FORT WORTH, Texas – Sanctions placed on Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2023 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) will be recommended for removal, President David S. Dockery announced in a letter to the seminary community April 8.
“Many have worked tirelessly and prayed fervently to bring institutional health and stability to Southwestern,” Dockery said. “I am delighted to tell you that through the wise decisions of the Southwestern Board, the dedicated work of many, the encouragement, support, and the prayers of numerous others, Southwestern has moved to that place of institutional stability and health.
“I am pleased to share that the SACSCOC visiting team on campus this week fully agreed with this assessment and will recommend to the SACSCOC Committee on Compliance and Reports, as well as to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees at their meeting in June, that Southwestern’s sanctions be removed with no additional recommendations.”
The letter comes after an April 6-7 visit from a SACSCOC team who met with seminary board members, administrators, faculty, staff and students to evaluate the current status of the institution.
Sanctions were put in place following a July 31, 2022, financial audit “revealed deep financial vulnerabilities, including large deficits that threatened the seminary’s long-term stability,” Dockery said. “Over the past 43 months, since the Board of Trustees initiated changes at the seminary, the administration has worked to address these challenges, making measurable progress each semester.”
Dockery was careful to note, “While we rejoice with this good news, I need to remind you that the findings of this visiting committee represent a preliminary assessment of the institution at this time; final action on the report rests with the SACSCOC Board. Should the SACSCOC Committee on Compliance and Reports and the SACSCOC Board of Trustees affirm the positive observations of this week’s visiting team, the sanctions will be completely removed — yet another affirmation of Southwestern’s institutional health and stability, for which we offer heartfelt thanks to God.”
Dockery credited a number of administrators and other staff who played critical roles in preparing for the SACSCOC visit.
“We offer our genuine gratitude to everyone who participated, guided, counseled, supported and provided encouragement and prayer support throughout this process,” he said. “We also want to thank the many friends, supporters, alumni and church leaders who have walked through this process with us.”
Dockery said the seminary community has “asked for the Lord to go before us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8) as we prepared for the meetings that took place this week. Today, we give thanks to God for answering these prayers in abundant ways, and for bringing Southwestern to this important place where outside observers have recognized the institutional health now present at Southwestern.”
Editor’s note: The April 8 letter to the seminary community follows.
Dear Members of the Southwestern Community,
Greetings! I trust you are doing well. As you know, we had the privilege on Monday and Tuesday of this week to welcome a visiting team representing the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The visiting team met with Southwestern Board members, administrators, faculty, staff, and students regarding Southwestern’s accreditation status.
As most of you know, sanctions were imposed on Southwestern Seminary by SACSCOC in 2023, after the July 31, 2022, audit revealed deep financial vulnerabilities, including large deficits that threatened the seminary’s long-term stability. Over the past 43 months, since the Board of Trustees initiated changes at the seminary, the administration has worked to address these challenges, making measurable progress each semester.
SACSCOC determined that Southwestern was out of compliance in the areas of Financial Resources (Standard 13.1) and Financial Responsibility (Standard 13.3). Many have worked tirelessly and prayed fervently to bring institutional health and stability to Southwestern. I am delighted to tell you that through the wise decisions of the Southwestern Board, the dedicated work of many, the encouragement, support, and the prayers of numerous others, Southwestern has moved to that place of institutional stability and health.
I am pleased to share that the SACSCOC visiting team on campus this week fully agreed with this assessment and will recommend to the SACSCOC Committee on Compliance and Reports, as well as to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees at their meeting in June, that Southwestern’s sanctions be removed with no additional recommendations. While additional steps remain in the process, I wanted you to be encouraged today by this good and affirming news from the SACSCOC visiting team.
Many people have led the way throughout the SACSCOC process, including Travis Trawick, Dale Ford, Jenny Mathis, Madison Grace, Adam Dodd, Ashley Allen, Colby Adams, and Chandler Snyder among many, many others, including the leaders of the Southwestern Seminary Board of Trustees. The list is long of those whose names should also be mentioned such as Trey Moss, Matt Tucker, Adam Majerus, Kathy Compton, and Caleb Phelps and more who have prioritized their schedules in recent weeks to support the visiting team during their time in Fort Worth. We offer our genuine gratitude to everyone who participated, guided, counseled, supported, and provided encouragement and prayer support throughout this process. We also want to thank the many friends, supporters, alumni, and church leaders who have walked through this process with us.
In recent weeks we asked for the Lord to go before us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8) as we prepared for the meetings that took place this week. Today, we give thanks to God for answering these prayers in abundant ways, and for bringing Southwestern to this important place where outside observers have recognized the institutional health now present at Southwestern. While we rejoice with this good news, I need to remind you that the findings of this visiting committee represent a preliminary assessment of the institution at this time; final action on the report rests with the SACSCOC Board. Should the SACSCOC Committee on Compliance and Reports and the SACSCOC Board of Trustees affirm the positive observations of this week’s visiting team, the sanctions will be completely removed — yet another affirmation of Southwestern’s institutional health and stability, for which we offer heartfelt thanks to God. We look forward to moving forward together with ongoing and enhanced commitments to faithful and long-term institutional stewardship.
Now, we pray that we can all finish the semester well. We trust the Lord for the forthcoming Preview Day, the meeting of the Southwestern Board of Trustees, the Student Awards Day, for final exams and projects, and for graduation on May 1. Please join me in offering thanks to God for his abundant and gracious kindness, blessings, and favor to the Southwestern community. May the Lord continue to be with you all.
Faithfully,
David S. Dockery
President
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