Accreditation Procedures
Table of Contents

Chapter 3, Page 2

Ongoing Annual Assessment
Member institutions submit to ongoing annual review in the following areas:

Changes in Existing Programs, Courses, or
Faculty
Student Course Evaluations
Annual Report of the Board of Directors
Annual Financial Report
Annual Ecclesiastical Report
Publications and Promotional Materials

All materials required for the Ongoing Annual Assessment must be received by the Association no less than sixty days prior to the annual meeting of the Association, in quantities sufficient for all members of the Association.

Changes in Existing Programs. Courses, or Faculty
Any changes in the above areas need to be reported to the Association annually. These can be submitted by simple memo, addenda to the institutional catalog, or copies of revised syllabi. Any such changes requiring institutional board approval must be accompanied by a copy of the board minutes indicating such. Changes in programs can include course requirements, course content, new or revised programs, or any matters relating to the conduct of the academic programs of the institution (grading policies, etc.).

Student Course Evaluations
Summaries of student evaluations from each course during the academic year must be submitted to the Association for review, including student comments. Institutions may develop their own forms for use in this process, or forms can be secured from the Association.
Annual Board Report
A report from the institutional board must be received for review at the annual meeting of the Association. This report can come in the form a letter from the board reporting its sense of the institution’s overall health and providing a summary of institutional progress during the previous year.

Annual Financial Report
A copy of the executive letter accompanying the institutional audit, or a copy of the audit itself, or of any institutional financial reviews by outside auditors must be submitted annually to the Association for review.

Annual Ecclesiastical Report
Theological seminaries are servants to the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is, in a very real sense, the primary accrediting body for seminary activities. Institutions will define their relationship to the Church in different ways. For some that will come by way of formal association with a local church or denominational governing body. Others may assemble a Board of Ministerial Advisors to assist in the oversight of the institution’s ministry. Still others may relate to individual churches for feedback and response. An annual report from the affiliated church(es) is required and can be satisfied by a letter of review and recommendation from appropriate officials. Samples of such reports, or of any of the reports required in this section, may be secured from the Association.

Publications and Promotional Materials
Current copies of all institutional publications, brochures, and other promotional material must be on file with the Association and will be reviewed annually.

Five-Year Review
At five-year intervals from the date of its acceptance as a member of the Assessment Board, an institution may request an on-site visitation team for the purposes of a more comprehensive review. Costs for this visitation shall be shared between the institution and the Association.

Ten-Year Visitation
At ten-year intervals from the date of its acceptance as a member of the Association, institutions must submit to an on-site visitation of Association representatives for the purpose of more closely evaluating the overall health of the institution. This Ten-Year Visitation is financed by the member institution.

Chapter 4