White House executive praises Paul Quinn Thursday, August 12, 2010 By JON NIELSEN / The Dallas Morning News Historically black colleges and universities will need to play a vital role in reaching President Barack Obama's goal of boosting college graduation rates by 2020, said one of the president's top education advisers. John Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, told about 200 people at Paul Quinn College on Wednesday that he is working to meet that need by increasing funding for historically black colleges and addressing their unique academic challenges. "We all understand we cannot reach the 2020 goal without an enormously enhanced contribution from historically black colleges and universities," Wilson said. Paul Quinn College has itself faced some of the challenges that Wilson addressed on Wednesday. Over 20 years, Paul Quinn College has seen its enrollment dwindle from 1,000 to about 150 last spring. In June 2009, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked Paul Quinn's accreditation after the college failed to meet educational and financial standards. Paul Quinn filed a federal lawsuit to block the move and retains its accreditation. The college's president, Michael Sorrell, said he is excited about recent developments on campus. "We're becoming a great college and stick around, because I'm telling you this, we are just warming up," Sorrell said. Some of the college's buildings are undergoing renovation. Last month, the school razed 13 abandoned buildings on the campus after Dallas investor Trammell S. Crow donated $1 million. Sorrell also said the school is working on new curriculum. "We are impressed with the turnaround President Sorrell is pulling off here," Wilson said. "This is exactly the kind of leadership we're looking for and the kind of turnarounds that we need." Etta Royster Administrative Assistant HBCU Library Alliance eroyster@hbculibraries.org<mailto:eroyster@hbculibraries.org> Ph: 404.592.4810 1438 W. Peachtree St. NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org> Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/meeting-form.html for the October 24-26, 2010 HBCU Library Alliance 4th Membership Meeting and the "Conference on Advocacy" pre-conference in Montgomery, AL. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.