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Sojourner–Douglass College was a private college organized around an Afrocentric focus of study and located in Baltimore, Maryland. The college was founded in 1972 and focused on educating mature students. The college's accreditation was revoked by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools effective June 30, 2015, and the college remains closed for instruction.

History

Established as part of the Antioch Network in 1972 as the Homestead-Montebello Center of Antioch College, the institution became an independent entity with a four-year program on July 1, 1980, and was named in honor of African-American abolitionists Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass.

The college took possession of the Eastern Female High School building in 2003 from the municipal government after the college paid $150,000.

Loss of accreditation and closing

The college suffered from financial difficulties with its regional accreditation being threatened several times. In March 2014, Sojourner was placed on "show cause" status with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It had until September 1, 2015, to convince its accreditor not to revoke its accreditation.

On June 29, 2015, Sojourner–Douglass College filed for a 14-day temporary restraining order against Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which was denied on June 30, 2015. On July 1, 2015, Sojourner–Douglass College sued the Middle States Commission on Higher Education for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1866 by revoking their accreditation. On August 24, 2015, U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander ruled against restoring Sojourner-Douglass's accreditation, while the college's lawsuit against the Middle States Commission on Higher Education was allowed to move forward. In addition to denying the request for an injunction, Hollander dismissed two counts in the lawsuit, racial discrimination and breach of contract, without prejudice. She gave the college 17 days to revise the lawsuit.

In May 2016 the College listed its main 185,703-square-foot (17,252.4 m) central campus as well as its secondary 34,761-square-foot (3,229.4 m) administrative building for sale. In August 2016, the City of Baltimore listed the Eastern Female building on a foreclosure auction and sold it in 2017 despite the college leadership's objections.

The satellite campus in Nassau, Bahamas, closed on July 29, 2016.

Administration

Charles Simmons PhD, was the institution's first and only president. In 2013, he was recognized "for a lifetime of dedication to reducing inequalities" at the Second Annual Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health.

Academics

Sojourner–Douglass College's bachelor's degree programs were geared toward adult learners. S-DC also offered a master's degree in applied social science. It was accredited by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Campuses

Satellite campuses were located in other areas in Maryland (Annapolis, Cambridge, Salisbury, Owings Mills, and Lanham) as well as in Nassau, Bahamas.

On September 23, 2016, the former main campus, in Baltimore, suffered a two-alarm fire, with heavy smoke and moderate fire on the third floor. The fire took about 30 minutes to get under control. No injuries were reported, as the building had been unoccupied since the college closed in 2015.

See also

• List of colleges and universities in Maryland

References

1. Pamela Wood (August 28, 2015). "Sojourner-Douglass College loses bid to restore accreditation". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
2. Sojourner–Douglass College History, archived from the original on November 28, 2014, retrieved August 20, 2015
3. President's Office – President's Biography, archived from the original on November 28, 2014, retrieved August 20, 2015
4. ^ Simmons, Melody (March 7, 2017). "Historic high school owned by Sojourner-Douglass College sold in foreclosure auction". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
5. Carrie Wells (March 12, 2014). "Sojourner-Douglass College in danger of losing accreditation". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
6. "Sojourner-Douglass sues Middle States Commission over loss of accreditation". The Baltimore Sun. July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
7. "Sojourner-Douglass College loses bid to restore accreditation". The Baltimore Sun. August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
8. Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander (August 27, 2015). "Sojourner-Douglass College v. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Memorandum Opinion and Order" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
9. Melody Simmons (May 13, 2016). "Sojourner-Douglass College seeks to shed its city campus". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
10. Nico Scavella (August 5, 2016). "College Shuts Amid Legal Row". Tribune Limited. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
11. "Social Determinants of Health Symposium". Retrieved February 21, 2016.
12. Campus Locations, archived from the original on December 3, 2014, retrieved September 2, 2015
13. Saliqa Kahn (September 23, 2016). "Crews battle 2-alarm fire at former Sojourner-Douglass College building". WBAL-TV. Retrieved September 27, 2016.

External links

• Sojourner–Douglass College (sdc.edu) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

v t e Colleges and universities in the Baltimore metropolitan area
Public institutions	Coppin State University Morgan State University Towson University University of Baltimore University of Maryland, Baltimore University of Maryland, Baltimore County Former Baltimore College of Dental Surgery (merged into UM Baltimore) former building
Private institutions	Goucher College Johns Hopkins University Loyola University Maryland Maryland Institute College of Art Notre Dame of Maryland University Peabody Institute Stevenson University Stratford University Former Sojourner–Douglass College
Community colleges	BCCC Liberty Heights BCCC Downtown Harbor BCCC Life Sciences Institute CCBC Catonsville CCBC Dundalk CCBC Essex Anne Arundel CC Carroll CC Harford CC Howard CC

v t e Colleges and universities in Maryland
Public institutions	Univ. System of MD Bowie State University Coppin State University Frostburg State University Salisbury University Towson University University of Baltimore University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Maryland Global Campus University of Maryland, Baltimore Dental Graduate Studies Law Medicine Nursing Pharmacy Public Health Social Work University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland, College Park University System of Maryland at Hagerstown Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Morgan State University National Intelligence University St. Mary's College of Maryland Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences United States Naval Academy
Private institutions	Capitol Technology University Goucher College Hood College Johns Hopkins University Loyola University Maryland Maryland Bible College & Seminary Maryland Institute College of Art McDaniel College Mount St. Mary's University Yeshivas Ner Yisroel Notre Dame of Maryland University St. John's College St. Mary's Seminary and University Stevenson University TESST College of Technology Washington Adventist University Washington College
Community colleges	Allegany College of Maryland Anne Arundel Community College Baltimore City Community College College of Southern Maryland Community College of Baltimore County Carroll Community College Cecil College Chesapeake College Frederick Community College Garrett College Hagerstown Community College Harford Community College Howard Community College Montgomery College Prince George's Community College Wor–Wic Community College
Defunct institutions	Asbury College Baltimore International College Baltimore College Baltimore Hebrew University Calvert College Chevy Chase Junior College Cokesbury College Eastern Christian College Hagerstown Business College Kee Mar College Maryland Military and Naval Academy Mount Hope College Mount Saint Agnes College National Labor College National Park Seminary New Windsor College Newton University St. Charles College Saint Joseph College Sojourner–Douglass College Washington Medical College Woodstock College

• 1972 establishments in Maryland
• African-American history in Annapolis, Maryland
• African-American history in Baltimore
• African-American history in Cambridge, Maryland
• African diaspora in the Bahamas
• Afrocentrism
• Antioch College
• Antioch University
• Universities and colleges in the Bahamas
• East Baltimore
• Educational institutions established in 1972
• Nassau, Bahamas
• Pan-Africanist organizations
• Private schools in Baltimore
• Private schools in Baltimore County, Maryland
• Salisbury, Maryland
• Schools in Dorchester County, Maryland
• Universities and colleges in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
• Universities and colleges in Baltimore
• Universities and colleges in Baltimore County, Maryland
• Universities and colleges in Prince George's County, Maryland
• Universities and colleges in Wicomico County, Maryland
• Educational institutions disestablished in 2015
• 2015 disestablishments in Maryland
• Defunct private universities and colleges in Maryland