Clark Atlanta University News August 2, 2017 United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education Ministries Reaffirms Clark Atlanta University's Affiliation Without Qualification The University Senate of the United Methodist Church's (UMC) General Board of Higher Education Ministries June 30 reaffirmed without qualification Clark Atlanta University's (CAU) listing as a United Methodist Church-affiliated institution. The University Senate's approval followed an April 5-7, 2017, site review of the University. This reaffirmation follows the University's December 2016 reaccreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Clark Atlanta received written notification of the UMC's reaffirmation, along with a copy of the site team's summary report<https://www.dropbox.com/s/227tcu9gyff7vfv/CAUUMCListingQualification.pdf?dl=0>, July 27. The site visit team comprised Tijuana Hudson, vice president for fiscal affairs at Claflin University; Sandra Harper, Ph.D., president of McMurry University; and Sandra Vaughn, vice president for academic affairs at Rust College. The team met with the institution's senior leadership and students in a series of meetings organized by CAU's Narendra Patel, Ed.D., assistant vice president for planning, assessment and institutional research. CAU's Board of Trustees was represented by Delores P. Aldridge, Ph.D., alumna and Board secretary. The Site Team's summary report details a thorough examination of the University's guiding principles and operations: The review committee is not aware of any issues that might reflect adversely on the integrity of the institution, its constituent bodies, personnel or programs. The Board is highly committed to the University and its President. The University has a very knowledgeable and committed President. It has a quality leadership team, which shares the vision of the Board and the President. The University is currently operating under balanced budgets and is financially stable. Overall, the physical plant is in good condition. The University has in place a well-developed operational planning process. The...2013-2018 Forward Strategic Plan...undergirds the planning and resource allocation process throughout the University. The University's curriculum and administrative support services reflect the Church's important social justice principles and emphasize sound ethical and moral values that promote personal integrity and understanding of others. The Review Team notes in the report (p. 5-7) that CAU affirms its United Methodist Church relatedness through pronouncement of its relationship in official documentation; programmed worship services and opportunities; and its strong relationship with the Church's North Georgia Conference. "We are especially proud of this reaffirmation," CAU President Ronald A. Johnson says. "It is always reassuring to have an outside panel of experts certify that your organization is operationally sound and, more important, bears the capacity for meaningful and significant forward progress and innovation. As important," he notes, "is the General Board of Higher Education Ministries' acknowledgement that we continue to uphold the high moral and educational standards that hallmark the United Methodist Church tradition. As we continue to create a global pipeline for intellectual and creative talent, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, the support and guidance that we continue to receive from Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, episcopal leader of the North Georgia Conference, and her delegate to our Board, Rev. Dr. Bernice Kirkland, are invaluable." Clark Atlanta University was established in 1988 through the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark College was founded as Clark University by the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which later would become the United Methodist Church. Clark University was named for Bishop Davis W. Clark, who was the first president of the Freedmen's Aid Society and became bishop in 1964. Bishop Gilbert Haven, an early benefactor, visualized Clark as "the university of all the Methodist schools founded for the education of freedmen." SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/