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Article: Revival.(Jimmy Jenkins, Edward Waters College profile)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Florida Trend
- Article date:
- February 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Trend Magazines, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Nearly dead four years ago, Edward Waters College is bouncing back.
By 1997, the death watch was on for Jacksonville's Edward Waters College. Founded in 1866 and owned by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the school owed creditors $4 million and couldn't meet its payroll. The student body had dwindled from 1,475 in 1966 to only 319, and the school's accreditation was at risk. Angry faculty and staff were complaining to the media. Meanwhile, the federal government was investigating the school's student loan program.
"Every businessperson I talked to was convinced the college would not survive another 12 months," says Jimmy Jenkins, whom church ...