The recent commission actions are now posted to the web site. http://www.tracs.org/commission_action.htm North
I see where the the pages for both accredited and canidate institutions have been changed as of 28 Apr 2004, but nothing yet as to recent action on the link you give. The last date of action on the page is Nov 2003.
The Commission's Action on April 2004 is on the said page! Follow the hyperlink and scroll down to page 2 and then read what Action #3 says about American Christian College and Seminary (Oklahoma City, OK).
One area ACCS remained in deficit status was in faculty. The TRACS standards specifically dinged the school for not having sufficient undergrad faculty with masters degrees from schools accredited by associations approved by the USDE (14:4) and not having sufficient grad faculty with accredited terminal degrees ( DMins are not counted as terminal degrees as per my conversation with the TRACS chief exec) (15.1). The application of this principle , ie, that faculty should be academically qualified and that this means generally graduating from accredited schools, to some unaccredited seminaries where profs with UA degrees regularly teach grad Theology should be obvious. These schools cannot meet the TRACS standards. I suppose part of the problem is the cost of hiring faculty. If a US ThD requires 10-12 years of study, then a grad of such a program may expect to earn a living as a result of that education. I still recall being shocked that my Western profs with docs from DTS and Fuller made less than I did as a secondary school teacher. I guess they do it for love. As an aside, Jimmy Clifton, on another discussion forum recently said that no one here criticized ACCS for not being honest with prospective students but nevertheless someone criticised TTS for past false claims. That would be being two-faced. That is not true. I did criticize TTS. I also criticised ACCS here in a couple of posts for not being up front.
When one puts aside the imagined individual motivation and ethics of starting a school of ministry/theology when, as has been opined here, so many other accredited and GAAP options exist we finally see a real issue. It is exactly this reason that so many legitimate schools, no matter how sincere will continaully struggle to be able to be accredited or keep accredited. Often they can not afford the accredited faculty required to make the leap. While I can see at times it it is due to unscrupulous dealings on behalf of the school administration, at other times it has to do IMO with the mission focus towards the projected clientele of the school. This along with library and literary holdings present some steep challenges for the school that is legitimately seeking to be accredited thru a USDOE recognized acreditor. As I have said before, you do not expect PhD's to teach for free. (PhD = Pay him/her Dearly) This is not to suggest that they have not earned it nor the right to be paid, just an observation. True some may do it at a substantial salary cut due to love of the discipline or belief in the goals of the institution. Yet IMO that even in the field of theology/ministry and specifically those that are academics in the fields (not pastors) those that give more than they receive in regards to this salary issue are a mediocre percentage at best. I hope ACCS can come up with something that will serve the best interests of their current students.
I also criticized ACCS for lack of transparency, along with expressing my hope that they would straighten up and fly right. Aw-shucks get-a-new-bowl-of-cornflakes prevarication is still prevarication, no matter who does it. ACCS chose not to be forthright as a cover for incompetence. Glad I only wasted a few hundred on a couple of courses there. A mistake? Sure. However, what I learned about slovenliness in DL--how to spot it and how to shun it--was worth the money. BTW, this is something that distinguishes the degreeinfo imaginary Directoire from the millist rabble: we can admit mistakes. They can't, resorting instead to mumbling about cereal if they are playing both sides of the street, and to gross verbal perversion if they're simply sticking to the millist gutter. Call it the grape nuts syndrome: they have sour grapes, but they have no
ACCS has removed the notation from their web site about being accredited. It was up earlier today as I recall but is now gone. Will be interesting to see what happens. They can re apply in 1 year, try DETC, SACS or remain unaccredited. North
