Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Dissertations Department of Educational Policy Studies 7-3-2009 Haven for all Hungry Souls: The nflueI nce of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on Morris Brown College Serena Celeste Wilson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss Recommended Citation Wilson, Serena Celeste, "Haven for all Hungry Souls: The nflueI nce of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on Morris Brown College." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2009. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss/31 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Educational Policy Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Policy Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, HAVEN FOR ALL HUNGRY SOULS: THE INFLUENCE OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISOCOPLA CHURCH AND THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND SCHOOLS ON MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE, by SERENA C. WILSON, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chair, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. The Dean of the College of Education concurs. ____________________ ____________________ Philo Hutcheson, Ph.D. Deron Boyles, Ph.D. Committee Chair Committee Member ____________________ ____________________ Joel Meyers, Ph.D. Linda Buchanan, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member ____________________ Sheryl A. Gowen, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Educational Policy Studies ____________________ R.W. Kamphaus, Ph.D. Dean and Distinguished Research Professor College of Education AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s director of graduate studies and research, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. ___________________________ Serena C. Wilson NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Serena C. Wilson 350 Parkway Road Union City, GA 30291 The director of this dissertation is: Dr. Philo Hutcheson Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 VITA Serena Celeste Wilson ADDRESS 350 Parkway Road Union City, Georgia 30291 EDUCATION Ph.D. 2008 Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies M.P.A. 1997 University of Georgia Public Administration B.A. 1995 Morris Brown College English Literature PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2006- Pres. Institutional Effectiveness Specialist Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, Atlanta, GA 2004- 2006 Dean of Student Affairs Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA 2002-2004 Director of Admissions Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA 2001-2002 Director of Alumni Affairs Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA 2000-2001 Director of Scholarships and Standards Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA 1997-2000 Admissions Counselor Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS 2006- Pres. Argosy University, College of Education Advisory Board 2003- Pres. National Council of Negro Women 1993- Pres. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 2002-2004 United Way of Metro Atlanta Volunteer Involvement Program 2002-2005 Women’s Action For New Directions (WAND) 2002-2003 History of Education Society 2001-2003 National Alliance of Black School Educators 2001-2003 Georgia Campus Community Services Association PRESENTATIONS Wilson, S. C. (2002, Fall). Black colleges as community change agents. Paper presented at the National Alliance of Black School Educators Conference, Atlanta, GA. Wilson, S. C. (2002, Fall). Black colleges as community developers: A conceptual argument. Paper presented at the History of Education Society Conference, Pittsburgh, PA. Wilson, S. C. (2001, Spring). Have we done our jobs? The process of determining effectiveness in institutions of higher learning. Paper presented at the Higher Education Symposium, Georgia State University, Atlanta. ABSTRACT HAVEN FOR ALL HUNGRY SOULS: THE INFLUENCE OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS ON MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE By Serena Celeste Wilson Morris Brown College is a small, private historically Black college located near downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The College is the only post-secondary institution in Georgia noted for having been founded by Blacks for the purpose of educating Blacks. The relationship between Morris Brown College, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools presents an untapped area of research regarding the how external regulatory and fiscal contributing bodies influence the internal mission, culture and management of an institution of higher education. Morris Brown College presents a unique case because, since its founding, it has maintained a close affiliation with the Church that established it. The Church is closely connected to the College’s identity and mission. Yet, in recent years, its financial existence has been dependent upon the receipt and use of public funding—which is intricately tied to accrediting standards and oversight. This research is timely because in 2003 the College lost its accreditation. This raises questions regarding the internal operations of the institution, as well as its interactions with external entities that affect its financial solvency. This study employs an ethnographic case-study qualitative research design to explore how the College’s relationship with these bodies influenced the institution’s organizational structure, fiscal management, and administrative culture and identity. HAVEN FOR ALL HUNGRY SOULS: THE INFLUENCE OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOAL CHURCH AND THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS ON MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE by, Serena Celeste Wilson A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 2008 Copyright by Serena C. Wilson 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The most difficult challenge in the completion of this project was to do so while contending with the physical absence of my personal champion, my mother, my angel, Ms. Ruthie M. Wilson, who departed this earth on August 8, 2006. I credit her, wholeheartedly, as the source of both my motivation and my skills. It was with her and through her that I fully grasped that “I Can” is a limit-less concept. Similarly, the passion that I hold for this topic was partially birthed from my Uncle Dewey. From the time I was a child, he encouraged me to “grow up and write about Black people.” “Tell our story,” he would say. I’m not certain that this is quite what he had in mind! However, this is also in tribute to him, and the passion he put into the development of all of the children he knew and loved. My daily source of strength and encouragement is multi-dimensional. I acknowledge, and am grateful for, the constant strength and grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am also beholden to those persons who offer encouragement and insight into human nature and human processes—you help me to understand that we are beautiful, even in the midst of our flaws. Thank you to my husband, Jeff Walker, and stepdaughter, Ashanti Walker, for creating a home environment that is a haven from the drudgery of everyday responsibility. Thanks to my cousin, Lynnette Miller Williams, for mirroring the gentility of spirit and sense of self instilled in us by Gertrude and Leon Wilson. Undoubtedly, our mothers and their five other siblings have created a seamless family support system, and I depend upon and am thankful for my extended family. Thank you to the entire Smith family for allowing me to infiltrate your family gatherings during times when this research would have had me pulling out my hair! Thank you, Aerika, for the being the most-unbiased person on earth, yet accepting of others’ inability to be so inclined. In turn, I must acknowledge that the writing of a dissertation is indeed a shared ordeal. I have been blessed to forge a bond with a group of ladies, which would lead to the development of DoctorateBound.