Frequently Asked Questions
Concerning Accreditation
Why does GBSC worry about being accredited anyway?
There are many reasons. First, the self-evaluation and peer-review involved in the accreditation process make us a better institution by leading us on a path of continuous improvement through better assessment and planning. Second, accreditation gives us and our students better standing and recognition in the educational community. We want to make GBSC credits easily transferable. Third, it helps us make better corporate connections, in that many companies use accreditation as an initial threshold for their giving. Additionally, for this reason, some of our donors will have their gifts to GBSC matched by their employers.
Isn't GBSC already accredited?
Yes. God's Bible School and College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). The ABHE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the national accrediting agency for Bible colleges. GBSC also recently achieved candidate status with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
How does ABHE accreditation differ from HLC accreditation?
While both are recognized by the U. S. Department of Education, their focus is different. ABHE is specially tasked to accredit Bible colleges, while the Higher Learning Commission accredits all types: public and private, not-for-profit and for-profit, and secular and faith-based institutions. It is our goal to maintain accreditation from both ABHE and HLC. (See the discussion of the various types of accreditation at www.gbs.edu/abhe/about-accreditation.html)
Didn't ABHE just have a visit?
Actually, this is a 10-year reaffirmation visit. The last such visit was in 1996 - yes, time does fly. The ABHE team will be on campus September 25-27.
What is involved in the process at this point?
GBSC assembled a self-study team and separated them into six subcommittees. Each of these subcommittees had two ABHE standards to address. Subcommittees were comprised of administration, faculty, staff, board members, and students. These groups, along with the Summer Work Group, created three documents: Compliance Document, Assessment Document, and Planning Document.
What can I do to help?
Members of various constituencies already helped by participating in alumni surveys, employer surveys, and even serving on self-study subcommittees. The benefit we receive from your thoughtful feedback through surveys and focus groups cannot be overemphasized! And, most importantly, pray with us that God will guide us through this entire process!
If you have further questions, please email them to Dr. Ken Farmer at kfarmer@gbs.edu.
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