Appalachian Bible College Fires Faculty Whistleblowers
Two faculty members at Appalachian Bible College were fired May 6 after filing a complaint with the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). The complaint is directed against Rosalie Anderson, the wife of college president Daniel Anderson. It alleges “a pattern of behavior that is inconsistent with Christian integrity and professional teaching standards.”
Melissa and Jeremy Yowell / Photo via Facebook
The fired faculty members are Jeremy Yowell, former Chair of the Music Major, and his wife Melissa Yowell, a faculty member in the music department. They said the school told them they had “not fulfilled…job responsibilities, had bad attitudes, and were creating disunity in our department.”
However, the Yowells believe their termination was retaliation for filing the ABHE complaint.
The Yowells allege in their complaint that because “Mrs. Anderson is the wife of the college’s president, there appears to be a significant conflict of interest. All final steps of appeal within the written grievance process end with the president’s final approval. Therefore, attempts to deal with her behavior are stymied.”
The complaint alleges that Appalachian Bible College is in violation of three of the nine standards for membership ABHE. The ABHE continues to list Appalachian Bible College as an accredited institution, with no sanctions against it. It has required the school to submit a “progress report,” due November 15, 2024, addressing the following:
- Standard 3: EE 2, 5 (Documented evidence of handbooks that describe and govern various institutional relationships with students, faculty, staff, and board, including appropriate policies, procedures, and grievance procedures; documented evidence of effective policies that address provision of redress of harassment that might be experienced by institutional stakeholders [e.g., students, staff, and faculty])
- Standard 4: EE 3, 7 (Documented evidence of a governing board that has the necessary authority and exercises legal power for the operation of the institution, including documented evidence of a conflict-of-interest policy for board members that addresses issues such as employment, family, or other personal interests of the institution.)
- Standard 9a: EE 1 (Documented evidence of a spiritually mature faculty who engage in modeling and mentoring relationships with students.)
- Standard 9a: EE 7 (Systems for evaluating and improving the instructional effectiveness of all faculty.)
Appalachian Bible College is a private Bible college near Beckley, West Virginia, founded in 1950. It has approximately 250 students and about 13 academic staff. Daniel Anderson, 74, has been president of the college since 1983.
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Two days after the Yowells were fired, they wrote a May 6 letter to their former colleagues that read in part:
When our friends and family found out about our situation, several urged us to contact a lawyer and file for wrongful termination. Although we may have the legal authority to do that, we decided to contact you instead. We began this journey to expose the truth about a dangerous and unbiblical situation at our college. Our motivation was entirely out of love for our students and concern for their welfare.
The Board of Directors of Appalachian Bible College fired back on May 13 with a statement signed by Board Chair Galen Lane Ellis, Jr. The statement began, “The Board of Directors understands that some of the information contained in the Yowell email is incorrect and other information is incomplete or misleading.”
The statement also encouraged “all to refrain from sowing discord among believers in Christ.”
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