# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S197
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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198 SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES

students from unaccredited junior colleges would not Teflect yn2
favorably upon the senior college, so far as this Association ig C0
cerned, provided the admissions policy supplied the senior co)
with students whose preparation was appropriate to the prog,
upon which they were embarking in the senior institution, ~

“The present policy with respect to the eligibility for accred;
tion of institutions having highly specialized purposes is not clean,
cut, and I cannot predict with certainty how this policy would
affect a senior college of the type you are considering. As mattery
stand at the present time, however, I believe the Board of Review
would be willing to accept the application of such a college, if that
college were offering a program that included courses in all oy,
most of the following fields: the fine arts, the biological scien
social sciences, languages and literature, philosophy and rela
subjects, and the physical sciences. I believe the Board would take
the position that general education was a ‘major function’ of suck x
a college and that the college would be eligible to apply for ac. |
creditation, even though the two-year unit were preparing men
primarily for theological seminaries. ... The mere fact of a two.
year senior college with a limited number of majors would not
affect eligibility, nor would it create insuperable difficulties jn
arranging a fair examination for the institution.”

The Board for Higher Education is aware of many factory
which make it desirable (and, in the case of the teachers’ col.
leges, mandatory) to seek regional accreditation for our colleges,
We are aware, also, of the immense values inherent in the broad |
educational experience which the regional accrediting agencies can _
make available for our use. However, the Board is prepared to
keep clearly in view that the direct, primary, and unalterable
objective of our educational institutions must be the training of
professional workers to satisfy the needs of the Church. The
Board certainly intends to continue its earnest efforts toward ac- ©
creditation of all synodical colleges and seminaries, but in super-
vising the organization and establishment of the senior college it ;
cannot see its way clear to defer to the demands of secular ace -
crediting agencies in any matter which might militate against =
achievement of the objectives -defined by the Church for this
pre-professional school. no

The Senior College Curriculum

The construction of a suitable curriculum for the senior col- ;
lege involves a technical project which cannot be undertaken ~
hastily. The dominant consideration by which the construction of
such a curriculum must be guided and from which its construction’
cannot be permitted to deviate is, of course, the needs of students -
who are being prepared only for the theological seminary with .
service in the parish ministry as the exclusive immediate goal after =
the completion of the seminary training.

Although it is not difficult to identify certain broad areas of i