Roanoke Bible College Changes Name To Reflect Broader Impact
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After 61 years, Roanoke Bible College has changed its name, which is big news in Elizabeth City.
It is now called Mid-Atlantic Christian University, and the new moniker is the result of a three-year open study among stakeholders, alumni, trustees, faculty, students and supporters.
“Our Roanoke Bible College name served us well for 61 years, and we are not running from our heritage, simply expanding upon it,” says D. Clay Perkins, president of Mid-Atlantic Christian University. “We have the same mission, but just changed the name to better describe who we are and where we are headed.”
MACU is a private Christian university in Elizabeth City that primarily trains ministers in a number of denominations. Many of the university’s 170 students arrive from foreign countries to study, which is one of the reasons for the name change.
“In international circles, the term ‘college’ often denotes a secondary school for university preparation or for non-degree vocational studies, while the term ‘university’ denotes a degree-granting institution,” Perkins says. “Secondly, becoming Mid-Atlantic Christian will eliminate the wrong assumption made by many that we are located in Roanoke, Va. It allows us to position ourselves for broader impact beyond eastern North Carolina and a non-existent Roanoke district.”
Perkins says that besides international students, MACU hopes to attract more American students from a target area that includes much of the East Coast, from North Carolina to Maine.
“We still have a strong commitment to the Bible as the core of our curriculum and to Christian ministry as our mission,” he says. “The name change merely helps dispel the misguided notion that we are not a ‘real’ college, or that we are a second-rate institution.”
MACU offers bachelor’s degrees in preaching, youth and family ministry, cross-cultural ministry, worship, counseling, applied linguistics and leadership administration. Its alumni now live in 13 countries and 45 U.S. states.
“Mid-Atlantic Christian also has five varsity sports, and we compete in the Shenandoah-Chesapeake Conference,” Perkins says. “And since our campus is situated along the Pasquotank River and the Intracoastal Waterway, we are constructing an eight-slip dock for boaters who want to visit us. Boaters can dock here for free for 24 to 48 hours in order to view our campus along with other attractions in Elizabeth City.”
Two other higher learning institutions – Elizabeth City State University and College of The Albemarle – are also located here.
ECSU has a student population of 2,500 who are privy to 37 baccalaureate programs and three master’s degree programs, and College of The Albemarle is a community college that serves students in Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties.
“Besides being home to excellent educational opportunities, Elizabeth City is a beautiful city in itself,” Perkins says. “Students who attend classes here are lucky in many ways.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
