ACC Receives Approval for Accreditation Status
Soldotna,
AK (February 20, 2008) – Alaska Christian College (ACC) received
the “candidate for accreditation” status it had been seeking from
the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) over the past
five years.
“Now we’re recognized as an
excellent educational institution by this national accrediting
organization as well as the U.S. Department of Education,” said Dr.
Keith Hamilton, ACC president since its founding in 2001. The
decision could significantly influence the future of the school’s
students because they will be able to receive state and federal
financial aid, Native corporation scholarships, as well as transfer
credits to other accredited institutions.
A review panel at the ABHE annual
convention held last week needed only five minutes of deliberation
following a 35-minute presentation by school officials before
rendering its decision. “They stood and applauded when they gave us
the news,” Hamilton said. The school is eligible to be fully
accredited in three-four years. The ABHE will continue to monitor the
work of the school during that time.
Hamilton said it is unusual for a
school to achieve the “candidate for accreditation” status so
soon after its formation. He recalled the words of the ABHE executive
director when the college began its process: “No one that I know of
has, in the history of the association, had the audacity to seek
accreditation with such a young institution.”
Most of the students at the
school in Soldotna come from small and even remote Alaskan villages.
The college helps students transition from village life to their
first year of college. ACC operates part of its program in
cooperation with nearby Kenai Peninsula College, a community campus
of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Statistics show a small
percentage of Alaska Native high school graduates complete even their
first semester of college. ACC has seen a very positive trend in
their retention rates since their inception. “They (panel members)
were really impressed with our mission to Alaska Natives,” Hamilton
said.
The ABHE committee was not the
first to recognize the college’s work. During a celebration of the
school’s five-year anniversary in 2006, Alaska Lt. Governor Loren
Leman told the gathering, “Alaska Christian College is one of the
best things happening in education in Alaska.” Leman was the first
Alaska Native elected to statewide office.
The ABHE decision will not change
the school’s need for donations to continue further financial
assistance to students and growth of the school’s offerings,
Hamilton said. The government aid provided directly to students will
not cover all of the costs, and students have a difficult time making
up the difference.
