Dolores Cross
Dolores Cross | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 29, 1938 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Seton Hall University (BS) Hofstra University (MS) University of Michigan (PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Chicago State University Morris Brown College |
Dolores Evelyn Cross (born August 29, 1938)[1] is an American educator and university administrator convicted of embezzlement. [2] Cross became the first African-American woman to serve as president of Chicago State University in 1990 and the first female president of Morris Brown College from 1998 to 2002.[3] During Cross's tenure as president, Morris Brown College lost its accreditation in December 2002 amid severe debt, allegations of financial fraud and the absence of a viable financial recovery plan.[4] Following the loss of accreditation, Morris Brown College students became ineligible for federal financial aid and enrollment fell sharply.[5] In 2006, Cross pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of embezzlement in connection with the misapplication of federal funds provided to Morris Brown College.[6]
Early life
[edit]Dolores Cross was born in Newark, New Jersey,[3] and grew up in public housing there. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in education from Seton Hall University in 1963, Cross obtained her Master of Science in education from Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Michigan in 1971. In 2001, Seton Hall awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.[7]
Career
[edit]Cross is a former professor and university administrator who served as vice chancellor for student affairs at City University of New York and the president of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation before becoming the first female president of Chicago State University in 1990. Cross left Chicago State in 1997 to become president of the GE Fund, General Electric's corporate foundation.[3]
President of Morris Brown College
[edit]When Cross arrived at Morris Brown College, it was financially troubled. While she was president, Morris Brown College obtained $3.4 million in federally insured student loans and Pell Grants in the names of ineligible students, including some who never attended the college, some who were enrolled part time and others who had already left. The money was used to pay the school's operating costs.[8]
Federal prosecutors said that Cross closely monitored enrollment and financial aid revenue because the funds were critical to the college's operating expenses. In 2001, after learning that approximately 600 registered students had not completed enrollment and that Morris Brown would otherwise have to return approximately $3 million in student loan funds, Cross directed employees to enroll them. After one employee refused, Cross directed another employee to do so.[6] According to federal prosecutors, the names and financial information of hundreds of students, prospective students and parents were used to obtain loans they had not authorized and from which they received no benefit.[9]
In December 2002, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked Morris Brown's accreditation amid approximately $23 million in debt, allegations of financial fraud and the absence of a viable financial recovery plan.[4] The loss of accreditation made students ineligible for federal financial aid. Enrollment, which had previously exceeded 2,700 students, fell to 72 by fall 2007.[5]
Federal criminal case
[edit]In May 2006, Cross pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement stemming from her time at the college.[8][6] Federal prosecutors dismissed 27 other charges against her in exchange for her plea.[10]
On January 3, 2007, Cross was sentenced to five years of probation and a year of home confinement for her role in fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in federal student aid for the college.[9] Her home confinement included six months of electronic monitoring, and she was ordered to complete 500 hours of community service, pay $13,942 in restitution and pay a $3,000 fine.[9] Parvesh Singh, the college's former financial-aid director, was sentenced to five years of probation and 18 months of home confinement.[9]
The sentence imposed by the judge was based on her age and her medical conditions. Cross had sleep apnea and had a series of transient ischemic attacks or small strokes, and the sentence was also mitigated by the fact that she did not profit personally from the crime.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. (2003). Notable Black American Women. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale. ISBN 978-0-7876-6494-7. OCLC 24468213.
- ↑ "In re Dolores Cross, Dkt. No. 07-30-DA" (PDF). United States Department of Education, Office of Hearings and Appeals. August 12, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Dolores E. Cross's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- 1 2 Donsky, Paul; Jones, Andrea (December 11, 2002). "Morris Brown fails key test; historic college loses its accreditation". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 Hatfield, Edward A. "Morris Brown College". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Former Morris Brown President, Financial Aid Director Plead Guilty to Fraud Charges Just Before Trial" (PDF). United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. May 1, 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Seton Hall University Magazine for Alumni and Friends" (PDF). Department of Public Relations and Marketing in the Division of University Affairs, Seton Hall University. Summer 2001. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- 1 2 Romano, Lois (May 1, 2006). "College's Ex-President Pleads Guilty to Fraud". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Former Morris Brown College President, Financial Aid Director Sentenced in Federal Court on Fraud Charges" (PDF). United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. January 3, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 Former President of Morris Brown College Draws Light Sentence in Fraud Case Archived April 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 3, 2007.
- Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
- Living people
- 21st-century African-American academics
- 21st-century American academics
- 20th-century African-American academics
- 20th-century American academics
- Hofstra University alumni
- Seton Hall University alumni
- University of Michigan alumni
- Morris Brown College
- 1938 births
- African-American women academic administrators
- American women academic administrators
- African-American academic administrators
- Women heads of universities and colleges
- People from Newark, New Jersey