TRACS

The question is which accreditor is more invasive on the educational institution that it accredits? Over the years Bob Jones III seemed to think that any accreditation would be harmful because accreditation agencies would dictate things that were contrary to the mission of Bob Jones University.

I came across BJU's official statement concerning their application for accreditation in 2004. Here it is in full:

Pensacola Christian College is now seeking TRACS National Accreditation.

Based upon these assessments and with my recommendation, the Board of Directors has authorized Pensacola Christian College to make application for accreditation with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS).

I didn't take part in much of the Facebook Alumni Page debacle. I'm not sure what exactly it was about so I just stayed away. But there were a few posts that caught my eye from time to time. I found a transcript that posts a bunch of quotes from the wall, I'll hone in on a few.

In education each state is allowed to set their own standards for certifying teachers. Often teachers must hold degrees from qualified schools in various fields of study as well as have certain number of hours in practicum and various classes that must have been taken. The variation between states is fairly drastic making interstate moves for teachers a nightmare. Typically this isn't such a problem.

We carry a list here of all the states that accept TRACS accreditation to certify a teacher. I'm still amazed by how short that list is. One thing you may not know. SC does not necessarily accept TRACS accreditation. I've known this for quite some time. SC has a separate process to approve schools in SC to certify teachers beyond just accreditation.

We've covered the recent faculty meeting regarding the cuts at the university. Here is a link to the official press release from Bob Jones University today.

Dr. Stephen Jones, president of Bob Jones University, announced in chapel today that over the next 2 to 3 years, BJU will discontinue a number of undergraduate and graduate programs.

If you are a potential student or parent of one this may be of interest to you. It gives you a better look inside what happens at Bob Jones University. Here is the link to the full audio. I'll make some random comments, but you should listen to the whole thing. If someone has a chance to transcribe or finds it transcribed please let me know so I can link it.

For a while now the US Department of education has been mulling over regulating for-profit institutions of higher education. Bob Jones University is nothing like for-profit when it comes to the caliber of the education one receives from BJU compared to any for-profit. And BJU isn't a for-profit institution. As much as I've had problems with BJU's education there is a special place reserved in hell for for-profit institutions.