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Shorter College’s accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has been continued with no
stipulations through 2012, President Harold Newman announced Monday.
“We just want to communicate to the community, parents and students that accreditation is not a concern at Shorter College, and we’ll continue to provide excellent education to those who attend Shorter,” Newman said.
The school received its official notification Friday following a report by the school that had to show SACS that Shorter’s board of trustees operates as an independent body, not subject to undue influence, Newman said.
It is good news for current students, whose degrees could have been affected if Shorter lost its accreditation before their graduation.
Junior Joe Butler said he was glad to hear the news, which means he will be able to complete his degree at Shorter. He said he was frustrated by what he felt was a lack of communication with students when the school’s accreditation seemed to be at risk.
“I’m glad that they have (continued accreditation), because the scare of them losing that made me want to change schools,” he said.
Robert White, GBC executive director, released a statement saying the convention also is pleased with SACS’ decision and looks forward to a future of significant growth for the college.
“We are grateful for the support of the Rome community and trust that we can now put the past four years of conflict behind us and focus, as we should, upon the education and well-being of the students,” White said in his written statement.
Shorter’s SACS accreditation was called into question because of its relationship with the Georgia Baptist Convention when it was re-accredited in 2002. SACS, which is the regional body responsible for accrediting colleges, requires a school’s decision-makers to be free from undue influence, which could be political or religious. The organization re-accredits colleges every 10 years.
Shorter responded to the possible threat to its accreditation by attempting to sever its relationship with the GBC in 2002 through a reorganization of the school’s assets. The school lost its final bid for independence last July in court with control of appointing the school’s board of trustees turned back over to the GBC.
The school’s continued SACS accreditation, enrollment numbers and GBC support show that many of the fears voiced concerning the school’s relationship with the convention have not materialized, Newman said.
“I feel like we have a very good relationship with the GBC at this point, and they’re very concerned with having a college with a high reputation for academic excellence,” he said.
Senior Danielle Humphrey called the school’s announcement “quite a relief.”
Tensions were high about the Shorter College’s accreditation, especially during her sophomore year, she said.
“It was a major concern for a lot of people,” she said. “I think a lot of people really considered leaving Shorter or did leave Shorter after that.”
However, the school’s continued accreditation will allow it to continue its “uninhibited commitment to academic excellence,” said board of trustees chair Nelson Price, who was chosen by the new GBC-appointed board in October.
“This is an open door of opportunity for Shorter to push back the frontiers of even greater academic excellence in a Christian environment,” Price said.
No representatives from SACS, which was off for Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, could be reached for comment.
