SACS Continuing to Monitor Southwestern Seminary

SWBTS President David Dockery says decision doesn’t take away from school’s remarkable turnaround.

In a technical move, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has extended sanctions against Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for another year to achieve “a pattern of financial stability.”

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary campus

The Southern Baptist Convention school in Fort Worth, Texas, was issued a warning two years ago this month as the seminary was emerging from the financial brink. As BNG recently was the first to report, Southwestern has experienced an unprecedented turnaround under the leadership of new President David Dockery.

Seminary officials and outside observers have said the school appears to be on a path to sustainability after nearly tanking in both enrollment and finances under the two previous administrations.

The accreditation process with SACS follows prescribed protocols and timelines, so the June 27 announcement was not a surprise. It is a disappointment, however, to seminary leaders who want to move forward.

David Dockery addresses faculty Aug. 9, 2023. (SWBTS photo)

“The decision from (SACS), which cannot be appealed, does not in any way take away from the remarkable strides that have been made by the entire Southwestern community since the fall of 2022,” Dockery wrote in a letter to stakeholders. “It is vital to recognize that all programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary remain fully accredited. While we recognize the seriousness of this decision, we are certainly grateful for the commendations … noting ‘significant recent accomplishments in addressing noncompliance’ and that ‘the institution has provided evidence which makes it reasonable for the board to assume it will remedy all deficiencies within a 12-month period.’”

The original citations against Southwestern related to trustee governance and management of financial resources.

SACS currently lists Southwestern as “accredited” but also on “probation for good cause.”

Dockery said he respects the agency’s process and promises to keep working toward full normalization of accreditation.

“During more than three decades as a president or chief academic officer, I have never seen an institution make as much progress in as short a period as Southwestern has made since the fall of 2022, especially given all the other dynamics and institutional factors (internally and externally) at work that needed to be addressed,” he said.

The SACS sanctions have helped the school’s leadership have “a new sense of institutional stewardship and responsibility.” While acknowledging work remains, “the institution has now moved to a very different place than was the case in 2022.”

Ironically, SACS had reaffirmed Southwestern’s accreditation in 2021— even as the school faced dramatic drops in enrollment and a near-catastrophic problem with financial solvency.

The school’s position today is much stronger than it was in 2021, Dockery said.

Other changes made in recent years include the way trustees interact with the administration and with financial management.

“We recognized that the institutional culture needed to change as much as the financial patterns,” Dockery said. “This process led to the adoption and implementation of a new Board Policy Manual with clear guidance regarding financial matters, which was paired with a new institutional strategic plan being adopted in the spring of 2023.”

This article was originally published by Baptist News Global. It is reprinted with permission.

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