By: Chloe Smith
Southern Adventist University’s Adult Degree Completion (ADC) program, launched in January 2022, has ended due to low enrollment and unsustainable operations, according to university administrators. The program allowed individuals to finish their degrees online while still working.
Bob Young, vice president for Academic Administration, explained in an email to the Accent who the ADC was for.
“The program was designed to meet the needs of working adults who had some prior college credit but who had not completed a college-level credential,” he stated. “…The program had been in operation for several years and had failed to meet its enrollment targets or to break even financially.”
Corjena Cheung, associate vice president for Academic Administration and dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, shared her thoughts on the matter.
“The program [was] fully online with flexible learning options and [offered] a great fit for many adults,” she said.
Cheung went on to explain the university’s stance on the end of the program.
“This was a difficult decision for the administration, but it makes the most sense as the university aims to be a faithful steward of its resources,” she said. “Southern applauds each of the students who have graduated from the program, along with the leadership and dedication of our faculty and staff in implementing it.”
According to a previous Accent article, planning for the program began in the fall of 2014, when then-Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Cynthia Gettys, requested to chair a committee to develop the idea. The university Senate later voted in April 2016 to move forward with the plans. The Accent reached out to Gettys via email, but she declined to comment on the matter.
Rachel Williams-Smith, dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, was a member of the original team that started the ADC.
“Though I’m sad to see this program being shut down, I’m thankful to have had a part in getting it started,”she said, “because I believe it made a difference for quite a few students and helped them to move from where they were to where they want to go.”
Since the 2024 school year, the ADC program has offered a variety of online degrees, such as Business Management, Communication, General Psychology, Integrative Studies and General Education.
Gracelyn Lloyd, who completed the communication program in 2024, shared her experience in a recent interview with the Accent.
“[The professors] were very approachable,” she said. “Even though it was all online, they made they themselves very accommodating if there was something that was getting in the way of a deadline, because it was put in place for adults that may have run into things throughout their life that made it difficult for them to complete their degrees. They were really interested in helping you finish the degree now that you’re facing things with your full-time job and family life.”
For students still enrolled in the ADC program, Online Campus is helping them finish their studies.
“Online Campus reaffirms its commitment to supporting ADC students as they complete their degrees,” said Gus Martin, Online Campus professor. “This includes providing technical assistance and ensuring access to the courses needed to fulfill each student’s academic plan. For us, ADC students are a valued part of our community and will remain so through the completion of their program.”
When asked whether the university plans to start any similar programs in the future, Young confirmed that it does not.
In an email to the Accent, Cheung listed several online graduate programs for those who have completed an undergraduate degree and are looking for flexible options.
“Southern offers a number of graduate degrees in a primarily online format—such as a Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Nursing,” she said. “Southern is also planning to begin offering a new graduate program, Doctor of Education: Innovation in Leadership, and Learning, starting in Fall 2026, pending approval by the SACSCOC accreditation board.”
Though faculty are saddened by the program’s end, the impact it had on participants remains, according to Williams-Smith.
“It may not have succeeded from a marketing standpoint at this time,” said Williams-Smith, “but the real value of what we do is measured in the lives that are changed and improved by the efforts that we make.”
