After Knoxville College (KC) lost its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 1997, the college has struggled financially, and student enrollment began to decline to the point that only 11 students were enrolled at the time of the school’s closing in May 2015.
Today, many campus buildings are boarded up, a science building underwent emergency toxic chemical cleanup, and the college has yet to resume classes and enroll new students since the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.
It is a sore sight for KC alumni who come back to celebrate their beloved institution.
“People who come back for the first time in 30, 40, 50 years, they’re devastated by the looks,” says Robert J. Booker, a KC alumnus and former executive director of the Beck Center in Knoxville during an interview with WATE 6. “Knoxville College has contributed mightily to the economy of our city, the cultural well-being of our city, so it really has been a great asset over the years.”
Booker graduated in 1962 as an English major and French minor and says that the school had between 600 and 700 students when he was enrolled there nearly six decades ago.
Knoxville College lost its accreditation for violations mostly relating to finances, according to Dr. Pamela Cravey, a SACS spokesperson. SACS recorded citations related to student financial aid, financial resources, governing board and planning and evaluation of education programs, Cravey explains.
