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Accreditation-It Really Is That Important |
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by Paul Sweet, Academic Dean at Grace Bible College
It’s That Time Again
At the end of every semester, college students all over the country face their finals with a bit of fear and trepidation. Will they remember all they have learned? Will there be any trick questions cleverly disguised by their teachers to deceive them? And the most important question they always ask: Will it be on the exam? Students at Grace Bible College are no different. They have worked hard at reading, writing papers, studying and bemoaning the day their finals begin. However, what students should remember is the important role these exams have as a means of assessment, both of what they have learned and the effectiveness of their instruction.
Grace Bible College faces a similar challenge with the same sense of anticipation. In the coming months representatives of our entire college community – administration, faculty, staff, board, alumni, students and other stakeholders – will participate in a lengthy self-study process necessary for the reaffirmation of our accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission. But you may be asking, “Why? Why put yourselves through so much grief? Is it really that important?” Here at Grace Bible College we believe that accreditation is very important for our students for a number of reasons:
• While GBC does not receive any direct financial assistance from the government, our students are eligible for substantial financial aid because of our accreditation.
• A growing percentage of students graduate from colleges or universities other than where they began their studies. Therefore, accreditation is important because it helps to ensure the transfer of credits when students do decide to continue their education at GBC or elsewhere.
• Accreditation is very important when graduates seek to further their education. Most graduate programs consider whether or not an applicant graduated from an accredited college when deciding whether or not to admit that student.
We also believe accreditation serves a vital role at Grace Bible College in shaping our educational program. Therefore, we welcome the challenge an examination will bring as we seek to become all that we can be for the glory of God. Grace Bible College has the distinction to be among the few Bible colleges in the United States to hold dual accreditation. First, we have been accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) since 1964. According to its website, the ABHE seeks to fulfill its mission by:
1. Promoting excellence among institutions and programs of biblical higher education through the process of accreditation;
2. Promoting cooperation among member and affiliate institutions and the larger higher education community;
3. Promoting the distinctive of biblical higher education to the higher education community, the church and society;
4. Providing services that will stimulate excellence among administrators, board members, faculty, and students at member and affiliate institutions.
Over the past four years I have served as GBC’s Academic Dean, I have come to appreciate more and more the benefits we receive as members of the ABHE. We have been able to network with Christian leaders from all over the country who share our vision that biblical higher education – especially among Bible colleges – can provide an excellent education as good as, if not superior to, anything public or private colleges and universities can offer. Furthermore, through the process of accreditation, we have been challenged to reach a higher standard of excellence we may not have achieved without the accountability accreditation brings. For us, our relationship with the ABHE has been a blessing for which we are extremely thankful.
Recently, the leaders of Grace Bible College developed a challenging vision statement: We will be a leader in developing passionate servants of Jesus Christ through personally educating students by the integration of biblical truth, ministry experience, and character transformation. While GBC is committed to this vision, we also recognize the valuable contribution other unaccredited organizations can make toward its realization. However, as stated at the ABHE’s website, we believe that by striving to meet the high standards of accreditation, we are better enabled to make this dream a reality:
An unaccredited institution is not necessarily substandard or bogus. . . . There are indeed worthy and worthwhile institutions which have for one reason or another chosen not to seek accreditation. But you can have confidence that an institution which has subjected itself to the rigors of accreditation by a recognized accrediting agency is worthy of its claims to quality and integrity.
The second organization accrediting Grace Bible College is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an arm of the North Central Association. This is the same organization that accredits public and private colleges and universities throughout the Midwest, including such major universities as the University of Michigan and Notre Dame, as well as most community colleges. This accreditation is important because it further enhances our ability to develop partnerships such as we currently enjoy with Cornerstone University and Davenport University. It also strengthens our ability to attract prospective students, as well as serve the needs of those who currently attend GBC. Again, we are blessed with what it does provide for our campus.
The Process Has ChangedSometimes I am asked, “Why should we submit to the rules of a secular organization? After all, don’t they try to dictate how GBC operates?” While that fear may have been legitimate in the past, the standards for accreditation have changed dramatically in recent years. We are no longer being asked to meet a litany of general institutional requirements that often proved onerous. Rather, the HLC is asking us two key questions: What is your mission? What evidence is there that proves you are fulfilling that mission? The answers to these questions will be unique for every institution, including schools like Grace Bible College. They have not asked us to change our mission in any way. In fact, they have encouraged us to embrace this mission as uniquely ours. What they do hold us accountable for is the ability to clearly demonstrate that we are making a difference in the lives and hearts of our students. Are they learning? Are we, in fact, delivering on our promises to prepare them for future ministry and employment? Have we been faithful to our stated mission?
While the reaffirmation of this accreditation is still two years away, we have already begun preparing for the completion of our self-study report. We have appointed a steering committee of individuals from the administration, staff, faculty and board who will guide the campus through the process. They will meet in coming months to prepare a plan that will then need the approval of our HLC staff liaison. From there, we will create four committees to prepare a report focusing on four cross-connected themes we trust will describe Grace Bible College as:
• A Future-Oriented Organization that plans ahead, that is mission-driven, that understands and serves the needs of our changing society, and that integrates the use of new technology throughout its educational program;
• A Learning-Focused Organization that supports scholarship and learning, that assesses the effectiveness of its educational program, and that creates the capacity for lifelong learning;
• A Connected Organization that serves the common good and the needs of its constituents, and that creates a culture of service;
• A Distinctive Organization that has an unambiguous mission, that honors the worth of all individuals, and that is committed to organizational self-assessment and improvement.
These coming months will be a challenge as we honestly reflect on what GBC is as an institution. However, it will also be an incredible opportunity to grow in our understanding of and commitment to our unique mission. Please pray that we too can pass the test and become all that the Lord would have us be as an organization, where we are guided by the truths of Scripture as we seek to prepare men and women for a lifetime of service for the glory of God. Paul Sweet is a 1980 graduate of GBC (Bachelor of Theology with an emphasis in pastoral studies and Christian education). He has a Master’s degree from Moody Graduate School (Chicago) and is currently pursuing his doctoral degree from Columbia International University in Christian Higher Educational Leadership. Paul has been the Academic Dean at GBC since 2003.
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