President Nate Ange and the Board of Directors are pleased to announce that Southeastern Free Will Baptist College has been granted Accreditation Status by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). TRACS is a national accrediting agency which is recognized by both the United States Department of Education (DoED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
This accomplishment has been the culmination of a process which began with the application to TRACS in April 2016, the granting of Candidate Status on April 25, 2017, and the deadline of five years to become accredited. In April of this year the College submitted a proposal to begin the process toward full accreditation, and on May 28, approval was granted to proceed with the self-study. During the week of July 7, a team consisting of five peer reviewers from other TRACS schools visited the campus to evaluate the College based on the TRACS Accreditation Standards. The results of that visit were that the College received only two Recommendations and NO Findings. This was wonderful news because an institution cannot be accredited with Findings.
President Ange, College Dean Danny Baer, and Academic Dean Marc Holloman appeared before the TRACS Commission in a virtual meeting at 1:05 p.m. on Monday, October 26, to provide an update on the status of the College and to answer questions. At 1:25 p.m., President Ange was given the official news that the College is now accredited. The accreditation will be in place for a period of five years. At that time, the College will be required to go through the same process for Reaffirmation. After that, Reaffirmation will be required in 10-year intervals.
A great deal of effort has gone into this monumental achievement. The action and encouragement of former President Jim Marcum was key to applying to TRACS in 2016. President Nate Ange has been a champion for the pursuit of accreditation from day one. The Accreditation Team of Dr. Danny Baer, Mr. Marc Holloman, and Dr. Russ Moots met weekly over a number of months to lead the work on the self-study. College Administration Assistant Lynnette Gaynor was a vital player in collecting material and assembling the over 800 necessary documents. Librarian Catherine Pendley went the extra mile to proofread the material provided to the TRACS team. Many of the College’s faculty and staff worked long hours to make this dream a reality.
We are extremely grateful to our God and Savior and would like to give glory and honor to Him from whom all blessings flow. It is His hand that has directed the path of our College to this point. It is His will that has guided our many graduates to serve in local churches across America and in “the regions beyond.” May He continue to bless us so that we may fulfill our mission of “training men and women for the work of the ministry” and to boldly follow our motto, “To know Him and to make Him known!”