The Mercy Ships Academy onboard the Africa Mercy has been approved as a candidate for accreditation with the Association of Christian Schools International and Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges.
Recently Michael Epps, an ACSI consultant, visited to review the Academy’s “unique” situation that combines students and teachers from 11 nationalities onboard the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship.
“Accreditation is systematic school improvement,” says Brian Blackburn, the Academy Administrator, who is based at the Mercy Ships International Operations Center in Texas. “We are being accountable for best practices, and we all have the same standards. So when students transfer or graduate, it erases any doubt other institutions may have.” Blackburn has served with Mercy Ships in the Academy since 1994, and he says that in the past two years, accreditation has become a major priority. ACSI’s pre-candidacy visit was the first major step toward achieving that goal, and both Blackburn and Nikki Aldum, the Academy Principal, said the experience was very positive. |
