Lon Morris College Suspended Fall Semester

JACKSONVILLE — Lon Morris College will suspend the fall semester as it continues to look for a purchaser of the college or a new financial partner. According to KETK, the college was denied access to federal financial aid funds recently because of a Department of Education decision based on its bankruptcy, even though the college has continued to operate and was preparing to open for the fall. In a news release, Lon Morris says it continued to work with the DOE on the matter, but ultimately, a timely and workable resolution was not available. The college says students previously admitted at Lon Morris for the fall semester are being notified, and Jacksonville College and Tyler Junior College are working to accommodate Lon Morris students in the immediate term.

Lon Morris had experienced financial difficulty for years as the school tried to expand through costly programs and unfunded scholarship aid, and took on almost $20 million in debt to finance its expansion. Dawn Ragan, the Chief Restructuring Officer of the college, said “The oldest junior college in Texas has been trying to do everything right to preserve an East Texas institution educating students for 158 years. The DOE’s action to cancel all federal financial aid is justified by bureaucrats merely quoting policy, noting they are powerless to use judgment to provide reasonable or practical accommodations. We understand we would literally need an act of Congress to ensure this does not continue to happen to other schools in the same predicament.”

Officials say the school intends to continue working with its investment bankers, Capstone, to find a partner. Students with questions about records or transfers may contact [email protected] or call 903-589-4000.