Brewton-Parker College

In 1904, John Carter Brewton, pastor of the McRae Baptist Church, and Charles Benton Parker, a prominent businessman in McRae , resolved to establish a private boarding school to serve elementary and high school students from Montgomery County and the surrounding area. As there were no public high schools at that time, the school played an important role in furthering the education of the area’s youth. The Telfair and Daniell Baptist associations were enthusiastic supporters. The school was placed between Mount Vernon and Ailey , as working together the town bid more support than any other community. The Union Baptist Institute , chartered April 28, 1904, joined with other Baptist associations, with Rev. Brewton as elected president of its board of trustees. [ 4 ] The co-ed Union Baptist Institute formally opened on September 12, 1905, with a four-building campus, serving 160 students in grades one through eleven. The school's first year was very successful and, as word spread, enrollment more than doubled to 365. In 1912, the school was renamed to Brewton–Parker Institute ; it was accredited in 1918 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . [ citation needed ] Brewton–Parker Institute became a junior college after college freshmen and sophomore classes were added in 1923 and 1927. Elementary classes were removed in 1929. In 1948, high school classes were also removed. The school was renamed Brewton–Parker Junior College and transferred to the governance of the Georgia Baptist Convention. By the early 1980s, public two-year community colleges had been established throughout the state. At the same time, there was a greater demand for graduates of four-year colleges. In mind of these changes, the school evolved on December 9, 1986, into a four-year institution, Brewton–Parker College. In June 2025, Brewton–Parker College was granted university status and changed its name to Brewton–Parker Christian University.

Financial aid fraud Scandal hit the college in the late 1990s over fraud in the college's financial aid department. A lawsuit against the college was brought about by Martha Faw, then the assistant director of financial aid. An investigation begun by the United States Department of Education confirmed that Pell Grants had been given to ineligible students, payments had been made to non-U.S. citizens, and guidelines for work-study programs were not followed. In 1998, Brewton–Parker College agreed to repay the government $4 million in what was said to be the largest qui tam recovery in Georgia history. College president Y. Lynn Holmes resigned. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] David R. Smith became college president in 1998 and at his first graduation address he stated: "To any and all who recognized inept policies and errant behavior, and who continued to speak out against such things even in the face of opposition from those who preferred not to hear it, you should be applauded, not ridiculed." [ 6 ] The college briefly outsourced the administration of their financial aid program [ 6 ] until a new college policy and procedures manual was established in the Fall of 2000. A new position, Director of Financial Aid Compliance, was established. [ 8 ]

The main college campus is in Mount Vernon on 270 acres (109 ha) and includes forty-six buildings, outdoor athletic properties, and a 5-acre (20,000 m 2 ) lake.

Brewton – Parker is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention . Its endowment was $13.3 million in 2007. [ 2 ]