Continuing the Momentum
President Dr. Frank Weller
Donation to Continue the Momentum
Let us know you will talk with your church
Three months. That’s how much time we have to convince the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that this new era at Great Lakes Christian College is for real. The stakes are high, and I need your help.
Since becoming President in June 2022, I’ve tried to communicate with transparency our efforts to develop a sustainable plan for the College’s future. This letter is the latest in a series sent to churches, alumni, and friends of the College. I hope you will read it and prayerfully act on it.
In June 2022, GLCC was in deep financial trouble. The College had lost money for nine of the previous ten years. Ninety-one small, private colleges have closed in America since the pandemic, and we were on a path to join the list of casualties. We faced existential threats on three fronts: our auditors, the US Department of Education, and our accreditors, the Higher Learning Commission.
One year later the picture is enormously improved! First, our 2023 audit showed a huge improvement. For the first time in a decade the College ended the year with a budget surplus! Second, we eased the concerns of the Department of Education by depositing $113,000 in a reserve fund. Now comes the third challenge: satisfying the concerns of HLC.
When the HLC visited our campus in April 2022 they were so concerned about our finances that they placed the College on probation. They gave us a year to turn things around. With God’s help and the generosity of His people we have! Giving last year was up 140% over the previous year. Enrollment jumped 7%. We developed a three-year strategic plan that ensures we will continue the momentum.
But, as has been said, “You can expect what you inspect.” That is why HLC is sending a team to campus on March 25. They will review our strategic plan. They will scrutinize our budget and financial statements. They will interview our administration, faculty, and staff to assess our efforts to develop a sustainable business model.
The best way we can ensure the peer review team recommends probation restrictions be lifted is to be in the strongest financial position possible when the HLC team arrives.
With your help we can continue the positive momentum together and fulfill that mission for a long time to come. As we anticipate GLCC’s 75th anniversary later this fall, I believe our best days are ahead of us. Because of your generous support, when the Higher Learning Commission arrives in March, I think they will agree.
-President Frank Weller