Paul Quinn College is reaching to its Waco roots for recruitment as the school works to rebuild enrollment after a battle to regain its accreditation.

The college, a historically black institution headquartered in Waco for much of its 137-year history before relocating to Dallas in 1990, began classes Oct. 6, restructuring some policies and changing the semester term dates after it faced losing its accreditation.

Paul Quinn President Michael Sorrell and other representatives from Paul Quinn are holding a recruitment event and information session Wednesday at St. Luke A.M.E. Church in Waco.

“The reality of it is Paul Quinn College is still Waco’s school,” Sorrell said. “We’re only and hour and a half up the road. You are hardpressed to sit in a room full of African-Americans in Waco without more than half of them not having a direct connection to Paul Quinn College.”

Paul Quinn’s accreditation was revoked in June by the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools, which cited academic and financial struggles at the school. The school filed a lawsuit against the association after appealing the decision, and a federal judge has ordered that the college’s accreditation be restored while the lawsuit is pending.

But the legal struggles have taken a toll on the college’s enrollment. Sorrell said there are currently 170 students enrolled, a 61 percent drop from the fall 2008 enrollment of 441.

Sorrell said of the 77 freshmen and new students enrolled this semester, nine were from Waco — roughly 11 percent of new enrollees.

Local alumni are pleased that the school is attempting to rekindle its Waco bonds.

Alex Williams, Waco Independent School District board member and 1958 graduate of Paul Quinn, said it is important for the school to reach out to Waco because of the potential benefits for both. Paul Quinn used to graduate 15 to 20 students each year who would become teachers at WISD, he said.

“I think there are students who would be interested in going to Paul Quinn, but there is a lack of knowledge, although we have an active alumni association here, because Paul Quinn is not in the area actively recruiting,” he said.

Louise People, president of the Paul Quinn College Cen-Tex Alumni and Ex-Students Association in Waco, said Paul Quinn has to compete with a number of area schools, such as Baylor University, McLennan Community College, Texas State Technical College, Tarleton State University and Central Texas College in Killeen.

“I think that there are just so many other things to catch students’ attention, and some of them don’t want to go that far away from home to get a college education,” People said. “Paul Quinn is battling with all these other schools to try and build their enrollment, and it is difficult.”

The school is also in the midst of a fundraising campaign to increase student resources. The Texas Legislative Black Caucus has raised about $1 million for the college, including a $500,000 gift from the Meadows Foundation.

The alumni association has also been active in raising donations for the school, including holding a recent fish fry and encouraging alumni to donate $137 to the school — one dollar for every year the school has been in existence.

“You’ve got to look on the bridge that brought you over, and Paul Quinn is the bridge that brought so many of us over,” People said. “A lot of us are not walking back over that bridge. . . . and we just got to look back and try our best to help the school.”

As a tribute to the college’s Waco roots, Paul Quinn reinstated this year its Heritage Bell Ceremony, a program in which freshman students recite the Quinnite Creed and touch the Heritage Bell, which originated from the Garrison plantation in Waco where the school was built, Sorrell said. The school has long upheld the ritual of touching the bell when students graduate.

“We will forever be a school that has what we call dual citizenship — we are a Waco school, the majority of our alums are in Waco,” Sorrell said. “People should be excited that our success is Waco’s success.”

rdennis@wacotrib.com

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