Morthland College was founded by Tim Morthland in 2009. Morthland pioneered the institution of a Christian college in the region, founded on the principles of scholarship and conservative Christianity. He began gathering support for the school and on March 29, 2009, seventy community members met in West Frankfort to discuss the subject of building a Christian college in southern Illinois. In October 2009, the institution was incorporated as a non-profit organization and it was certified by the
IRS in March 2010 with 501C3 status. On October 5, 2010, Morthland College when the college was given approval by the
Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to operate. The college opened offices in downtown
West Frankfort, planned to hold classes at the community high school, library and park district buildings. Morthland College initial programs of study included the BA in Biblical Studies and the BA in Classics. Classes began the next day on August 16, 2011, with 11 full and part-time students enrolled in two degrees programs, a
Bachelor of Arts in Classics or a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. The college utilized two classrooms and a computer lab in its administration building on Main Street in West Frankfort. In October 2011, the college received approval from the IBHE to offer a BA in Business Administration to begin in the 2012–13 academic year. In early 2012, Morthland announced further expansion, adding an athletic department with five initial sports. In the summer to 2012, the college continued expansion efforts and purchased the historic former Elks building located at Oak and Emma Streets in West Frankfort. The four-story, building was built in 1923; it housed administrative offices, faculty offices, chapel, student commons, and a kitchen and student area. The college's enrollment increased to over forty students in the fall semester, up from the original 11 in the first year of the college. In resigning he made a reference to the problems at the college: "I believe strongly in the vision and the mission of Morthland College and the opportunity it provides in offering students a faith-based, Christian education, however there are serious issues — both personnel and financial — of which I was not notified when I began as president, and which, I concluded, could only be resolved by an authority other than myself.” Subsequently, financial documents were leaked which indicated a possible financial crisis at the college, including over $700,000 in unpaid taxes and $80,000 owed to a contractor. In September it was reported that Morthland College was being investigated by state, federal agencies and that the college had been fined $2,000,000 by the Department of Education for an alleged "breach of fiduciary duty." The Department of Education had also revoked the school's ability to access federal student aid funds. The same report also indicated that the Illinois Board of Higher Education was conducting an official investigation into the financial irregularities, and that the IBHE has received communication from Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Morthland's accreditor, indicating that it, too, would be conducting its own review, investigating "possible issues of non-compliance with TRACS accreditation standards." The letter from IBHE states that according to the Illinois Amended Code 1030, notification of investigation is the first step in what could lead to the revocation of a college's certificate of approval to operate. ==Academics==