B-CU alum leader seeks revamp
In the latest trouble for beleaguered BethuneCookman University, the school’s National Alumni Association president on Monday pushed to have the board of trustees chairwoman, Michelle CarterScott, dismissed and the board restructured.
Robert Delancy said at a news conference that Carter-Scott was in part responsible for the school’s $306 million dormitory crisis as Carter-Scott, mother of former Orlando Magic star Vince Carter, was on the board when the construction project was approved. Delancy also questioned more than half a million dollars in scholarships for B-CU students that were awarded on behalf of her son’s foundation, Embassy of Hope.
Shortly after the news conference, B-CU students staged a walkout from classes to show frustration about the lack of action and transparency regarding the school’s financial future.
“The NAA supports the complete and prompt restructuring of the board of trustees starting with the immediate dismissal of the current board chairman Michelle Carter-Scott and the vice chairman United Methodist bishop Kenneth Clark,” Delancy said. “Most of the people who are on the board of trustees are the same people who were there and voted for this dorm deal”
Former B-CU President Edison Jackson resigned in July 2017 amid controversy surrounding the student housing project, which is projected to cost the school more than $300 million after a 40-year lease, even though the actual cost of the project was $85 million, as uncovered by the Daytona Beach News Journal.
The board voted to replace Jackson with Hubert Grimes as interim president. He was the school’s general counsel at the time. Grimes, a retired judge, is also named as a defendant in one of four lawsuits the school is embroiled in connected to the dorm project.
Delancy said his group is not pushing for an early removal of Grimes to keep stability at the school. Delancy said he requested a meeting with Carter-Scott but has not heard back from her since earlier this summer.
Carter-Scott, who was promoted to board chair in January but has served on the committee since 2013, told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that she would be willing to meet with the alumni association but only if it involved more board of trustee members and not just her. She also rebutted claims that she failed to fulfill her financial obligation to the scholarship fund, which has given $640,000 to students since 2013.
Delancy presented a report that contained emails from school administrators who confirmed B-CU funded the scholarship. Carter-Scott is the executive director of the Embassy of Hope Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Her son, Vince Carter, serves as the president.
A SACs representative is expected to attend the BCU’s board of trustees meeting later this week to give a presentation. CarterScott said the school will begin to draft a plan to tackle the school’s financial crisis.