BLACK MOUNTAIN POSTSCRIPT

In this section on July 24, an article by Michael Huey described the recent reopening of Black Mountain College, a small but historic arts school in North Carolina which had operated from 1933 to 1957. At the time of publication, the Monitor was unaware the revived Black Mountain College had already closed and that its president, Marc Herring - interviewed in the article - had left the state. Reached in Austin, Tex., Mr. Herring says, ``It was simply too expensive for us to operate there. And we found the economic and cultural environment to be not so supportive ... of academic and educational reform.'' Asked about allegations that part of the reason for closing the college was unpaid bills, Herring replies, ``We have reorganized and started a whole new corporation to carry on the work of the school that is separate from the one in Black Mountain. That one was involved in a very hostile dispute with an original partner. ... Yes, there are some debts to pay from the first session, but that's the responsibility of a totally different corporation.''

Herring says he has accumulated more than 3,000 inquiries about the college's future since last spring, and that he is responding with a questionaire. It asks about everything from classes to menus. One question asks which of these locations is preferred: ``Central Texas, Northern California, Upstate New York, Other.'' Herring says his own preference is Central Texas but that he will see what the responses indicate before deciding the next step.

Since the Monitor's July 24 article, the mailing address for information about the college has been changed to: The New Black Mountain College, P.O. Box 33336, Austin, TX, 78764.