Seven-year affirmation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation comes without any recommendations.
COLUMBIA, KY. (05/30/2025) The Lindsey Wilson College education program has received straight A’s on its version of a report card.
The college’s education program has received a seven-year affirmation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the national body that evaluates and accredits teacher-preparation programs.
Lindsey Wilson’s education program has been reaccredited without any recommendations.
“This is incredible news because the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation accreditation process is very thorough and rigorous,” said Lindsey Wilson Education Program Director Jennifer Antoniotti-Neal ’98.
Antoniotti-Neal said the reaffirmation of national accreditation is also evidence that the Lindsey Wilson education program has “maintained its standard of excellence.”
“As a Lindsey Wilson alumna who graduated from such a prestigious program, it’s wonderful that we continue to maintain a level of excellence that has been built upon a very strong foundation,” she said.
Antoniotti-Neal said that a big reason for the success of Lindsey Wilson’s education program — which includes more than 100 students in nine majors — is because it includes an outstanding faculty with a diverse set of skills.
“We have an amazing team of faculty,” said Antoniotti-Neal. “They all bring something different to the program, which gives our graduates the preparation they need to excel as teachers from day one in the classroom.”
Lindsey Wilson education students also benefit from a strong academic experience outside of their education major, which further strengthens their resume.
“Our students know their content very well because of the classes they take outside of education and the cooperation our program has with other faculty members,” said Antoniotti-Neal.
The connections students have with education faculty is another one of the program’s strengths.
“The relationships our faculty have with our students are key because our students know if they have any special needs or are feeling stressed, our faculty members’ doors are open to them,” said Antoniotti-Neal. “That family atmosphere is one of the characteristics that sets us apart.”
Antoniotti-Neal said the education program enjoys strong, supportive relationships with area schools, and it also works with a dynamic advisory council made up of educators from throughout the region.
Most Lindsey Wilson education majors graduate with either a job lined up or already working in the classroom. Lindsey Wilson graduated 46 education majors in 2024-25.
“Schools contact me before the semester is over to see if we have any graduates interested in working in their district,” said Antoniotti-Neal. “I’ve already had 15 emails this week asking for our graduates, but almost all of our graduates already have jobs. Some of our graduates have jobs at the fall or spring break, before they have finished their student teaching because our partners know how strong our students are.”
And Antoniotti-Neal said that it is not uncommon for schools to turn to Lindsey Wilson education graduates to serve as mentors.
“Our education graduates are sometimes asked to mentor new teachers from other programs because our graduates have such strong pedagogical and content knowledge,” she said.
Lindsey Wilson College education professor Jennifer Antoniotti-Neal ’98 is director of the college’s education program, which has received a seven-year affirmation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the national body that evaluates and accredits teacher-preparation programs.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson College)