The Department of Teacher Education has received a national honor for the successful completion of its most recent accreditation process.
Education faculty Dr. Allen Jantz and Lisa Janzen Scott accepted the award, called the Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement, from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at CAEPCon, the organization’s annual fall conference, Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C.
“This recognition is awarded to schools that provide evidence and data trends to achieve accreditation with no stipulations or areas for improvement,” said Dr. Robert Milliman, Bethel vice president for academic affairs.
He continued, “The CAEP standards are considered the gold standard for teacher preparation. This distinction highlights the department’s years of monumental effort and unwavering commitment to the college and our students.”
Bethel teacher education completed its most recent accreditation process in April of this year, when it received notice of full accreditation from the Kansas Department of Education, through December 2032.
This followed notice in late 2025 of full accreditation from CAEP through December 2032. Both organizations indicated “no areas for improvement [AFIs] and no stipulations.”
The Murray award goes to CAEP members with no AFIs from their accreditation process.
Teacher education programs in Kansas must be accredited by the state but the CAEP process is optional.
“Bethel’s program seeks national accreditation, even though the ‘second-body review of documentation’ is more stringent,” said Jantz, Bethel director of teacher education. “It demonstrates on a larger scale the excellence of our program and our graduates.”
Another advantage, he added, is that in some situations a degree from a CAEP member school makes it easier for a graduate to get a teaching license in another state.
“The recognition of CAEP accreditation puts institutions on a higher level,” Jantz said.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is ranked #25 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional College Midwest for 2026. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. Learn more here.
