Adventist Accrediting Team to Visit La Sierra University

[Stan]

Adventist Accrediting Team

to Visit La Sierra University

Biology issues to be on docket, at school’s suggestion

BY MARK A. KELLNER, News Editor

The Adventist Accrediting Association, or AAA, will examine the highly charged debate over the teaching of origins at La Sierra University during a visit the week of November 15 to the school.

The site visit is expected to bring nine Adventist educational administrators and experts to the Seventh-day Adventist tertiary institution in Riverside, California. Every ten years, the AAA conducts a site visit at the institution, to consider the renewal of the school’s accreditation by the group.

“Accreditation is a self-regulatory mechanism of the education community and plays a significant role in fostering confidence in the educational enterprise of the church,” an “Accreditation Handbook” prepared by the General Conference’s department of education states. “Accreditation and the self-study process serve to maintain minimum standards, enhance institutional effectiveness, and provide inter-institutional recognition,” the document states.

According to the AAA handbook, “Accreditation is concerned principally with the improvement of educational quality in institutions operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church around the world. Accreditation of an institution by AAA signifies that the institution has a purpose appropriate to service the educational needs of those in its constituency and has the resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish the institution’s goals.”

The recent controversy over the teaching of origins at La Sierra apparently falls under the purview of the site visit team, particularly since the school itself included the matter in “self-study” documents prepared before the visit, said Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen, president of Andrews University and leader of the inspection visit.

At the heart of the controversy is the way evolution is presented to biology undergraduate students. Some, including student Louis Bishop and LSU alumnus Shane Hilde, contend professors are presenting evolution as the reliable theory of origins and diminish the notion of creation, which is a fundamental belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Bishop said he was placed on “citizenship probation” by the school for circulating letters opposing the teaching of evolutionary concepts and for posting notes of a professor’s lecture online, despite a verbal agreement that Bishop would not do so without consulting the teacher. (See Adventist Review, April 15 and June 10, 2010.)

“[The] self-study draws attention to the issues raised there,” Andreasen told Adventist Review in a telephone interview Nov. 11. “It’s not something the site visitors have to bring up. [The s]elf-study is prepared by the campus for the site visitors.”

Andreasen added, “as best I understand that issue, it deals with governance, because it’s something the board (of trustees) has attended to; it deals with management; it deals with education, programs and services … it comes up there; it deals with the spiritual formation … both inside the curriculum and outside the curriculum. It is part of the accreditation.”

However, he stressed “this does not respond to LSU in the news. It is a regular, 10-year accreditation visit that will look at all the standards the AAA has maintained.” Accreditation by the AAA is important within the Seventh-day Adventist community; however, La Sierra, as with all Adventist colleges and universities in the United States, pursues and has either regional or national accreditation. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the regional accrediting body under which La Sierra is accredited, recently renewed that designation.

According to Larry Blackmer, vice president for education of the North American Division (NAD) of Seventh-day Adventists, the AAA “is the church’s vehicle for insuring that institutions continue to fulfill the Adventist mission.”

Blackmer, who will be part of the site visit, said, “It’s a privilege to be on La Sierra University’s campus to highlight their successes and help them continue progress with their challenges.”

Pastor Daniel R. Jackson, NAD president and a former college church pastor, told Adventist Review in an interview that division leadership is looking to the site visit team for leadership. He said he’d e-mailed GC Education director Dr. Lisa M. Beardsley and, while recognizing that the AAA site visit is primarily to weigh the school’s performance against established criteria, “I appealed to them to reflect upon the understandings and philosophy of the church as they carry out this task.”

The site visit is expected to last four days, and there is no immediate indication of when results would be publicly announced.

[phkrause]

Well that should be interesting.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I've been following the LaSierra controversy with a lot of interest. I've known Randy Wisbey and his father and late grandfather for years. I honestly can't say that Randy would allow something spiritually dangerous to occur in a school over which he has a great deal of control. I'm also friends with a number of people on the Board of Trustees for LaSierra. They are very astute individuals who, I believe, would also not allow heresy to be taught. It just puzzles me why people are so afraid of learning the *theory* behind evolution.

I don't think there will be any problem in re-accredition.

But I may be wrong...

[james423]

Quote:

At the heart of the controversy is the way evolution is presented to biology undergraduate students.

As a long-time teacher, I think this one sentence sums things up nicely. It's the attitude the teacher takes in the classroom that really matters. I don't know the exact situation, but I rather suspect that at some point, the two students mentioned challenged the professor in a fairly strong way (not necessarily the correct way either), and he responded in an even stronger affirmation of the evolutionary principle (which would be even more incorrect). It's mighty easy to do in the heat of a class discussion.

LaSierra will probably receive church accrediation again, but I wouldn't be surprised to find some definite conditions about the teaching of evolution added to the accrediation documents. The church has a right to be concerned about such things.

[BobRyan]

I've been following the LaSierra controversy with a lot of interest. I've known Randy Wisbey and his father and late grandfather for years. I honestly can't say that Randy would allow something spiritually dangerous to occur in a school over which he has a great deal of control. I'm also friends with a number of people on the Board of Trustees for LaSierra. They are very astute individuals who, I believe, would also not allow heresy to be taught. It just puzzles me why people are so afraid of learning the *theory* behind evolution.

I don't think there will be any problem in re-accredition.

But I may be wrong...

[BobRyan]

In dealing with the problems I identified in my previous post - the NAD's Larry Blackmer stated that we should not paint the entire school according to the actions of some smaller group within. In this case the previous post shows that it is a case of one or two departments.

Quote:

Larry Blackmer – March 14 2010

http://www.educatetruth.com/news/lsus-pu.../#comment-11443

@Larry Blackmer:

Let me say it so there is no misunderstanding: I support La Sierra University. There are things that happen on that campus, as on EVERY campus, that I might wish were different. No school is perfect. But to engage in an on-going attempt to publicly destroy the reputation of the school and the individuals trying to work their way through the issues is only playing into the hands of the one trying to destroy us all. There are many, many, many loyal, faithful, God-fearing men and women on the campus of La Sierra University. Students are finding God there and gaining an education that they will use in building up God’s kingdom. Painting the entire school as a hotbed of liberal, anti-Biblical philosophy is wrong and hurtful. La Sierra is working to address the issues that have been raised.

Certainly we can agree not to paint the entire school with the deeds of a few departments.

in Christ,

Bob

[Haldog]

Bradley was teaching this same stuff in my freshman biology class in 80-81. Nothing new at all.

[Tammy]

I think you are right...this is nothing new....

When my parents first took me to Southern, in 1979, the librarian at the time, was talking to them, and told them that if I was not really grounded, I might become an atheist before I was through college. That was in 1979.

[BobRyan]

Bradley was teaching this same stuff in my freshman biology class in 80-81. Nothing new at all.

This problem has been at LSU for a number of decades - all agree.

In fact Fritz Guy argues that he was trying to open a door for it back in the setup for the 1980 adoption of the 27 Fundamental Beliefs. Then he went on to become LSU President and then into its theology department.

This is not something that Randal Wisbey introduced to LSU.

However schools like Southern and Southwestern and others as well have a very strong program promoting creationism.

This problem is not isolated to LSU in terms of "a professor" promoting "birds come from reptiles" evolutionism as fact - but in terms of an entire biology and religion department doing it - that is pretty unusual. LSU gets top billing for that one.

in Christ,

Bob

[BobRyan]

Apparently the secular accrediting body for LSU - (WASC) is insisting that LSU continue to evangelize in favor of evolutionism "unhindered", no matter what the doctrinal position of the SDA church to the contrary.

http://www.educatetruth.com/la-sierra-ev.../#comment-21960

But what is "odd" is that WASC is inclined to bash EducateTruth when EducateTruth claims that LSU has been evangelizing in favor of evolutionism pretty much unhindered by the SDA church.

It is as if WASC is conflicted here.

in Christ,

Bob