BOLIVAR – The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) board voted to reaffirm Southwest Baptist University’s accreditation with no concerns. SBU was placed on the Standard Pathway 10-Year cycle at HLC’s board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 2. The university received notification of the result of the vote on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
The reaffirmation is the culmination of months of diligent work by the SBU administration, faculty, staff, and board members to confirm the university continues to meet the high standards necessary for accreditation.
“I am incredibly proud of the SBU community for its display of excellence throughout this process and grateful to God for his kindness to SBU in this 10-year reaffirmation of our accreditation,” said Dr. Rick Melson, President of SBU. “This university has a long tradition of Christ-centered academic excellence equipping servant leaders for a global society, and we have demonstrated that we are as successful in that mission today as we have ever been.”
As one of the seven regional accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the HLC is responsible for ensuring that institutions of higher learning meet standards in ethics, teaching and learning, academic mission, and resources. Universities undergo review through a 10-year cycle to maintain their accreditation.
Levi Fox, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, coordinated the accreditation process for SBU, spending countless hours compiling records and ensuring all requests from the HLC site visit team were fulfilled.
“There aren’t enough words to express my deep gratitude to Levi, the numerous writers of the self-study, and our executive cabinet, senior leadership team, faculty, staff, and board for their tireless effort and attention to detail and continuous improvement in this process; we are blessed with an extraordinary team of leaders at SBU,” said Dr. Melson.
Dr. Tracy Manly, Provost of SBU, shared that the HLC site visit and self-study report required the engagement and contributions from the entirety of the University campus community.
“This reaffirmation recognizes their dedication to the educational process and their commitment to continuously improving to meet the needs of students, and it is a moment truly worth celebrating,” said Dr. Manly.