Accrediting group lifts sanctions from five colleges
2/18/2003 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (UMNS) - A college accrediting body has removed all sanctions
from five United Methodist-related schools, and it has reaffirmed their
accreditation.
The five schools are Ferrum (Va.) College; Martin
Methodist College, Pulaski, Tenn.; North Carolina Wesleyan College,
Rocky Mount, N.C.; Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, Texas; and Union
College in Barbourville, Ky.
The Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools in Decatur, Ga., had placed the colleges on probation,
warning or delayed affirmation for financial and technical concerns. The
United Methodist Church's University Senate and Division of Higher
Education worked with the colleges to overcome the sanctions.
Members
of the University Senate discussed the lifting of the sanctions at
their Jan. 15-17 meeting. The senate is an elected group of 25
higher-education professionals who determine what schools meet the
criteria for being listed as United Methodist-related institutions.
Ferrum,
Martin Methodist and North Carolina Wesleyan were among a group of six
that were sanctioned in December 2001. The others were Bennett College,
Greensboro, N.C.; Hiwassee College, Madisonville, Tenn.; and McMurry
College, Abilene, Texas. Each college had six to 12 months to dissolve
the concerns and report to the association for review and action.
During
its meeting, the senate learned that the association had lifted all
sanctions against Ferrum, North Carolina Wesleyan and Martin on Dec. 9,
after deciding that the schools had resolved financial and technical
concerns.
The sanctions against Huston-Tillotson and Union had been in place since December 2001.
The
association, during its recent meeting, recognized three of the
sanctioned schools - Bennett, Hiwassee and McMurray - for making
progress. Those schools received another 12 months in which to continue
improving in areas of finance and eligibility.
The senate,
established in 1882, is one of the oldest accrediting bodies in the
country. The United Methodist Church has 124 related schools across the
United States, from rural communities to large cities. Student
enrollment ranges from 200 to 15,000.
In addition to being
accredited, institutions must meet the University Senate's standards in
the categories of institutional integrity; well-structured programs;
sound management; and clearly defined church relationships.
At
their most recent meeting, the senators approved seven schools for
continued listing as United Methodist-related institutions. An academic
institution is reviewed once every 10 years - or more often under
special circumstances. Those schools were: · Baker University, Baldwin City, Kan. · Boston University. · Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss. · Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio · Oklahoma City University. · Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, N.C. · Willamette University, Salem, Ore.
The
denomination's 13 theological schools, plus all other seminaries that
educate the church's clergy, also must have senate approval.
Church-related seminaries are reviewed every 10 years based on criteria
in the Book of Discipline and other factors established by the senate
and the Division of Ordained Ministry of the Board of Higher Education
and Ministry. In this review cycle, the senate approved one seminary -
Boston University School of Theology - for continued listing as being
related to the United Methodist Church.
Theology schools that
aren't related to the denomination are reviewed every four years. The
senate works with a commission on theological education in evaluating
those, using five criteria: freedom of academic inquiry; opportunity for
growth in the United Methodist tradition; compatibility with the
church's Social Principles; racial and gender profile of faculty and
students; and academic quality.
During the senate's most recent
meeting, 16 non-United Methodist-related theological schools and
seminaries were approved for educating United Methodist candidates for
ordination: · Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Ky., and Orlando, Fla., campuses. · Ashland (Ohio) Theological Seminary. · Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa. · Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, N.C. · Harvard University Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass. · Louisville (Ky.) Presbyterian Theological Seminary. · Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. · Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C. · Memphis (Tenn.) Theological Seminary. · New York Theological Seminary. · Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif. · Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. · Seattle University, School of Theology and Ministry. · University of Chicago, The Divinity School. · University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa · Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, Tenn.
The senate withheld its approval of five seminaries to educate United Methodist ministers. They are: · American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, Calif. · Houston Graduate School of Theology. · Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Naperville, Ill. · Payne Theological Seminary, Wilberforce, Ohio. · Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pa.
A
list of non-United Methodist theological schools and seminaries
approved for educating United Methodist clergy may be found at
http://www.gbhem.org/gbhem/appsems.html.
The senate also delayed
action on Wood College, a two-year liberal arts school in Mathiston,
Miss., until June. The college, which is related to the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries, has appealed its loss of accreditation to
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The association had
previously said the college fell short of being able to financially
support all of its programs and that it failed to show good cause for
continuing accreditation. # # # Pamela Crosby, a staff member in
the Office of Interpretation at the United Methodist Board of Higher
Education and Ministry, provided information for this story.
|
Back : News Archives 2003 Main
|
|
“We believe in God and in each other.”The people of The United Methodist Church
Still Have Questions?
If you have any questions Ask
InfoServ
Purchase a $20 buzzkill t-shirt and help save a life
Buy a t-shirt
|