By Alex Bass
Alex.bass@triangletribune.com
RALEIGH – Two resignations from Saint Augustine’s Board of Trustees were part of the fallout from an Oct. 7-9 visit by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, The Triangle Tribune has learned.
A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said trustees Marley Bollinger and George Brooks abdicated their positions amidst ongoing accreditation review proceedings to determine if SAU will be removed from SACSCOC “probation for good cause” and reaffirmed as a member in good standing, or have its accreditation terminated.
The Tribune acquired contact information for Bollinger of Wilmington, North Carolina. A call and voicemail message were not returned. Brooks is based in Atlanta. Both were serving their second, concurrent, four-year terms, per the SAU website.
These resignations further raise uncertainty about the BOT membership, which appears to be noncompliant with the most recently available BOT governing by-laws (April 2021). These bylaws call for at least 15 board members. With Brooks and Bollinger, the SAU website includes 14 members. The Tribune requested an updated BOT list on Sept. 24 and, again, on Oct. 28. Neither SAU Interim President Marcus Burgess nor SAU Associate Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications, Demarcus Williams, responded to either request.
Steven Williams of Durham, chosen by the university’s National Alumni Association for its designated BOT seat, said he was aware of the SACSCOC visit earlier this month but still has not been seated on the BOT. The university held its coronation of Mister SAU and Miss SAU on Oct. 24, but has not announced which student will serve in the designated BOT position.
The lack of transparency comes at a pivotal time for SAU, which is reaching the end of the maximum two years – concurrent with this fall semester’s conclusion in a best-case scenario – for which a SACSCOC member institution can be on probation for good cause. The SACSCOC has not disclosed any updated information about SAU since a July 22 website’s announcement reversing its accreditation termination back to probation for good cause. This same announcement acknowledged a December 2024 SACSCOC accreditation review.
On Oct. 22, Burgess, along with Shaw University President Paulette Dillard, visited the city of Raleigh’s Economic Development and Innovation Committee in pursuit of additional financial support for the HBCUs, both involved in endeavors to leverage land for infrastructure growth.
Neither Bollinger nor Brooks were named as individual defendants in the ongoing litigation filed by the SaveSAU Coalition seeking the collective removal of the board. SAU will conclude in-person classes on Nov. 27, and complete the fall term in remote teaching and learning when classes resume Dec. 2. Final exams are Dec. 10-13, with fall graduation on Dec. 13.
