A visiting team representing the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges will recommend lifting sanctions against Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Seminary President David Dockery announced the recommendation in a letter to the seminary community April 8. Sanctions…
Six Southern states create new accrediting agency
With U.S. President Donald Trump attempting to force academic accrediting agencies to be less “woke” and more responsive to conservatives’ demands, six public universities last week announced formation of their own accrediting agency. This is an attempt to separate from…
SACS continuing to monitor Southwestern Seminary
In a technical move, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has extended sanctions against Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for another year to achieve “a pattern of financial stability.” The Southern Baptist Convention school in Fort Worth, Texas, was issued…
Will Trump’s plan for college accreditation help or hurt?
On April 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to reshape the independent agencies that accredit U.S. colleges and universities. Trump’s conservative allies praise his action as a long-overdue correction of anti-conservative bias, while his critics — including…
Here’s what tax dollars will fund with the Texas school voucher bill
With proposed legislation to create school vouchers in Texas, a majority of taxpayer money could go to private schools that teach anti-science ideas and young-earth creationism. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made “school choice” his mission over the last few…
Southwestern Seminary given warning by accrediting agency
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been issued a warning by one of its primary accrediting agencies, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Southern Baptist Convention school remains fully accredited while SACS investigates concerns about the school’s governance and…
What should it cost a denomination to control governance of a university?
How much money should a denominational body have to give to a university in return for the ability to control that university’s governance? Turns out, not much in many cases. As state, regional and national denominational bodies have faced declining…
Thinking outside the seminary
Seminary on $3 per day? I had a great seminary experience in the 1970s. I matriculated for nine years, and earned three degrees. The total cost I paid for my seminary education was under $10,000, which was just less than…