Bryn Athyn College of the New Church had its accreditation reaffirmed this month by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, following a warning issued last year, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to the accreditor, the Montgomery County college has satisfied all of the requirements to align with standards for governance, leadership, and administration.
The private Christian school has to submit an additional report by July 1, “demonstrating sustainability of implemented corrective measures,” said the commission, and showing that it has “a legally constituted governing body that has sufficient diversity, independence, and expertise to ensure the integrity of the institution.”
The college was warned last March that its accreditation was in jeopardy. It responded quickly by cutting all 11 varsity athletic programs, along with reducing the equivalent of 20 full-time positions, to address financial shortfalls and a declining endowment.
“This decision is a necessary step for our survival,” said President Sean Connelly at the time. “This is hard. But the deeper injustice would be to ignore reality and jeopardize the future of our beloved college.”
Bryn Athyn, established in 1877, had an undergraduate enrollment of 272 students in fall 2023.
Read more about Bryn Athyn College’s accreditation in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
