NCCU's Atlanta campus - again

I've been writing a lot about the satellite campus in Georgia that N.C. Central University recently shuttered after running into accreditation problems.

But not quite everything makes the paper; thus, here are a couple bits and pieces from my notebook. (Throughout this post, you'll find links to everything I've written on this issue)

Lucy Reuben, a Duke professor who was NCCU's provost when the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church program was being created, responded to an e-mail question I asked her late yesterday and said she had nothing to do with approving the program at trustee Eddie Long's Lithonia, Ga. megachurch.

"As Provost, I did not approve the proposed program at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; thus, I did not move to the process of recommending it to the Board of Trustees. I cannot address actions that occurred after I left the position of Provost in 2004 or actions that may have occurred in subsequent years."

Reuben's response makes things a bit murkier, since it is still not entirely clear how this collection of programs - hospitality and tourism, business administration and criminal justice - came about. The chancellor at the time, James Ammons, said Wednesday he doesn't recall the specifics of the program but suggested the proposal came from the University College, NCCU's division responsible for distance education programs, and not from Bishop Long.

Beverly Washington Jones, who was the University College dean at the time, said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday she worked on the academics of the New Birth program but bore no responsibility for actually signing off on its creation.

Ammons addressed questions Wednesday in a conference call attended by about a half-dozen reporters. He said repeatedly that he always assumed the program had received all proper authorizations.

He also took a question on whether housing a public university campus in a church created a church/state conflict.

"It is common for universities to have programs all across the world," Ammons responded. "This isn't anything novel, to have programs outside your service area."

In fact, New Birth Missionary has relationships with two other universities that offer programs at the church. But those universities, Beulah Heights University and Life Christian University, each have religious affiliations.

Eddie Long, the pastor whose megachurch is at the center of this story, hasn't responded to requests for an interview with the News & Observer. He did issue a lengthy statement earlier this week in which he expressed his hope that the New Birth program can be resurrected.

The problem with that hope, however, is that NCCU has scrapped the program and is now in discussions with an accrediting agency over what to do with the students in the program and those whose degrees may not be accredited.

One thing is certain about Long - he's been generous with his money.