Dear Students and Parents,
Many of you have asked about or expressed
concern regarding our accreditation status. The decision to pursue accreditation
or not is one of the most critical decisions that a new school
must face. This is a decision that the administration discussed
and investigated at length. The result of this process
is that we have determined that we will pursue accreditation
and will do so at a fairly aggressive pace. We came to
this decision for two separate reasons. First are the tangible
benefits which most people think of immediately such as access
to Federal and State funding, more readily transferable credits,
and better access to post-graduate degree programs. Second,
and ultimately more important to us, is the accountability which
the process provides. The process of accreditation will
force us to do three things: 1) be very specific about
what we hope to accomplish, 2) find ways of measuring whether
we are accomplishing these goals, and 3) make plans to close
the gap between where we are and where we hope to be. We
believe this process of self-examination is a healthy one for
any organization serious about accomplishing long-term goals.
The agency which we are pursuing accreditation through is the
Association for Biblical Higher Education (www.abhe.org),
formerly the Association for Accreditation of Bible Colleges. They
are a ‘real’ accrediting agency approved by the US
Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA). ABHE has been in existence
since 1947 and has maintained recognition with the USDE since
they began recognizing accrediting agencies in 1957. A
full description of ABHE’s history and credentials is available
at their website noted above. We chose ABHE because we
believe they provide the best option for helping us to maintain
high academic standards while also sharing our Christian faith.
The accreditation process is lengthy. ABHE has three stages
that a school must proceed through: applicant, candidate,
and accredited. EBC achieved applicant status in February,
2007. The normal process from applicant to candidate status
is four years. We hope to be slightly aggressive and complete
it in three years, thus achieving candidate status in 2010. Candidate
status is an indication that an accrediting agency believes it
is reasonable to think that an institution can meet the requirements
for full accreditation within the time frame permitted (under
ABHE procedures, a maximum of five years). The U.S. Department
of Education recognizes “pre-accreditation” status
(candidacy) for purposes of eligibility to participate in the
federal Title IV programs for student financial assistance. Full
accreditation requires continuing to improve in the same standard
areas that were assessed for candidate status. In addition,
initial accreditation is a statement by the accrediting agency
that they reasonably expect the school to continue to maintain
those standards for the next five years.
We as the administration and Board of
Trustees of Eternity Bible College are committed to the accreditation
process. We
trust that this roadmap and our actions thus far will provide
you with a good picture of where we are headed and our commitment
to get there. If you have any specific questions, please
feel free to contact me directly at jwalker@eternitybiblecollege.com.
In His Service,
Joshua Walker
President
Eternity Bible College
|