During Black History Month, a prominent historically black college/university (HBCU) in North Carolina takes a significant step towards maintaining its accreditation. Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) is proud to announce the launch of the Falcon Pride Initiative Fundraising Campaign, aimed at rallying the support of internal stakeholders, alums, friends, neighbors, and the HBCU community to demonstrate financial solvency for preserving its accreditation.

The Falcon Pride Initiative Fund addresses the critical need to showcase Saint Augustine’s University as financially solvent to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). With a fundraising goal of $5,000,000, the campaign seeks to elevate financial stability and reaffirm SAU’s commitment to providing a high-quality education to its students.

SACSCOC’s decision to remove SAU from its membership on December 5, 2023, has galvanized the university to take definitive action. The SAU leadership team commits itself to addressing the issues cited by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees and collaboratively working with SACSCOC’s staff to restore full compliance across all Principles of Accreditation.

“The Falcon Pride Initiative Fund represents our unwavering commitment to the future of Saint Augustine’s University,” said SAU President Dr. Marcus H. Burgess. “Our goal is to raise the necessary funds to preserve our accreditation and reassert our position as a leader in higher education. We fully dedicate ourselves to maintaining our accreditation and fostering an environment of academic excellence and opportunity for our students.”

Saint Augustine’s University has developed a dedicated landing page for the Falcon Pride Initiative Fund, offering a comprehensive campaign overview, a donation portal to track the university’s progress, and a toolkit to equip supporters with valuable information to spread the word.

Click here to learn more about the Falcon Pride Initiative Fund and contribute to the campaign.