A Message from Rev. Dr. Cecelia Ann Walker, ACPE Board Chair

Dear Colleagues,

In my first article as ACPE Board Chair, I promised to be honest and transparent with you. That’s easy for me, even when what I need to say is hard to hear, because I respect and care for you and our beloved ACPE.

About two weeks ago, we received news that despite a tremendous amount of work, the recent report we submitted requesting renewal of USDE Recognition did not sufficiently demonstrate compliance within the allotted timeframe. We also learned that at this point in the process, ACPE has not demonstrated the level of progress necessary to be considered for another extension. After considerable discussion with Lynnett, the Executive Committee, the Board, the Chair and Chair-Elect of Accreditation, and our USDE Analyst, I called a meeting so that the Board could vote to either wait for the USDE decision or voluntarily withdraw our request for renewal of recognition. On October 25th, the Board voted to withdraw our application for recognition.

This decision was extremely difficult and painful.  Personally, it has impacted me on an emotional and spiritual level.  I have recalled the faces of colleagues and former educators who worked hard to secure and maintain our USDE Recognition over the past 20+ years. It breaks my heart to know that we have now been put in the position to withdraw our application for renewal of our recognition status. I know many of you are living with many feelings, including sadness, anger, disappointment, confusion, and hurt.  It is my hope that we will come together during this time to honor our grief as we make plans for moving forward.

As we shared last week, we will have Town Hall Meetings for our membership. In observance of the Veterans Day holiday, our first meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 12, 2024, and we plan to publish an FAQ document this coming week. We will be as transparent as we can be, and we will move forward together. As you know, we will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of CPE at our Annual Conference in May.  We hope that our conference will allow us to reflect upon our past and present while planning for our future.

I’m asking for your collective prayers, wisdom and giftedness. My goal as Chair of the Board is to help us move into a more solid and sustainable space honoring all who have built the wonderful organization that is ACPE. We know the product that we have. We know that lives have been changed for the better because of our work in this country and beyond. We are not resting on the accomplishments of the past, but we are straining toward even greater works ahead.

I hope we will find a way to regain our recognition to support our accrediting processes and programs. The Board plans to resubmit our request for recognition, which, according to our USDE Analyst, could take up to two and a half years. Going forward, our task will be to continue to see ourselves as the gold standard and put all of our energy into designing our programs and standards in a way that makes sense and is attainable for every accredited program so that we can accomplish the work we are called to do.

Blessings Always and in All Ways,

Cecelia Ann Walker

ACPE Board Chair

Rev. Dr. Cecelia Walker is a Certified Educator at The Ingalls Center of Pastoral Ministries in the Baptist Health System. She is currently serving as Chair of the ACPE Board of Directors and can be reached at cecelia.walker@orlandohealth.com