What was tracs original website address?

Does anyone recall what tracs original website address is for TRACS? Looking for proof that LBU and a few other schools were accredited by them. Its on the old wayback machine but for the life of me I can't remember.

 

I don't believe LBU ever was accredited. If I recall correctly TRACS had some sort of odd ball status like ABHE did (affiliate status). And again if I recall correctly, Levicoff among others criticized it because as with ABHE it allowed less than stellar schools to look connected. TRACS dropped it.

 

www.weaccreditschoolswithfabulistthinking.org.

 

From the site:

"Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International. ACSI is the largest association of Christian schools in the world."

The name looks like it has something to do with TRACS - but as far as I could see - it doesn't. ACSI says it has a partnership with ALL Regional Accreditors (details not given) and access to other accreditors for member schools. Again, no details.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/8e/8e1c9917-216a-4a35-a9c5-be9372201d70/documents/2022_Catalog_12.21.2021.pdf

LBU Site (above) is one long PDF file. Looks like 1993. But it isn't.
ACSI site is much more modern. Accreditation / Certification page Here:
https://www.acsi.org/accreditation-certification

 

Found the main LBU website. here is the accreditation page. "LBU is recognized by the Louisiana Board of Regents to grant degrees and is reviewed annually." That's pretty much it. No mention of ACSI. https://lbu.edu/about-lbu/#accreditation

Wiki on the school gives no sign of accreditation at any point.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Baptist_University

 

Statement from LBU here:

"LBU has never sought government accreditation due to the nature of the educational services we provide. Our mission is and always has been to train people for ministry. Because of our strong belief in the separation of powers, we have never invited government oversight of our programs. However, we uphold high standards of academic integrity; so high in fact that governmentally accredited schools often accept our graduates' degree.[11]" -- I think that kinda settles it - no accreditation EVER - in their own words. - J.

It's here: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Louisiana_Baptist_University_and_Seminary

 

LBU cut out the generous life experience credit at the doctoral level and jacked up the tuition. So a PhD will set you back approximately $12,000 plus books and travel for the graduation and seminars. I suppose it is up to the individual person whether an unaccredited PhD is worth 12,000 plus dollars. But sinking $12,000 into a PhD that presumably couldn't even get you a faculty job at one of the BBFI accredited seminaries is a questionable proposition to me. A significant portion of the faculty have unaccredited PhDs so it isn't like you are getting top ranked faculty in their fields even though unaccredited.

Overpriced like a Five Guys hamburger meal and soda.

 

In my opinion, your money and time may be better spent at Forge Theological Seminary (or similar place) where you could work with a faculty person with an accredited degree and not pay exorbitant prices. Not sure how many there are like that. Perhaps other start-ups.

 

Right. "Showing off is the fool's idea of greatness." - Bruce Lee.

 

Yeah they absolutely did have tracs back in the late 90's and tried to get detc/ deac, they applied and were rejected. They did get tracs though. It's in the book " name it and frame it"

 

Yeah, no thanks. I am just doing some research. I have a Dmin in Family and Marriage Counseling from Amridge.

 

Never fully happened. I think you "read something in," there The author, Dr. Steve Levicoff, a long-timer here, now retired from DI, kindly supplied us in 2005 with a posted copy here at Di of what he had written in NIFI about it. The entry says that LBU had been "accredited" by an unrecognized "accreditor" with a past - called ACI.

Here's the thread: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/louisiana-baptist-university-recognized-by-governor.19407/

According to Dr. Steve's book, LBU also appears to have reached candidacy status (not full accreditation) with TRACS at the time he wrote. From the other knowledgeable posters, I gather the school had a turnaround. They cancelled their accreditation with ACI (because of what they had learned about its past) and declined to pursue TRACS any further - preferring to go without any accreditation - and the wording on their site then expressed that preference.

Here's the classic story on IAC / ACI by Dr, John Bear. A great read.
https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/accreditation.55974/#post-525440

ACI still exists. I'll let you find it on your own, if you're curious.

 

Meaning. One with no US recognition - i.e. from USDoE or CHEA.

 

It's not over-priced if they can get it. It is what the market will bear.

 

Yeah they did have full accredited status for several weeks. Tracs would love to hide this, as would LBU. This thread started with people saying they never even tried . They also got pretty far with the detc as well but they wouldn't change the staff with in house degrees. So it appears they are lying on their website. Students credits under candidacy are accredited no?

On my old computer I have their old website address I got off an email I found online in the dark corners of the web. They had some sketchy schools on that site.

 

At the time TRACS fully accredited a school, wouldn't TRACS have reported it to the Department of Education? The DAPIP database includes schools that held DOED-recognized accreditation in the past then lost it; the database doesn't include Louisiana Baptist University.

 

TRACS had the school on their books as "Baptist Christian College." Anything under that, Jonathan? (I expect none.)

From Steve Levicoff's previously cited post - a copy of what he wrote in 'Name it and Frame It:"

"They have also been granted candidacy status by the Transnational Association of Christian Schools (TRACS; see discussion at the beginning of this chapter and in Chapter 3), which lists them as "Baptist Christian College." Formerly known as Baptist Christian University, the school is wholly owned by the Baptist Tabernacle of Shreveport. Advertises or has advertised in Pulpit Helps."

 

All this for what? The school is clearly unaccredited today, has been for decades and wishes to remain so. Let it be. Accredited by TRACS or not, 30 years ago - it doesn't make the school any better or worse than it is today.

And DETC? Knowledgeable posters on DI indicated in 2005 that there was an application. DETC (now DEAC) wanted them to replace professors with LBU degrees, with faculty who had degrees from accredited schools. LBU would not do this, so - game over.

Today - that is of no significance other than historical. DI is NOT an exegesis class.

 

Nothing listed under that name on DAPIP either.

 

Thanks, Jonathan.

Enough. Johathan has proved it never happened. First it (TRACS accreditation) was inscribed in Name It and Frame It. When I disproved that, it was suddenly in an email - scraped from the (admittedly) dark corners of the Web, many years ago. .... what next?

I don't generally like wasting time chasing and refuting obsessive hallucinations. Especially as, given that I'm an Atheist, I really don't like messing around in religious school territory and should probably not be doing it. I did it this once because things had gone completely awry and truth had to be served. Done now.