Bacone College Faces Possible Closure

Bacone College, in Oklahoma, may be on the verge of closing, according to local press reports. College officials say that virtually all employees will lose their jobs in the next week, after graduation. President Franklin Willis told News on 6 that the college is running out of money. “We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel right now to pay utility bills and property bills and health insurance, and we’ll just barely make paying the payroll." He said that the college needs $2 million to resume operations after commencement. The college was founded as a Christian institution to educate Native Americans. Almost one-third of the 800 students at the college are Native American.