Mississippi Baptist Seminary

GMBSC Board of Directors/Convention Body Report

Dr. M. Edward Cheeks, President

March 10, 2025

Purpose: This report provides an update on Mississippi Baptist Seminary's key activities in future

projects as of March 2025.

A. Spring 2025 Student Enrollment

1. Canton – 11

2. Jackson – 20

3. Gulfport – 26

4. Natchez – No Response

5. Oxford – 0

6. Tupelo – 5

7. Vicksburg – 0

Total 62 (Spring 2024 – 48)

B. Fall 2024 Student Enrollment

1. Canton – 16

2. Jackson – 18

3. Gulfport – 26

4. Natchez – 13

5. Oxford – 0

6. Tupelo – 5

7. Vicksburg – 0

Total 78

C. MaidenCPA PLLC conducted a complete fiscal audit of the year ending December 31,

2022, and December 31, 2023. No material findings.

D. Accreditation Process

1. The TRACS Accreditation process is ongoing. Seminary Staff is continuing preparation for the initial application submission process by receiving board approval on the following updated and developed key documents:

i. 2025-2030 Strategic Plan (7 key institutional goals)

ii. Operations and Procedure Manual

iii. Mission and Vision

iv. Board of Directors Manual

v. 2024-2025 Student Handbook

vi. 2025-2027 Academic Course Catalog

vii. Faulty Manual

viii. Faculty and Staff evaluation forms

2. Staff participated in TRACS Annual Conference, Dallas, TX, October 21-23

3. Annual report submitted February 1, 2024.

i. Granted conditional approval for an additional one-year period (2024-

2025)

ii. Submitted progress report to the Commission on College

Accreditation on August 30, 2024, documenting evidence of progress to

accreditation by a Commissioned-recognized accrediting agency (i.e.,

TRACS).

4. Plan to submit TRACS Application Fall 2024 Summer 2025

i. Accreditation Cost

 Application Phase $7000 (Due at the time of submission)

 Candidate Phase $9500

 Accredited Phase $10,000 (Annually in October)

E. General projects (Needs)

1. Continue marketing the Seminary to the public

2. Digital Footprint Update – Marketing, mapping out new students, updates to

website, possible new domain name.

3. Initiate collaborations with similar institutions

4. Increase the number of churches including MSBSBC in their local church budgets

5. Continue to increase the student population to meet the goal of 100 enrolled

students.

F. Program Changes and Updates

1. Reduced required hours for the Certificate program to 18 credit hrs. Certificate in

Biblical Studies, Black Church Studies, Chaplaincy, and Christian Education.

2. Associate Programs – 32 credit hrs.; New programs: Leadership Communication,

Music Education

3. Tuition and fee increase Fall 2025

i. Graduate Coursework $250.00/credit hour $350.00/credit hour (out of

state)

ii. Undergraduate Coursework/Audit $100.00/credit hour

$200.00/credit hour (out of state)

iii. Continuing Education Courses $100.00/course

4. Moodle is here! This semester, we have been working with our IT team to implement Moodle. Moodle is a free, online learning management system that enables educators to create a web-based learning environment designed to create a consistent instructional platform for all the institution courses. This will allow us

to provide dynamic courses that extend learning, anytime, anywhere. Spring 2025

5. Addition of two new Members to the Board of Directors: Evangelist Lucille Brown; Brother David Lindsey.

6. Need to centralize our student information with a Student Information System (SIS)… a digitizing and managing system that will connect all extensions and all aspects of Seminary support services - to include onboarding, advisement, registration, billing, transcript evaluation, to name a few. Examples: Banner,

Colleague, Workday Student, Classter.

7. Main campus will begin teaching general education classes this summer at the

Main Campus. So far, we have Intro to Sociology and College Algebra. This will

help our students take another step toward Associate’s and Baccalaureate level

completion.

G. Grant awards/Giving

1. Year-end Giving Campaign (Fall 2024) - Thank you Day of Giving contributors

2. Special thanks to Dr. Nolen Elzy and Dr. Darell Taylor, Tupelo and Gulfport

Extension Directors

3. $5000 Legacy Court Yard Project award – Erect a monument of Rev. Joseph H.

Jackson signaling the renewal and purpose of his emphasis on social justice and community transformation within our curriculum.

i. Project Vision - We seek to transform the overgrown and underutilized space adjacent to the Seminary building through the creation of a Legacy Courtyard. This will offer motorists, pedestrians, and Seminary guests the opportunity to reflect upon the legacies of those Seminary administrators who endured, persevered, and fought for the civil liberties of Black Americans. Through insightful artwork that inspires reflection and resolve, we acknowledge the journey and seek to tell the story of Rev. Jackson as he led the NBC in addressing the enduring struggle of marginalized populations to attain equal rights in our society.

4. $1000 - Mary Jones, Executive Director of Women’s Auxiliary

5. $1500 - AMB Association

6. $1500 - Orine Renick, University of Texas

7. $2000 - Emanuel Baptist Church – Pastor Jessie Horton

8. Monthly contributors Konia Baptist, True Light Missionary Baptist Church