The women of the troubled Sweet Briar College say the institution is capable of sustaining itself—and all it needs is a second chance. They're hoping that chance comes in the form of a ruling from the state's highest court to grant an injunction and allow the college to stay open while school administrators sort out legal and financial matters.
A lower court refused to block the college from shutting down. It said the school's board of directors was acting as a corporation and followed proper procedure by closing amid financial problems. Sweet Briar attorney Woody Fowler told the Virginia Supreme Court that it would "crash and burn" if that ruling isn't supported.
"In our ideal outcome, the court would direct the trial court to appoint a special fiduciary to step in and run the college, to make sure it's run right, make sure that accurate information is given to the court about its financial situation."
But the attorney for a coalition fighting to keep the school open, William Hurd, says the lower court got it wrong. Hurd argues that the college was created under a trust and is financially viable—but just needs to be managed well.
"The board wants to be able to pay their creditors to pay severance to faculty and staff, they want to make sure that all the students get properly sent to other schools and if we just have to spend down all our money, that's going to be a real problem."
Hurd says the justices could order the college to remain open under its current leadership—or rule that Sweet Briar is a trustee, remand the case back to the trial court, and issue a ruling based on that finding.
