicholas Duke, who formerly served as director of development at the University of Virginia Business School and during his tenure successfully orchestrated the school’s first $1 billion campaign; and his older brother Anthony Duke Jr., who held a senior level position with one of the major investment banks in the East.  They are both cousins of the late Doris Duke.

If the newly incorporated board of trustees is not successful in approaching the two of Duke’s siblings previously mentioned. The board, if they are indeed serious about the financial viability of Johnson C. Smith, may consider trying to seek the involvement of some the other siblings such as: Tony Duke’s other sons John, Washington, Douglass and James; The daughters Lulita, Josie, December and Delia should also be approached. It is interesting to note that the Duke’s family endowed Duke, Davidson, Furman and Johnson C. Smith. They also played a major role in the establishment of Xavier University (New Orleans) and Drexel University. The school’s leadership should be historically embarrassed for their inability to seek such involvement and support.

Smith missed an opportunity a few years ago to confer an honorary doctorate degree on their father who sent thousands of young people to boarding schools, colleges and universities across the nation. This includes the likes of Yale, Harvard, Duke, UCLA and, yes. Johnson C. Smith. He was the former chairman of the board of trustees at Duke University.  His contributions have been described in two recent publications titled “Unchartered Course” and “Diamonds In The Rough” by Richard Firstman.

The board of trustees has selected a new president and there have already been comments made in reference to his academic qualifications which seem quite unsubstantiated by many of us. The president-elect has served in key administrative positions at Temple University and finance director of the city of Philadelphia. The fact that many of those in academia frown on those elevated to the level of presidency without a Ph.D. vs. a doctor of jurisprudence is ridiculous. For example, the late Julius Chambers was ushered into the presidency of his alma mater North Carolina Central University and skillfully reversed its financial position. I do understand that there are very few Julius Chambers but he and Smith’s incoming president, Clarence Clay Armbrister, both have jurisprudence degrees.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the former president of the Senate, who held a doctorate of jurisprudence degree was elected as president of the University of Massachusetts.  During his tenure, he increased support from the private sector, increased alumni support, increased funding for university sponsored research and SAT and ACT scores of incoming freshmen increased.

It is important for Smithites, corporate and foundation leadership to understand, appreciate, sustain and maintain the presence of Johnson C. Smith University.  As an institution, it has withstood the best and worst the nation has offered.  When the nation’s southland implemented their “Jim Crow” laws, Smith educated African Americans in the arts, sciences and humanities in spite of wholesale resistance.  When the Biddle family projected a ray of educational hope by purchasing the land to build Biddle University, the Charlotte community and Presbyterian leadership met the social and educational challenges head on. 

Therefore, we cannot afford to retreat in our reorganizational efforts but to move forward with commitment and dedication to do what is necessary to ensure Smith’s survival.

Niathan Allen is a 1963 graduate of JCSU.
         

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