Baptist Bible College
MottoLife Change U
TypePrivate
Established1950
Religious affiliation
Baptist Bible Fellowship International
PresidentMark Milioni
Undergraduates227
Postgraduates43
Location
Springfield
,
Missouri
,
United States

37°14′24″N 93°17′05″W / 37.23995°N 93.28479°W / 37.23995; -93.28479 (Baptist Bible College)
CampusSuburban, 38 acres (15.4 ha)
Sporting affiliations
NCCAA Division I – Central
MascotPatriots
Websitewww.gobbc.edu

Baptist Bible College (BBC) is a private Baptist bible college in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1950, BBC focuses on training Christian professionals and ministers. It offers accredited associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.

History

Baptist Bible College has its origins in a May 1950 meeting of Baptist ministers at the Texas Hotel in Fort Worth. In the summer of 1950 land was bought at the intersection of Summit Avenue and Kearney Street in Springfield, Missouri. This former 5-acre (2.02 ha) city park was turned into dormitories, which opened on September 5, 1950. From the founding until 1975, George Beauchamp Vick, pastor of the Temple Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan (currently NorthRidge Church), was the president of the college.

Vick's executive vice president, W. E. Dowell Sr., became president for the following eight years. In 1983, A. V. Henderson led the school for three years. In 1986, Leland Kennedy presided over the institution for 15 years. In 2001, BBC received probationary accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[1] Mike Randall was installed as the fifth president on February 20, 2002. Accreditation was received in 2005, due in part to Randall's hard work but mostly due to the hard work of Russell Dell who served as Baptist Bible College's academic dean for many years. In 2008, Jim Edge was appointed to office, and resigned after three years. The Board of Trustees named Ron Sears as interim president and began the search for a new president. In 2012, by a unanimous vote of the trustees, Mark Milioni was named as the new president.

Following a decline from its peak enrollment of over 2,600 in the 1970s, Baptist Bible College has continued to see increased enrollment since 2013. In 2016 the school was placed on probation by its regional accreditor[2] and has seen a decrease in enrollment. That probation was lifted in the spring of 2019.[3]

Academics

A view of the campus of Baptist Bible College.

Accreditation

Baptist Bible College was first accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 2001 and is also accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE).[1][4] Although the college was placed on probation by the Higher Learning Commission in 2016, it was removed from probation in 2019.[3]

Financial information

Tuition is $450 per credit hour for undergraduate students and $450 per credit hour for graduate students, plus additional fees. Room and board costs are approximately $7,500 per year for students residing on-campus. The estimated total cost per undergraduate year before financial aid is $18,590.[5]

Athletics

The Baptist Bible athletic teams are called the Patriots. The college is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Central Region of the Division I level.

The college has undergone revitalization and expansion of athletics since 2019, including the return of soccer and baseball to the BBC campus in 2023.[6] As of the 2023-24 academic year, Baptist Bible competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, golf, and College soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, and volleyball.[7]

On October 2, 2023, it was announced that the Baptist Bible College Patriots would be joining the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as a member of the American Midwest Conference beginning with the 2024-25 athletics year.[8]

Men's basketball

The Patriots men's basketball team won the 2022 NCCAA Division I National Championship by defeating Lancaster Bible College 77–70.[7][9] The Patriots won the 2021 Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) National Tournament against the University of Los Angeles College of Divinity (ULA) 68-60.[10] The men's basketball team also won NCCAA D2 titles in 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984.[11]

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 The Higher Learning Commission: Info on Baptist Bible College
  2. ↑ Higher Learning Commission (August 31, 2016). "Public Disclosure Notice on Baptist Bible College" (PDF). Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "2019 Action Letter - Removal of Sanction" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  4. ↑ "The Association for Biblical Higher Education: List of Members". Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  5. ↑ "Baptist Bible College: Admissions: Cost Breakdown". Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  6. ↑ Parker, Chris (2 April 2021). "Baptist Bible College to add Baseball Program". Ozark Sports Zone. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 Collingwood, Ryan (8 Jan 2023). "How Baptist Bible College basketball saved its dying athletic department". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "NAIA Announces Five New Members". National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. 2 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Patriots Repeat as National Champions, This Time at NCCAA D1 Level - Baptist Bible College
  10. ↑ Harmon, Nate. "Baptist Bible College Wins ACCA National Title". gobbc.edu. Baptist Bible College. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "About Patriot Athletics". gopatriotathletics.com. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
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