SALISBURY — The accreditation of Hood Theological Seminary has been reaffirmed by the Commission on Accrediting of Association of Theological Schools (ATS) for the full period of 10 years, to the spring of 2023,
Dr. Vergel L. Lattimore, president-elect of the seminary, shared the news with the board of trustees at its Oct. 4 meeting, his first in his new role.
ATS approved the seminary’s three degree programs and its Greenville, Ala., extension site.
“This is wonderful news for our students, faculty, and staff and also for the entire Salisbury/Rowan area,” Lattimore said. “Hood is the only graduate school and seminary in Rowan County and contributes in a unique way to the growing reputation of our community as a center of higher education.”
Hood Seminary offers Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies and Doctor of Ministry degree programs. The seminary was first accredited by the ATS in 1998 for five years and its accreditation reaffirmed in 2003 for 10 years.
In preparation for the comprehensive evaluation conducted by an ATS team this past March, a two-year institutional self-study was conducted by the seminary administration, leadership and faculty and was chaired by Dr. Trevor Eppehimer, academic dean, and Dr. Dora Mbuyesango, dean of students.
Lattimore was elected by the Board of Trustees in May to the position of president elect, effective July 1, when Dr. Albert Aymer began a year’s sabbatical after serving 19 years as seminary president.
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is a membership organization of graduate schools that conduct post-baccalaureate professional and academic degree programs to educate people for the practice of ministry and for teaching and research in the theological disciplines.
The Commission on Accrediting of ATS accredits the schools and approves the degree programs they offer. The purpose of the commission is to contribute to the enhancement and improvement of theological education through accreditation and to collect data from all members for use in accrediting.
ATS membership is open to schools in the Christian and Jewish faiths. The current membership represents the full range of Christian denominations, including schools in mainline and evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions, as well as multidenominational and nondenominational schools.
Hood Theological Seminary, located at 1810 Lutheran Synod Drive, is a graduate and professional school where intellectual discourse and ministerial preparation occur in tandem within the framework of a community of faith. The Seminary is sponsored by the AME Zion Church and approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. Its student body currently comprises people from many different denominations. As a theological seminary, it provides an educational community in which Christian maturity and ministerial preparation take place together.