WASC Responds to La Sierra University Problems
by Atoday News Team
In a letter dated, July 5, just released by La Sierra University (LSU), the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the academic Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges & Universities in the Western United States, reported on the commission’s consideration of a report of its Special Visit team.
In part, the letter noted the following:
The Special Visit “came in the midst of a contentious public controversy over this matter [relating to the teaching of both evolutionary biology and creationism at LSU] between LSU and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with which La Sierra University is affiliated.”
“The goal of the Special Visit was to determine whether LSU was addressing this challenge in keeping with generally accepted principles of higher education related to institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and the appropriate roles of the faculty, administration and governing board.”
“The Special Visit team was concerned about the structure and functioning of the governing board” It noted that “there were divisions on the board concerning the controversy in the teaching of science.”
WASC noted that “the recent forced resignations, which were obtained through the actions of the board chair, reinforce concerns about institutional autonomy because of the multiple roles that the board chair has in the University and in the Church.”
As the result of “deep concerns about the institutional autonomy of La Sierra University as an educational institution,” WASC acted to issue a formal Notice of Concern.
WASC will have the last word if LSU is to continue as a university.
You are absolutely right, Elaine. Institutional Darwinian theory, as theorized by Nate Schilt, states that institutions will become extinct if they do not make adaptations necessary for growth and survival. If WASC expectations and demands interfere with institutional identity, identity will be sacrificed in order for the institution to survive. In trying to adapt to the environment in which it lives, the ecclesiastical leadership at LSU will ironically be proving on the institutional level the very principle it seeks to discredit on the biological level – adaptation of species. Who knows? Darwinian theory may be twice vindicated at LSU.
Evolution, inadvertently, will be proved if LSU survives.
This is a classic example of how the ‘state’ has encroached and sought control of Christian education by ‘forcing’ adaptations upon the Church, much to the demise of Christianity in the West. Social Engineering at its best?
Let’s face it ‘evolution’ has been thrust upon the Church and sadly capitalist economics is been used as the instrument of ‘mass destruction’ and ‘torture’ in order to ‘brainwash’ kids going to school to learn true science.
Would it appease those government fake science ‘gurus’ if creation AND evolution weren’t taught in order to keep the funding from tax-money coming in? (Like Solomon’s kill the both babies test? )
The state wants to force non-scientific evolution on schools. This exposes (to me)a clear indication of how the state IS controlling the Church at least in terms of education. There seems to be a very fine line dividing Church and State separation and the decider of that line seems to be in the hands of the State supporting false evolution science and all…
T
The church has always had to respond to the world in which it lives. That is why Paul addresses 1st century issues rather than our issues. I never realised until I started reading the history of the Christian church in the US in the nineteenth century just how much of our history was not just us and God, but us and the other churches and the world. I still believe God was involved in leading us, but the world was there too. We were responding to events around us, and ideas that were brought up by both the secular world (much smaller then) and other churches. When we want to we find ways to remain true to our beliefs and live in the world, when we don’t want to, well, then we learn why we should.
Trevor, the state has no “encroached and sought control of Christian education.” On the contrary, LSU has requested WASC approval; and in granting that accreditation, there are certain stipulations that must be followed: quid pro quo.
The church and LSU is not being forced to divorce itself from its doctrines.
Only if the school wants, and feels it necessary to have WASC approval, then certain demands are being made in order to receive that stamp of accreditation. It is completely voluntary, but just as one wants a loan to purchase a house AND receive legal financing, certain criteria must be met. We all live in a society where we daily must comply with rules; only in an anarchy are there no rules.
At any time, LSU could change it direction and become a “Bible College” and WASC would not be necessary.
I’m not sure about this but I don’t think WASC is a state agency. I believe it is a private service. Anybody know?
From the official WASC site:
Why Accreditation?
Certification to the public that the school is a trustworthy institution of learning
Validates the integrity of a school’s program and student transcripts
Fosters improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable educational program
A way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementing, monitoring and reassessment
Assists a school/district in establishing its priority areas for improvement as a result of the perpetual accreditation cycle.
Below are additional examples with respect to accreditation:
In December 2002 UC faculty approved a policy that requires all California public and private high schools to be WASC-accredited (or a candidate for accreditation) in order to establish and/or maintain an “a-g” course list.
Accreditation is required with respect to the Cal Grants.
The WASC/CDE (California Department of Education) process serves as the basis for the Single Plan for Student Achievement.
Colleges and universities examine transcripts to determine if the students have attended accredited institutions.
Teachers will not receive credit for the years during which they taught at a non-accredited school by many schools/districts nationwide. WASC receive calls from school personnel who are recruiting applicants for teaching positions with respect to their prior schools of employment.
The military recruiters expect the applicants to be from accredited schools.
Many districts have policies to accept credits only from WASC accredited schools or schools accredited by other regionals with whom WASC has reciprocal agreements.
By seeking accreditation and accepting state or federal research funding, the school opens itself up to regulation by the state and/or federal government. This is the danger of trying to have it both ways.
If you want to join the group, you must pay the dues. In seeking status as a full-fledged universty, eligible to receive government funding, WASC accreditation was absolutely necessary.
Had the school only wanted to be a Bible college, this would have been unnecessary. It’s hard to have one foot on either side of a river, and “having it both ways” meant that the church wanted both SDA board approval and WASC approval when it was impossible for both. The money is too important to the school for continued operation; and money is more powerful than ideology in such instances.
If I understand correctly, there is conflicting pressure from WASC and the AAA, with WHAT IS taught being the big issue for AAA (and the bulk of church leaders and probably of members)while WHO DECIDES is the primary issue for WASC.
Is this a proverbial irresistible force about to meet an immovable object? Is so, as the saying goes, “somethin’s gotta give.” One cannot help but wonder what.
Other church universities have been in similar circumstances-and been lost to the churches that founded them. Will La Sierra be the first SDA institution to go that route? Time will tell, but hopefully everybody involved will step back, take a long breath, consider the consequences of all possible choices, and pray for a solution that will prevent such a sad separation.
Such a travesty. WASC offers a ‘catch 22’.
Fake Evolution Theory Science + funding = Accreditation
or True Science – Fake Evolution Theory Science = Relegation
T
The WASC concerns, as indicated in their letter of July 5, are procedural and governance. There was no attempt to tell the school what to teach. They specifically state in their letter that they do not contest the right of faith-based schools to teach the tenents of their faith. Their concern was that the board and especially the board chair did not follow appropriate procedures in the handling of the recent issues, and in some cases acted out of compliance with their own policies, as in the recent forced resignations, and in micromanaging curriculum issues which were the prerogative of the faculty as a whole. There were also concerns that the way the board is constituted allows too much outside interference with the board’s authority to govern the school. A fair reading of the WASC letter does not reveal them to be the heavy hand of the secular state forcing the school to teach evolution instead of divine creation, which, by-the-way, the faculty of the school don’t want to do either.