wfn.org | [LCMSNews] Fort Wayne sem's accreditation renewal

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	October 2, 2003 ............... LCMSNews -- No. 118

	Fort Wayne seminary gets
	accreditation renewal --
	longest in its history

	Concordia Theological Seminary has undergone a renaissance,
says the report of a team whose recommendations resulted in the seminary
this year receiving the longest renewal of accreditation in its history.

	The team, made up of representatives from the Association of
Theological Schools (ATS) and the Higher Learning Commission of the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), conducted its
comprehensive visit to the seminary in February. The teams
recommendations from that visit led to the ATS and the NCA extending the
seminarys accreditation for seven years.

	In summary, seminary President Dean O. Wenthe said in a letter
when he distributed the teams report, the seminary received the
longest renewal of accreditation in its history, with the next visit
coming in 2010. The dedication and quality of the Board of Regents,
faculty, staff and students achieved this milestone.

	As we celebrate this report and engage its recommendations, our
eyes are focused on the future and ever greater service to Christ and
His church, Wenthe said.

	The six-person ATS-NCA visiting teams report notes that since
the seminarys first accreditation in 1968, accreditation had only been
renewed in intervals of five years or less because of various concerns
of visiting teams. They included concerns about board governance,
faculty participation, inadequate evaluation procedure, enrollment,
divisiveness, and library space and services.

	A joint team visit in 1996 marked the beginning of a
significant seven-year period in the life of the Seminary, the 2003
report says. That was the year Wenthe was installed as president.

	His integrity, his care for the seminary, its people and the
Church they serve, and his wise leadership are heralded by all --
faculty, staff, students and board -- as the principal agent of the
renaissance CTS has undergone since 1996, the 2003 joint teams report
says. He has not only led the seminary in addressing the accreditation
issues it faced; he has led the community in a process of healing from
the acrimony of the early 1990s.

	The report says that the comprehensive team visit in 1998 showed
that most of the concerns raised in 1996, before Wenthes presidency,
had been satisfactorily addressed by the Seminary. As a result, both
the ATS and NCA extended the seminarys accreditation for five years in
1998. At the same time, the ATS removed six negative notations and the
NCA lifted probation it had placed on the seminary.

	Ten years is the maximum accreditation extension that the ATS
and NCA grant.

	The seminarys progress in addressing the earlier concerns is
significant and appears to be sustainable, the report says. However,
the teams judgment is that seven years is a significant period for the
institution to demonstrate its continuing effectiveness in dealing with
these issues in a progressive manner.

	Several recommendations of the visiting team have to do with
reports that the seminary will submit by next April on extension sites
and academic programs not scheduled for study during the teams visit
this year.

	The team also is recommending that the seminary provide to the
ATS and NCA by April 2005 reports on its master of divinity (M.Div.)
program and on progress toward construction of a new seminary library.

	While the M.Div. is currently meeting its objectives
adequately, the teams report says, it has not been thoroughly studied
or revised in about 30 years.

	It now appears that construction of a fine new library is
likely in the next few years, the report says.

	Wenthe said that the seminary is seeking major donors for a
library building project, before a broader appeal is launched.

	He said that the project would cost about $20 million, and
hinges on our being able to secure the funding for it. He added that
there is no definite timetable for building the new library, other than
within the next few years.

	*********************************

	If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231,
or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.

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