Patrick Henry College awarded accreditation

Patrick Henry College awarded accreditation
School aims 'to prepare Christian men and women who will lead our nation'

Patrick Henry College, the Virginia school created "to prepare Christian men and women who will lead our nation and shape our culture with timeless biblical values," has been accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

"I glory in the Lord and His provision for Patrick Henry College," said Graham Walker, president of the school. "The Lord has allowed us to receive validation from a federally recognized accrediting agency, affirming the integrity of our mission and how we're carrying it out."

TRACS, which is approved by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized institutional accrediting agency, also is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The recognition means Patrick Henry College is a fully accredited Christian academic institution with the agency, and is positioned for future growth, said PHS president Graham Walker.

The approval came after a recent meeting, during which Walker, Provost Gene Edward Veith, Dean of Institutional Assessment Laura McCollum and others were questioned.

TRACS Commission Chairman Boyd C. Rist confirmed the accreditation was in place at the end of the meeting. "We are pleased to grant Patrick Henry College accreditation with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools," he said.

Chancellor Michael Farris was asked to describe his transition from president to chancellor.

"I wholeheartedly affirm Dr. Walker and his leadership of the College," he told the commission. "My role gives me the freedom to promote and develop the College in ways that I'm thrilled to undertake."

For Provost Gene Edward Veith, who has devoted much of his career in higher education to the type of rigorous classical learning offered at PHC, the announcement was doubly satisfying.

"It has been such a long process, and so much work went into it," he said. "There's just so much at stake, and the outcome, in spite of everything we did, wasn't certain until we received the announcement. It is such a relief, such a joy that TRACS gave us a good report."