Knoxville College, a historically Black institution in Tennessee, was teetering on the brink of disaster just three years ago. It had switched presidents more often than most people change underwear. Student enrollment had plummeted. The school was reeling from the loss of accreditation. And even some of its graduates had serious doubts about whether their alma mater could survive.

Instead of dying, the board of trustees was revamped, a new president was brought in -- and later given a 5-year contract extension and the 126-year-old college has become a textbook example of how troubled African-American colleges can escape the higher education graveyard.

No one associated with the dramatic comeback contends that it was easy or that it is complete. The primary architect of this revival was Jack O. LeFlore, a Knoxville College graduate who served as chairman of the board of trustees from 1995-1997. In his own quiet but firm way, LeFlore brought in an influx of new board members, including Danna M. Wood-Webb, who was about to retire as assistant dean of Columbia University's School of Social Work. Wood-Webb, an alumnae of the college and an attorney in New York, has since succeeded LeFlore as chairperson of the board. That new group has expanded to the point now where 19 of the current 21 board members did not serve prior to 1997.

After the board was overhauled, it established a presidential search committee. Using a professional search firm for the first time in the school's history, it selected Barbara R. Hatton, a noted educator and former Ford Foundation executive, to revive the struggling institution. Hatton had received her undergraduate degree from Howard University and her Ph.D. from Stanford. More important than her sterling education credentials was her vision and eagerness to accept challenges that others were unwilling to accept.

The new board and the new president then set out on a new mission. It would not be enough to continue business-as-usual, they concluded. Knoxville College would have to do something to set it apart from all the other Black colleges vying for African-American students.

It was agreed that the college would not go out of its way to actively recruit the coveted "A" and "B" high school graduates. Those students were likely to become success stories regardless of where they attended school. The more difficult challenge would be to get that talented but underperforming C-student and specialize in polishing what President Hatton likes to call a "diamond-in-the rough."

But many of those diamonds-in-waiting come from poor families and need considerable financial aid. Knoxville College re-invented itself as a work college, the eighth in the nation and the only Black college with that special designation. All students at Knoxville College work, allowing them to graduate with a diploma in one hand and a resume in the other. It costs $9,780 a year to attend the institution. The typical student is awarded a $5,400 package by the college, the companies participating in the work program pay the school $2,080 per student and each student is responsible for contributing $2,300 per year. Students with a B-average or above can qualify as presidential scholars and pay for little more than their books. Because of the work program, virtually all of Knoxville College students are able to graduate debt-free.

With a redefined mission, broad-based corporate and foundation support as well as a talented student body and faculty, Knoxville College officials are confident that the school will regain accreditation, probably within two years; continue its rich tradition of turning out national figures -- such as Jake Gaither, the legendary Florida A&M football coach; former Tuskegee, Ala. Mayor Johnny Ford and journalists Vernon Jarrett, Barbara Rodgers and Ralph Wiley -- and make a difference in the lives of students who might not otherwise have an opportunity to attend college.

"We are offering a kind of education at Knoxville College that is too often reserved for the elite in our society," President Hatton says. "Through leadership, work and service opportunities, we provide an affordable liberal arts education and valuable work experience."

[For more information, contact Knoxville College at 901 Knoxville College Drive, Knoxville, Tenn. 37921, telephone 865/524-6511, the admissions office at 800/743-5669, or visit its web site at www.knoxvillecollege.edu]