previously accredited Gammon. Dr. Harry Van Buren Richardson, the president of Gammon Theological Seminary, became the first president of ITC, serving in that position from 1959 to 1968. The Presbyterian-affiliated Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary joined ITC 1969–2014, relocating to Atlanta from Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1970, the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary was established as a new seminary within ITC, named for Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ. From 1971 through 1979, the ITC also operated the Absalom Jones Theological Institute in cooperation with the Episcopal Church. This institute was named for Absalom Jones of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first African American to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Enrollment was insufficient to support the seminary's continued operation and it closed in 1979. The Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta was established on the ITC campus in 1997. Its establishment was an outgrowth of an enrichment program, started in 1988, through which students from two Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seminaries took courses at the ITC. The Lutheran Center now provides opportunities for students at any of ELCA's eight seminaries to take courses in Atlanta at the ITC, Candler School of Theology, or Columbia Theological Seminary for academic credit at their home seminaries. The Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary withdrew from the ITC in June 2014. Academics ITC awards two master's degrees: Master of Divinity (M.Div.), and Master of Arts in Christian Education (M.A.C.E.). ITC also offers one Doctor of Ministry (D. Min.). The Master of Divinity program is available online, as well as on the ITC campus. The D.Min. degree program is intended for persons who are currently engaged in Christian ministry and have at least three years of experience in ministerial leadership. In addition to the degree programs, a Certificate in Theology program has been conducted at a number of off-campus locations in the U.S. and worldwide. This is a community outreach program that provides no academic credit. Accreditation and affiliations ITC is accredited to award masters and doctoral degrees by both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. In December 2015, the Southern Association's Commission on Colleges reaffirmed ITC's accreditation. On June 7, 2016, the Association of Theological Schools’ (ATS) Commission on Accrediting confirmed that ITC has demonstrated its financial viability. ITC is the only graduate institution