Yesterday, Dean Dunkle published a letter designed to quell the anxieties that had been expressed by some over the accreditation status of the General Theological Seminary with the ATS, the Association of Theological Schools. Opening with thanks to those engaging with the Mennonite Problem Solving process, Dunkle continues,
One of the issues which seems to keep re-surfacing is the relationship with our accrediting body, the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Let me see if a little explanation can remove any residual anxiety.
Our normal re-accreditation cycle was originally scheduled for 2015, and the preparatory steps were underway when the fall, 2014 events occurred. After a meeting with many members of the administration, faculty, students, and board in December, 2014, ATS extended the re-accreditation process and continued the full accreditation of General through July, 2017, all with no “notations” (ATS-speak for an institutional insufficiency). The regular process which was underway in the fall of 2014 will now take place in late 2016/early 2017.
At our request, ATS representatives will receive reports from us and will meet with representatives of GTS late this fall to discuss (1) our faculty, (2) our sustainable educational model; and (3) our ThD program.
The ATS FAQ page is here. You can read the full text of Dean Dunkle’s letter, describing the seminary’s accreditation as “solid and unchanged,” here.
Posted by Rosalind Hughes