ATS Self-Study. submitted January 15, 2013

Transcription

1 ATS Self-Study submitted January 15, 2013

2 INTRODUCTION At Meadville Lombard Theological School we educate students in the Unitarian Universalist tradition to embody liberal religious ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations and wherever else they are called to serve. We do this in order to take into the world our Unitarian Universalist vision of justice, equity, and compassion. When the Association of Theological School s Reaccreditation Visiting Team arrives at Meadville Lombard Theological School in March 2013, it will see a much-changed school from the one that received ATS reaccreditation ten years ago. The mission of the school remains essentially the same, but Meadville Lombard has focused and refashioned its program of ministerial formation to a single, low-residency, intensive, socially engaged, multicultural format. We call it the Meadville Lombard TouchPoint model of theological education. The TouchPoint model of theological education is comprised of an integrated, three-year internship folded into a sequence of three multi-credit, multidisciplinary, team-taught seminars: Community Studies, Congregational Studies, and Leadership Studies. In addition to the integrated internship, students come to Meadville Lombard four times a year for learning convocations and week-long intensive academic courses. Additionally, Meadville Lombard has moved its location from its outdated campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago to an educational facility in the Chicago Loop that is perfectly appointed for TouchPoint. The difference is astounding. The decisions to reshape and refocus the program, as well as the decision to move the campus, were not made lightly. Rather, the changes were made in response to the continuous educational and institutional assessment that the school has carried out over the last nine years. In making these moves, Meadville Lombard is fulfilling its mission and meeting ATS s accreditation standards with greater effectiveness than ever before. This report is the story of Meadville Lombard, a seminary that has transformed itself to meet the demands of the new age in relation to religion, ministry, Unitarian Universalism, seminary education, and the world at large. A Brief History of Meadville Lombard Theological School In many ways it is not surprising that Meadville Lombard finds itself on the forefront of theological education. After all, the school s roots are in deeply embedded in a pioneering spirit. One of only two Unitarian Universalist seminaries, Meadville Lombard Theological School (ML) was founded in Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1844 as Meadville Theological School, and prepared Unitarian ministers who would serve the westward expansion of the United States. By the turn of the century, the school and the American Unitarian Association were grappling with issues associated with the isolation of that location, and began to explore the feasibility of moving the school to Chicago. The move to Chicago was finally made in 1926 so that the school could take advantage of an urban setting and, at the same time, be related to the then relatively new University of Chicago and its outstanding Divinity School. In 1930, Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois ceased operating. It was a Universalist school that maintained the Ryder Divinity School. At the time of its closure, Meadville obtained the college's state charter and became, officially, "Meadville Theological School of Lombard 2

3 College," shortened to Meadville Lombard Theological School for everyday usage. In 1961, the Unitarian and Universalist denominations merged to become the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Meadville Lombard completed construction on an academic building in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago in Over time and as circumstances allowed, adjacent private residences were purchased so that until 2011, the school owned and used a total of four buildings for residential, office, library, and classroom space. Affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association (161,502 members) and a member of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) consortium, the school is nevertheless an independent seminary governed by a Board of Trustees. Currently the school enjoys one of its largest enrollments in its history: 114 matriculated students for an FTE of in , divided between the Master of Divinity program, the two Master of Arts programs, and the Doctor of Ministry program. In that same period, 140 different students took courses from Meadville Lombard. Meadville Lombard s 1993 and 2003 Reaccreditation In 1991 Meadville Lombard began offering two formats for earning an MDiv degree. In addition to the typical residential format, the Modified Residency Program was established to enable students who could not move to Chicago to study at the school. These students could keep their jobs, take courses at non-uu schools near their home, and study at Meadville Lombard. The Modified Residency Program was accredited provisionally by ATS in 1993 and fully accredited in When Meadville Lombard was reaccredited by ATS in 2003, five primary issues were cited by the Commission on Accrediting. Meadville Lombard was required to report on the following matters: 1. Efforts and plans to correct inadequacies in the staffing and funding of the library. 2. The Implementation of an assessment and evaluation plan 3. Status and resolution of plans for redevelopment and expansion of physical facilities. 4. Implementation of a comprehensive planning program for board, faculty, and curriculum development. 5. The impact of the faculty contract system on the stability and retention of the faculty. In 2003 a new president of the school was elected. The required reports were filed subsequently and satisfactory progress was noted by the Commission. Major Events and Outcomes Since 2003 However, even as the School sought to address these issues, additional financial stresses on the institution appeared. At the same time, the demands of ministry were changing and a new 3

4 student demographic had emerged. It was obvious that it was time to rethink the school s formation program. As a result, even more in-depth and frequent cycles of evaluation, analysis, planning, and execution were initiated, resulting in dramatic changes to the educational model, the financial model, and the overall sustainability of the institution. As stated above, the last decade has been an era of unprecedented evaluation and planning. The following is a chronology of important events, evaluation practices, and outcomes since the last ATS site visit to Meadville Lombard Theological School. This chronology serves to introduce the reader to the sweeping changes that Meadville Lombard has adopted since that last visit, along with the reasons they were made and the evaluative processes that were followed: 2003 Institutional Project Management, a Chicago consultancy firm, is hired to take the next steps in Meadville Lombard s building project and expansion. Deliverables included assessment of projected space needs, budget projections, and site evaluation An initial budget analysis by the new administration reveals that the school s financial model is not sustainable Dr. Malcolm Warford, former president of Bangor Seminary, is engaged as a consultant to assist the school in developing a Vision Statement and Strategic Plan for the next three to five years A team consisting of trustees and the president attend In Trust s Enrollment Management conference in Baltimore, Maryland, with the hope that the implementation of sound enrollment management techniques will add to the institution s financial sustainability The ML Board engages Dr. Douglass Lewis, former president of Wesley Theological Seminary, to provide further analysis and input on enrollment management issues and organizational development Trustees approve a vision statement and strategic plan that centers on educational issues (including an increased emphasis on community leadership), enrollment management practices (including expanding the modified residency program to attract those in non-unitarian Universalist seminaries), and resource development Dr. Tony Ruger, a consultant from Auburn Seminary, is hired to perform an in-depth financial and enrolment analysis of Meadville Lombard. Dr. Ruger s analysis confirms the school s financial vulnerability After consulting with ATS staff, the school declares financial exigency and eliminates two faculty positions In anticipation of a building project, Meadville Lombard Board creates a Get Ready Task Force, which is charged to assess the feasibility of a capital campaign. Guided by consultants from the Alford Group, the first step is to initiate a school-wide process to develop a new mission statement The Unitarian Universalist Association initiates a conversation between Meadville Lombard 4

5 and Starr King School for the Ministry about the possibility of forming a merger between the schools, with the intention of creating a seminary with increased educational excellence, more vigorous financial energy, and greater enrollment. After receiving a recommendation from ATS staff, Dr. Robert Cooley, former president of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, is hired to address educational, financial, and governance issues. The project, lasting almost a year and a half, necessitated detailed data collection and analysis. Conversations and planning continue for another year and a half New Mission Statement approved by the Board of Trustees The ML faculty engages Dr. Richard Benson of St. John s Seminary to begin a curriculum review and to put into place assessment practices. The work culminates with the introduction of a community studies learning sequence in Starr King School for the Ministry decides not to proceed with a proposed merger As a result of the failed merger, the ML Board initiates a Going Forward Program, which is intended to result in a renewed, stand-alone school that builds on the vision developed in the merger negotiations. Key elements include enlarging the size of the student body, expanding the reach of our education in Chicago and around the world, and relying on technology to strengthen UU ministry. Dr. Robert Cooley is engaged as a consultant for the project and the school works with him for the next year to gather and assess data and begin strategic planning A Going Forward Strategic Plan, developed from the data and assessment, is adopted by the Trustees. Its key elements are creating an integrated educational design, committing resources for the purposes of recruitment and increased enrollment, redesigning the Board governance structure, and building a new campus Based on the work of the Going Forward initiative, the Board reorganizes and begins functioning with a team approach to its work The Board votes to move ahead with a building project assuming the school will sell its property and build a new campus in a nearby location The ML faculty begins work with Dr. Wayne Goodwin, former executive dean of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, to create an educational design that integrates the school s two learning formats (modified residency and residential) and builds on the pedagogical principles of the community studies sequence. Throughout this process, ATS staff was consulted for appropriate guidance The school does not meet the first enrollment projections of the Going Forward Project ML Board approves the new Meadville Lombard Educational Model (eventually called Meadville Lombard TouchPoint ) to begin implementation in the fall Economic downturn and the collapse of the stock market seriously erode ML s financial capacity. Meadville Lombard suspends its fledgling capital campaign and its building project. 5

6 2009 The market downturn causes ML to once again find an educational partner. After engaging Dr. Tony Ruger to assist us in financial and enrollment data collection and assessment, ML approaches Andover Newton Theological School and a partnership conversation begins between the two schools. Planning requires continued data collection and evaluation of all institutional and education operations. Throughout the conversation, ML continues to implement its new educational model (now called the Meadville Lombard TouchPoint model of theological education) and plan for a viable future whether we remain a stand-alone seminary or enter into a partnership with Andover Newton Based on student feedback, a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation is secured so that ML can engage educational consultant Douglas McConkey. A full assessment of Student Services is performed and, as a result, reforms are implemented that almost immediately increase student satisfaction A financial analysis of the school s real estate holdings suggests that the school could maximize financial resources by selling the campus and using the invested proceeds to fund our educational mission. The campus is placed on the market. The Board does this understanding that the school will offer its degrees through Meadville Lombard TouchPoint format only and that space will be leased on a long term basis to best meet the school s needs for its educational program, whether in partnership or as a stand-alone seminary. Once again, the school turns to ATS for guidance in making this transition to a new program of formation The campus is placed on the market and sold at a price that not only greatly enhances the school s financial position, but lends the possibility (along with a 2 million dollar gift) of the school finding long-term financial sustainability as a stand-alone school The move to the TouchPoint format necessitates the reassignment of one faculty position and the elimination of another faculty position Through another grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, FHI 360 is hired to help the school create viable assessment practices for the new TouchPoint model of theological education Andover Newton and Meadville Lombard withdraw from the partnership conversation Meadville Lombard moves to its new downtown location as a stand-alone seminary The first nine students graduate from the TouchPoint program. The last two students graduate from the traditional residential program Although it does not look exactly the way it was envisioned initially, the school s practice of ongoing and comprehensive assessment has resulted in the achievement of nearly all the objectives of the Going Forward program: Meadville Lombard carries out an integrated educational design that is responsive to the needs of 21 st century ministry, takes into account the changing demographics of the religious and seminary landscape, and employs sound enrollment management. Meadville Lombard and its library are maintained in a new facility that serves our mission 6

7 and our educational model. Meadville Lombard has attained financial sustainability. The Institutional Self-Study Design, Structure, and Process As is indicated throughout the above narrative, the most important tasks associated with the self-study (evaluation, planning, and execution) began nine years ago and continue through the present day. Although these activities provided the necessary data for the self-study process and report, their aim was to enable the school map its future. The more formal elements of the self-study process began in 2007 with the hiring of Dr. Sharon Welch as Provost. At the time, it was understood that that Dr. Welch would oversee the self-study process. In September 2011, Dr. Welch and the Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, Meadville Lombard president, attended an ATS Self-Study Workshop with an open question: Given the degree of transition that the school was experiencing, especially the relocation, would it be wise to petition for a year s deferral in the reaccreditation process? The information that was imparted in the workshop, coupled with counsel from ATS staff, convinced us that the school had an extensive amount of data with which to proceed. With that understanding, in November 2011, the Board of Trustees appointed a Steering Committee to oversee the entire self-study process. The chair of the Steering Committee, Dr. Welch, then appointed a subcommittee for each standard. The role of the subcommittee has been to gather the data, reflect on the findings and provide a first draft response for the assigned standard. Because Meadville Lombard is a small school, there has been overlap in the membership of the subcommittees. Taking that reality into account, the Provost set aside several blocks of time in week-long increments for the subcommittees to do their work. The President and the Provost reviewed and edited the first draft response of each subcommittee and then submitted it to the Steering Committee for their comments. In response to those comments, a next draft was generated by the provost and the president. After an announcement was issued to the school s mailing list, that draft was posted to the school s website for public comment. After all public comments were received, the provost and president, in conjunction with the subcommittees, redrafted the self-study (adding any new and/or revised recommendations) and submitted it to the Meadville Lombard Board of Trustees for approval in November Supporting Documents Documents Room RI.1 Going Forward Statement RI.2 Going Forward Strategic Plan RI.3 Vision Statement RI.4 List of Steering Committee Members 7

8 Standard 1: Purpose, planning and evaluation Meadville Lombard Theological School is a community of faith and learning that is guided by a distinctly Unitarian Universalist theological vision. As Unitarian Universalists, we do not promote a single theology, but we do hold a unifying theological orientation that suggests that it is the responsibility of each individual to discover and articulate his or her own theological position. This discovery is guided by our covenant to affirm and promote seven principles: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement of spiritual growth in our congregations; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. By coming together in religious community, we are each enhanced through the dialogues that explore our theological differences. As one of only two theological schools in affiliation with the Unitarian Universalist Association, Meadville Lombard is especially cognizant of its role in serving Unitarian Universalism and Unitarian Universalists, in maintaining the culture of Unitarian Universalism, and in upholding the movement s heritage of theological scholarship. Although Unitarian Universalism is primarily a North American movement, as Unitarian Universalists we understand that as religious people we exist in a global context and we therefore seek to connect with the larger world in both our educational and operational functions. 1.1 Purpose The mission statement of Meadville Lombard Theological School reads, At Meadville Lombard Theological School, we educate students in the Unitarian Universalist tradition to embody liberal religious ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations and wherever else they are called to serve. We do this in order to take into the world our Unitarian Universalist vision of justice, equity and compassion. As such, the central commitments of the school are named: Meadville Lombard is an identity school that serves the values of Unitarian Universalism, and is an institution of higher education that upholds and promotes the heritage of scholarship and prepares people for ministry. The unofficial motto of the school, Academically Rigorous, Spiritually Grounded, and Unapologetically Progressive reinforces these values and purposes. The mission statement was adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2005 by implementing a process that involved all the school s constituencies. Those constituencies (students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae) were represented on the Board of Trustees, were engaged in the formal process, and approved the statement. Constituents were also consulted in the process that led to drafting the statement. In order to assure that the development of the mission statement had the widest and most appropriate participation, an outside firm, The Alford Group, was hired to facilitate Not applicable The purpose statements of the school are realistic and accurate. The school focuses on programming for Unitarian Universalist ministry and scholarship. In a denomination that does not require ministers to study at a Unitarian Universalist seminary, Meadville Lombard is currently providing twenty-five percent of all newly fellowshipped ministers. The words Unitarian Universalist also suggest the school s commitments to a ministry that is outwardly 8

9 focused because the culture of Unitarian Universalism itself is global and multicultural in its perspective. 1.2 Planning and evaluation The school s mission statement is used as a guide for institutional planning and evaluation procedures, and in making decisions regarding programs, allocations of resources, and other comparable matters. Indeed, the restructuring of the school s educational model, the creation of the Meadville Lombard TouchPoint model of theological education, the concentration on a TouchPoint delivery format, and campus relocation have all been conceptualized though the lens of the school s mission statement. Each of these strategic moves has been planned and executed to assure the fulfillment of the mission to educate students in the Unitarian Universalist tradition to embody liberal religious ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations and wherever else they are called to serve. As the mission statement further reads, We do this in order to take into the world our Unitarian Universalist vision of justice, equity, and compassion As indicated in the Introduction to the Self-Study, every facet of the schools educational offerings and administrative operations has undergone intense and continuous evaluation over the past nine years. To restate some of the highlights within the context of Standard 1.2.2, those evaluations and procedures have included: 1.) the identification of goals for our educational program that began in 2006 with the Rev. Richard Benson and continues to this day with FHI 360 (R1.1, R1.5) as well as the development of goals for every member of the staff and faculty (R1.2); 2.) the implementation of a variety of techniques (often using outside consultants such as Dr. Robert Cooley [R1.3], FHI 360 [R1.4], Dr. Wayne Goodwin [R1.5], and Unitarian Universalist leaders of color [R1.6]) to gather the necessary information related to these goals; 3.) the assessment of programs, personnel, and services of the school through annual personnel evaluations (R1.7), monthly budget monitoring (R1.7), monthly FTE analysis (R1.8), and review of our educational outcomes data (R1.1); and 4.) the revision of the school s goals and activities (such as our governance structures, educational model, sale of campus, and student services (R1.9, R1.10, R1.11) in response to the various assessments The school has developed and implemented regular evaluation procedures for institutional vitality, including twice engaging the Rev. Anthony Ruger to conduct substantial financial analysis for the school. Partnership talks with both Starr King School for the Ministry and Andover Newton Theological School also required the school to conduct a deep analysis of its vitality and sustainability. All institutional strategic moves, including partnership explorations, the Going Forward Program, and the sale and relocation of the campus, have been made in an attempt to provide the resources necessary to fulfill the mission. The governance reviews and various student surveys have resulted in addressing issues which have compromised or could potentially compromise the school s operational integrity Beginning in 2006, through the consultancy work of the Rev. Richard Benson and continuing to the present day with FHI 360, the school s faculty has developed and implemented ongoing procedures for educational effectiveness as required by the individual degree requirements. Using qualitative and quantitative data, the faculty tracks the effectiveness of each educational goal that it has established. Additionally, the faculty monitors the vocational lives of our graduates and their satisfaction with their education and formation at Meadville Lombard. This 9

10 information is used to alter educational and institutional practices as necessary As indicated above, every facet of the school s educational offerings and administrative operations has undergone intense and continuous evaluation since the last self-study was submitted in However, at this writing the Board of Trustees has not yet developed a comprehensive evaluation policy that will assure the systemization of this practice. Currently, the Board is engaged in a process that is intended to result in the consideration of such a policy at its meeting in November Recommendations Board to develop Comprehensive Assessment Policy in Fall Board to conduct Mission Statement Review in Fall Supporting Documents Documents Room R1.1 Educational Assessment Materials 2006 Course Assessment Planning Materials, Alumni/ae Surveys, Graduate Surveys, Course Evaluations, Faculty Meeting Agendas R1.2 Faculty/Staff Performance Evaluations R1.3 Going Forward Materials (Declaration, Strategic Process Documents, and Vision Statement) R1.4 FHI 360 Planning Materials R1.5 Signature Course Planning Agendas R1.6 Materials from Gatherings of Leaders of Color R1.7 Monthly Budget Reports R1.8 Monthly Memo to Trustees R1.9 Cumulative Resolutions from Trustees R1.10 Vision Statement, 2004 R1.11 Strategic Plan,

11 Standard 2: Institutional integrity 2.1 Meadville Lombard Theological School carries out its educational programs and institutional activities in accordance with the standards and procedures of the ATS and the Board of Commissioners. Communication has taken place with ATS over the past several years regarding the 2003 accreditation visit, follow-up reporting requirements, and preparation for the upcoming reaccreditation visit. The school has consulted with ATS on every major strategic initiative, including the declaration of financial exigency, the creation of online course offerings, the development of the new Meadville Lombard TouchPoint model of theological education, the hiring of various consultants, and the possibility of forming institutional partnerships with Andover Newton Theological School and Starr King School for the Ministry. 2.2 Meadville Lombard Theological School receives information on laws and regulations affecting institutions of higher education via various federal and state agencies, professional organizations and the media. Both the Vice President of Finance and Administration and the Senior Director of Student Services monitor pronouncements of any proposed or actual changes and share the information received with others to ensure that Meadville Lombard s operations are in compliance with all applicable requirements. The school regularly consults attorneys concerning personnel, facilities, regulatory, and other miscellaneous issues. 2.3 Print and online materials are regularly updated to reflect the most accurate information about the school. More and more of the school s information is online; for example, we no longer print an academic catalog, though we provide a PDF version online. This practice ensures the ability to update information as necessary. We have increased our online presence through media sites such as Facebook and especially Vimeo, where we have promotional videos and brief insights from our current students as well as from our teaching pastors, and hope to include faculty soon. When the school discovers that it has been unclear in communications, it takes every step necessary to make adequate clarifications. A recent example arose when students suggested that the explanation of the non-programmatic costs of proceeding through the program was not specific enough. The administration met with students to determine the amount of additional and unanticipated costs related to their education at Meadville Lombard and to their credentialing process and, at the students request, will make this information available to prospective students during the admissions process. We have a strong presence at the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations annual General Assembly through our exhibit hall booth, workshops led by faculty, and other events such as receptions. We also work to be represented at regional assemblies and workshops by staff and faculty, as well as current students and alumni/ae. In efforts to reach more people and take advantage of technology, we host regular informational webinars featuring staff, faculty, and current students. The school also regularly communicates with alumni, donors, and church leaders though various electronic newsletters and updates from the president (Checklist, In the Loop, etc.). Unitarian Universalists maintain a high value on institutional transparency and these communications satisfy those standards. 11

12 The school publishes a weekly Bulletin that serves as a communication tool for internal constituents such as students, faculty, and staff. 2.4 The school s mission statement includes our call to justice, equity and compassion. Our policies for students, faculty, and staff are written with an understanding that without equity, there is no justice, but without compassion and flexibility, there is no equity. Employees receive an Employee Handbook when they are hired that includes the personnel policies. Faculty members receive the Faculty Handbook. Although we formerly had different handbooks for different degree programs, all students are now given a newly-revised All Student Handbook that includes all student policies. All policies have been reviewed in order to meet federal legal requirements and ML s ethical standards for fair treatment of all students. All policies, including grievance procedures and procedures for addressing waiver requests, have been reviewed in light of these standards. Students and staff are required to indicate that they have received and read their respective handbooks. 2.5 The Meadville Lombard TouchPoint model of theological education was developed with an explicit goal of promoting awareness of and leadership to a world that is racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse. The school also realizes that one of the ways it reinforces this goal and maintains its importance is to cultivate and maintain diversity within its own leadership. Being true to that value, 22.2 percent of ML s 18-member Board of Trustees are persons of color, including the Board chair. Additionally, of the school s 10 faculty members, both core and affiliate, 30.0 percent are persons of color percent of the support staff are persons of color. The school totals 23 staff and faculty members percent of the total number of employees are persons of color. Currently, of the school s seven administrative leaders, none are persons of color. Noting that through attrition a small school can quickly lose its diversity, the administration has recently adopted a hiring policy that will intentionally keep the staff, faculty, and administration balanced racially and ethnically. Along with that policy, the school conducts regular trainings for the staff and faculty concerning issues of diversity and inclusion. The school also places a high value on the inclusion of gay and lesbian leaders percent of the faculty, 14.3 percent of the administrative leadership, and 33.3 percent of the support staff are gay or lesbian percent of all staff and faculty members are gay or lesbian. 2.6 ML has long embraced the presence of women among its leadership. Currently 38.9 percent of Board of Trustee members, 30.0 percent of faculty members, 71.4 percent of the administrative leadership, and 55.6 percent of staff members are women. Of the school s total 23 staff and faculty members, 56.5 percent are women. Meadville Lombard is committed to fostering the leadership of women and under-represented minorities at Meadville Lombard itself, within Unitarian Universalism, as well as within the wider society. This goal is reflected in the vision and structure of the school and our educational mission. The overarching goal of Meadville Lombard s degree programs is to provide occasion for students to reflect and integrate theoretical learning with the realities of professional ministry and community service in a multiracial, multicultural, and theologically diverse world. 12

13 2.7 In 2009, we retained the services of financial aid consultants who have helped us to review and develop our financial aid policies and who work with us to ensure that our policies conform to federal requirements. Working with this consultant group has provided us with knowledge and understanding that we would not have had otherwise. Their goals include keeping us in compliance so that we may continue to offer federal loans to our students. Their work has helped us to better define our academic terms and has created an atmosphere of accountability across departments regarding the effects of academic policies on financial aid policies and vice versa. Until 2011, Meadville Lombard Theological School had not been required to conduct a separate audit of the federal financial aid programs on an annual basis. The audit in 2011 is the first that has been conducted of the programs since the fiscal year and since contracting with the outside financial aid consultants. The one finding from the audit was the lack of documentation of monthly reconciliations of funds disbursed per the government and per the award records. While we are satisfied that the reconciliations were being performed, there was no written documentation of the reconciliations maintained by the financial aid consultants. A procedure has been put in place to maintain that documentation for future audits. The June 30, 2012 audit is currently in process. An additional finding will be noted dealing with the timeliness of student status updates. Due to technical problems on the government s website, student records were updated late. We consider this an isolated incident and do not anticipate a reoccurrence of this problem. 2.8 Meadville Lombard Theological School is a stand-alone institution and is not a unit of a college or university. 2.9 Our policy is to only accept transfer credits from post-baccalaureate work done at an accredited institution. We allow students to transfer up to nine units of credit in our Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Leadership Studies degree programs and up to two units of credit in our Master of Arts in Religion degree program. Credits are only transferred upon the review and recommendation of the provost and/or the faculty. This information is published on our website and in the All Student Handbook In March 2005, the school adopted a Computer and Network Policy to ensure the appropriate and ethical use of instructional technology, digital media, and the Internet. Recommendations Faculty will review the March 2005 Computer and Network Policy to ensure that it is consistent with the institution s educational purposes and environment. A grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will enable the review to take place in Supporting Documents Documents Room R2.1 Employee Handbook 13

14 Standard 3: The theological curriculum: learning, teaching, and research Meadville Lombard Theological School (ML) is a community of faith and learning that cultivates habits of theological reflection, nurtures wise, innovative and skilled ministerial practice, and contributes to the formation of spiritual awareness, moral sensitivity, and constructive, self-critical, and sustained social engagement in a multi-racial, multicultural, and theologically diverse world. 3.1 Goals of the theological curriculum Meadville Lombard s degree programs (Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Leadership Studies, and Doctor of Ministry) and TouchPoint model of theological education are integrated by the overarching aim of providing an educational experience that empowers students to reflect and integrate theoretical learning with the realities of professional ministry in a multi-racial, multicultural, and theologically diverse world. Each student is asked to be attuned to the contextual nature of learning and ministry; aligned with the values of Unitarian Universalism and the mission of ML; alert to the strategic roles, tasks, and callings of liberal religious ministry; aware of the need for collaboration with communities within and outside Unitarian Universalism; and attentive to the complex cultural factors and dynamics that shape human experience and systems. The overarching aim of ML is supported by a commitment to teaching and learning that addresses the broad ATS standards of religious heritage, cultural context, personal and spiritual formation, and ministerial and public leadership capabilities. ML s commitment to these standards is reflected in the way that our curriculum is shaped around the following interpenetrating areas of learning: history and scriptures, theology and ethics, pastoral care, religious education, ministry and the arts, and cultural context (A3.1) As a Unitarian Universalist theological school, Meadville Lombard places special emphasis on providing a formation experience that facilitates socially transformative leadership in Unitarian Universalism and liberal religion more broadly. We offer the Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree for students called to professional congregational or community ministry, the Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) for students seeking a theological education to enrich their lay vocations, the Master of Arts in Leadership Studies (MALS) for lay leaders or ministerial students who wish to develop advanced skills in the theory and practice of liberal religious leadership for congregational and community life, and the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree for experienced ordained ministers committed to ongoing education toward ministerial excellence. Though each of these degree programs is tailored toward different kinds of student needs, they share in common a Unitarian Universalist ethos, a low-residency, intensive learning format and interdisciplinary distribution requirements (see 3.1.1). The MDiv degree program is a three-year program (if taken on a full-time basis) designed to challenge and support students in an ongoing process of developing their individual and unique gifts for service in the liberal religious community. It is shaped by seven interpenetrating learning objectives: 1.) To enable students to read themselves deeply, passionately, and critically into the story of liberal religion, especially Unitarian Universalism, as part of the larger human story; 2.) To gain facility in the basic arts and skills of ministry; 3.) To equip students for intellectual discourse; 4.) To encourage moral engagement with the world, celebrating its rich diversity, and confronting its problems of oppression, injustice, poverty, and environmental degradation; 5.) To seek personal self-awareness, resilience, humor, good judgment, ethical and moral integrity, and seriousness of intent; 6.) To foster spiritual depth and discipline; and 7.) To exercise collaborative 14

15 leadership of the church, understood as a covenant community, a learning institution, and an agent of broader cultural transformation. The MAR degree program is a two-year (if undertaken on a full-time basis) graduate, academic degree program for laypersons who seek an interdisciplinary approach to theological reflection, religious experience and ethical action, or who wish to approach another field or profession from a perspective enriched by theological study. The program allows students to study a variety of theological and related disciplines and to specialize in a particular field of interest. It is designed to be flexible and easily adapted to students needs, interests, learning styles, and vocational goals. Objectives 1, 3 through 7 from the MDiv program also serve as foundational goals for the MAR (see above paragraph). The MALS is a two-year program (if taken full-time) that provides advanced work for lay leaders, ministers, and ministerial students in the theory and practice of leadership within congregations and community-based ministries. It is designed to develop liberal religious leadership that is grounded in a clear sense of the current challenges leaders face within our contemporary pluralistic, multifaith, cross-cultural world. The MALS may be taken as a stand- alone degree, or as a dual degree in conjunction with the MDiv. Objectives 1 and 3 through 7 from the MDiv program are also central to the MALS. The DMin program is designed to meet the needs of seasoned, full-time ministers who seek to nurture their intellectual curiosity and contribute to the institutional wisdom of Unitarian Universalism. DMin students learn with fellow religious professionals under the supervision of faculty in a collegial, participatory, and interdisciplinary process that integrates theory and practice. The seven MDiv objectives also shape the ethos for learning and scholarship in the DMin program. The faculty has spent much of its time in the past three years focusing on the MDiv educational model and creating the MALS, and will be turning its attention to the DMin program in the academic year and to the MAR program in We have begun to rethink the need, structure, effectiveness and feasibility of the DMin program and welcome insights and feedback from the accreditation committee. Over the past three years, Meadville Lombard has shifted from an educational model that included both residential and modified residential program formats, to a single low-residency, intensive model that we call the Meadville Lombard TouchPoint model of theological education. The development of the TouchPoint model results from an MDiv curriculum review begun by the faculty, at the charge of the Board of Trustees, in During an extended period of review and research, and with the help of educational consultants, other theological school faculty, and Unitarian Universalist leaders, the ML faculty and administration concluded that by refining the low-residency, intensive modified residency program and moving completely to the low-residency educational model that we could simultaneously enrich students ministerial formation and make Unitarian Universalist theological education accessible for more students. As a result, we have enhanced and renamed the modified residential program, and admitted the last students to the residential program in the fall of Since the fall of 2009, we have only admitted students to the low-residency TouchPoint program. 15

16 As with the prior modified residency program, the TouchPoint educational model combines concentrated-residency intensive courses with field-based learning in congregational sites within or near students home communities. The TouchPoint model departs significantly, however, from the modified residency program by our enhancement of the praxis component of that prior degree. We have added a first year placement in a community site, followed by a two-year placement in a Teaching Congregation, and have developed three multi-unit courses that thoroughly and intentionally integrate theory and praxis. The curricular core of the TouchPoint model is an integrated, three-year internship folded into a sequence of three multi-credit, multidisciplinary, team-taught Signature Courses: Community Studies, Congregational Studies, and Leadership Studies (A3.2). These praxis courses combine rigorous cohort-based seminar teaching and learning with sustained field educational experiences in community and congregational settings. See appendix for explanation of how the intensive in-class time and extended, supervised out-of-class time in field sites meets the federal definition of a credit hour (A3.3). These courses constitute slightly more than one-third of the MDiv degree (A3.2). We have continued, and enhanced, another core feature of the modified residency program: in addition to working with a teaching faculty of scholars and seasoned practitioners, students are mentored by appropriately credentialed Teaching Pastors, formerly called Field Advisors. This component of the program has been enhanced by adding supervision by Lay Committees within the Teaching Congregations in which students serve for two consecutive years, and, with the support of the Luce Foundation, bringing all Teaching Pastors to January Convocation for orientation and ongoing learning and cooperation in the work of ministerial formation. 3.2 Learning, teaching, and research Learning The overarching goal of the MDiv degree is to provide occasion for students to reflect and integrate theoretical learning with the realities of professional ministry in a multiracial, multicultural, and theologically diverse world. Each student is asked to be attuned to the contextual nature of learning and ministry; aligned with the values of Unitarian Universalism and the mission of ML; alert to the strategic roles, tasks, and callings of liberal religious ministry; aware of the need for collaboration with communities within and outside Unitarian Universalism; and attentive to the complex cultural factors and dynamics that shape human experience and systems. The TouchPoint educational model was specifically designed to encourage students to holistically integrate personal knowledge with professional competency. Students show dispositional and skill-based competency through completion of more than 75 graduate-level assignments over the course of three years (A3.2) Every course within the MDiv program is designed to provide space and structure for students to: explore the tasks, challenges, and possibilities inherent within liberal religious ministry; negotiate personal and vocational identity and theological voice; develop the ability to think carefully, deeply and contextually across social and political platforms; and conduct rigorous text-based and site-based research. Embedded in Signature Courses, required courses and facultyapproved electives are learning opportunities that enable students to dig deeper in ever more complex ways. Students, for example, are encouraged not simply to preach a sermon, but to move the congregation to the edge of meaning so as to promote new ways of thinking and being. A 2 nd year student wrote at the end of the year: 16

17 In my sermons I have explored themes of growth, loss, and evil primarily through my religious humanist lens. In every sermon thus far I have made an attempt to explain my own theological perspective, but have expanded my comments to include other liberal religious theologies common in Unitarian Universalism in general, and in First Parish in particular (Student self- assessment, Congregational Studies). Because learning is always situated in a real-world context, we require students to engage in a research activity in their community and congregational field sites that pushes them to move beyond the taken-for-granted. By promoting scholarly discourse in the context of everyday experiences in ministry, the faculty promotes a style of learning that can serve as the foundation for the ongoing practice of ministry as learning to learn, and as being open to unforeseen consequences and new possibilities for nurturing a creative and expansive ecclesial imagination (A3.2) Unitarian Universalism asserts that what we do with our beliefs is just as important as what we believe. Thus, all coursework provides an opportunity to integrate what we believe theology, ethics, history, religious education into ministerial identity and practice. Both traditional academic courses and Signature Courses provide fodder for synthesizing theory and practice in ways that enhance students understanding of ministry while promoting spiritual and emotional maturity. In Signature Courses, students are placed in learning environments designed to integrate their evolving personal dispositions with concrete ministerial and leadership skills The quality of student learning is monitored through a systematic network of internal and external tools. In an effort to consistently archive learning artifacts from every student over time, Meadville Lombard subscribes to LiveText, an electronic management system designed to capture student data [ As such, all assignments, faculty feedback, and formational documents (Career Assessments, CPE evaluations, reports from the Regional Subcommittee on Candidacy, site supervisors, Teaching Pastor and Lay Committee evaluations) are permanently housed and securely encrypted in this web-based archive. Data is permanently available to students after graduation should they wish to engage reflectively on their work during the seminary years. Faculty members use a variety of narrative and quantitative strategies to ensure the quality of learning in regular courses and in all-school Learning Convocations. The core of the evaluative rubric consists of a set of dispositions organized around what we refer to as the being, knowing, and doing dimensions of learning for ministry. The various dispositional components evaluated within this rubric are calibrated by the nature and purposes of each of the Signature Courses (A3.4). The first cohort of TouchPoint students, the cohort, graduated in May 2012, and we have begun the qualitative and quantitative assessment of their progress. This new educational model is helping ML more fully realize its pedagogical aims even as the increased accessibility of the degree program is generating enrollment growth. Over the past three years we have revised the evaluative surveys given for the courses, the Fall and January Learning Convocations, and the extracurricular January intensive learning events. Faculty and staff meet collectively to evaluate learning and service outcome of classes and convocations with an eye toward improvement and learning integration (A3.5). Student learning in the Signature Courses is monitored at the micro-level during weekly faculty meetings of Signature 17

18 Course faculty, wherein student performance is considered. The collective Signature Course faculty meets twice per semester to conduct meta-assessments on learning in Signature Courses, ensure curricular coherence, and plan future course interventions in order to meet desired outcomes. In addition, Teaching Pastors, in their role as fieldwork supervisors, evaluate student learning in placement sites twice per year. At the close of each academic year, faculty from each Signature Course review the totality of student learning artifacts including evaluations from site supervisors, Congregational Lay Committees, and core courses and produce individual narratives for each student that evidence areas of accomplishment and areas for future attention. Signature Course faculty then make recommendations about which students are ready to move to the next stage of learning. External evaluation of learning is achieved through a rigorous and systematic scaffold of data collection at strategic points of learning. We have redesigned the Meadville Lombard Graduating Student Survey and have conducted a survey of alumni/ae from the past ten years. All graduates in the first cohort will be interviewed by external educational experts from FHI 360 in order to meet two goals: to gather more information about the efficacy of the TouchPoint program as well as identify areas that need improvement, and to gain data that will enable us to revise and improve the survey instrument itself. In the future, alumni/ae will be queried at five-year intervals through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The evaluation strategy is designed to unpack student experiences in community and congregational settings and the degree to which Meadville Lombard prepared them for the realities they encounter working in religious communities. In order to achieve impartiality with the data, external evaluation is conducted by FHI 360, which is an internationally respected team of assessment specialists who are assisting with the ongoing design and implementation of Meadville Lombard s evaluation strategy [ Teaching Meadville Lombard recognizes that every encounter with another person is an opportunity for intellectual growth and social development. As such, faculty and staff are hired with high ethical expectations for interactions with students, faculty and staff colleagues, and alumni/ae of the school. Operating under a framework of curiosity as opposed to judgment, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to create and maintain a welcoming culture of inclusiveness in all aspects of study and practice. Students are encouraged to grapple with differences, as opposed to reverting into patterns of avoidance and suppression of conflict. Faculty and staff provide pedagogical structures, in and outside formal classrooms, that support an open culture of communication, dialogue, problem-posing, and conflict resolution. At the highest levels, led by the President s Catalyst for Change committee, faculty and staff engage in regular skill-building workshops and seminars designed to raise consciousness of how socializations such as race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, nationality, and so forth shape interactions and behaviors. The Catalyst for Change committee makes a regular report to the school s Board of Trustees, which monitors issues of cultural accessibility, recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations, and the general climate of mutual respect and openness to engagement in all aspects of student life. And, finally, the degree to which students feel emotionally supported in seminary life is evaluated specifically in the end of year survey of graduating students As educators at an institution of higher learning founded on the principles of theological 18

19 diversity and social inclusion, faculty are deeply committed to ensuring that teaching and learning experiences are reflective of the multiple sources that inform human experience. Specifically, developmental, psychological, and cognitive research on matters of cognitive development, learning style inventories, and critiques of dominating paradigms of power and privilege are taken into account in the creation of Signature Courses and traditional academic classes. In addition, faculty incorporate a variety of modalities in the design of assignments and in-class instruction. The use of cutting-edge technologies is a regular element of classroom instruction. All faculty recognize preferences in learning styles, and create pre-class and in-class assignments where students can work independently, in small groups, and in large cohorts. Music, drama, and the visual arts are common strategies in most courses, including ethics, history, theology, religious education, and pastoral care. Finally, each course evaluation includes opportunities for learners to suggest ways to make the learning experience more evocative, inclusive, and generative for the process of ministerial formation Meadville Lombard faculty believe that theological ideas that cannot stand up to the critique of daily living are incomplete and non-useful. In 2005, the faculty began engaging in a process of curricular redesign that enables students to develop the capacity to seamlessly integrate theory, practice, and social action. As a result, students begin their studies embedded weekly in a community service agency that asks them to reimagine their vocational calling (i.e., personal theology) as an act of service, as opposed to a cultivation of the individualistic ego. Students engage in provocative dialogues with peers, supervising pastors, and seminary faculty, focusing on shedding faulty theological assumptions and partially informed theological frameworks in search of more fully informed alternatives. For example, students exploring faith development in multicultural congregations travel to multiracial/multicultural congregations to carefully examine dreams of Beloved Community-life, and place them inside a thoughtful theological framework. Such a deeply integrative and reflective practice is a feature of all the Signature Courses but is found in individual courses as well. In all our classes, faculty create learning conversations that ask students to peel back how they make meaning of the sacred, the broken, and the hoped-for in the context of community service and congregational life. Each new course introduced into the teaching catalogue receives a thorough review by the full faculty, ensuring a diversity of relevant readings and media, compliance with ADA standards, and the potential to bring yet another, and hopefully alternative, point of view to the overall learning experience of the student. Likewise, faculty members are surveyed annually regarding topics, challenges, and/or trends in religious life that can be addressed through new courses, convocations, workshops, and/or seminars. Recently, ML has added credit and non-credit courses and workshops that speak to issues of cross-cultural communication, community ministry, environmental justice, multicultural pastoral care, paganism, sexual/social boundaries, and the use of social media in congregational life Faculty members, without exception, are all active members and leaders in their scholarly associations, guilds, societies, and working groups. As active researchers and seasoned practitioners in their chosen fields, faculty members weave disciplinary wisdom and promising practices directly into teaching and learning experiences. Meadville Lombard s core faculty are known for their interdisciplinary orientation toward scholarship and practice, which translates easily into creating learning encounters that push past staid ways of being, knowing, and doing. Our professor of religious education, Dr. Mark Hicks, for example, in his revitalization of the Fahs 19

20 Collaborative, has created a highly-visible center for the teaching and learning of religious education that allows students, faculty, and Unitarian Universalist congregations to inquire into and explore new dimensions of faith formation. All faculty members have deep commitments to congregational life consulting, lecturing, lay leadership, service that keep them alert to the intellectual limits of theory that is not tested by lived experience. In sum, the vibrancy of teaching and learning at Meadville Lombard is ensured because faculty are literate in the intellectual dialogue within their disciplines and, at the same time, create and/or participate in learning communities that push past business-as-usual teaching and learning boundaries (R3.1) Research Meadville Lombard students and faculty independently and collaboratively conduct research throughout their work together. Conducted individually and in groups, for academic, ecclesial, and broader public purposes, research is woven throughout the curriculum in ways that foster the curiosity and skills needed for lifelong learning. For example, Dr. Mark Hicks, the Angus MacLean Professor of Religious Education, expects students in Religious Education for a Changing World to conduct research as participant observers in various religious educational settings. Affiliated faculty member the Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed expects students to undertake archival research into the history of race relations in their home congregations in his course African Americans and the Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists. In both of these classes, student research is treated as a privileged context for learning in the course (R3.2). Most of Meadville Lombard s other courses also require student research and treat the relevant context of research as the intersection of academy, church, and the wider public, rather than any one of these spheres in isolation (R3.3) Though our low-residency intensive educational model limits students immediate physical access to the library to the intensive course sessions in January, March, and July, students do have electronic access to the library and to EBSCO, Articles First, and numerous databases, including the ATLA. In addition, students can request to have books mailed to them from our library and they can also request inter-library loans for books that are not in our own collection. Just as importantly, student research at Meadville Lombard is more than bibliographic. The ML faculty encourages and expects students to pursue multiple means to the discovery of new knowledge. The Signature Courses emphasis on experience as a primary text broadens students conceptions of research and requires them to develop skills in social and aesthetic analysis, ethnographic study, biographical interviews, and other forms of qualitative research. In Community Studies, for example, students conduct varieties of aesthetic and biographical research. One of the earliest assignments entails close observation and thick description of the physical and social environments in which the students' community sites are embedded. The emphasis here is on learning to pay attention to the ordinary, to read the environment as text and place as narrative. This aesthetic and social analytic research sets the stage for other forms of student research later in the class. In the early second semester of the course, students are expected to interview staff and clients from their community sites about their experiences of religion and their motivations for their service work. Also by way of interviews, students research the ways that their Teaching Pastor s ideas about ministry have changed through their careers. The integration of this data into new learning about social systems, cultural contexts, and faith-rooted community 20