Louisiana College violated accrediting body’s standards and internal policies, study says_110804

Posted: 11/05/04

Louisiana College violated accrediting body's
standards and internal policies, study says

PINEVILLE, La. (ABP)–Citing “a general climate of fear” and “pervasive mistrust” among faculty, administrators and trustees, a special team of investigators has concluded Louisiana College violated principles of academic freedom and proper board governance.

The report came from a specially appointed study team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, sent to investigate several recent controversies over academic freedom and other issues at the Louisiana Baptist institution. The study concluded the school had violated both standards set by the regional accrediting body and its own stated college policies in several areas.

“The committee concluded, based upon extensive interviews … that a significant portion of the board of trustees of Louisiana College are influenced if not controlled by the agenda of the Louisiana Inerrancy Fellowship and the Louisiana Baptist Convention,” the report stated.

The study team said an agenda from the group–established as a political movement within the Louisiana Baptist Convention–had unduly influenced the board's work.

Among the controversies on campus were two policies that many professors said violated academic freedom–a 2003 move to require prior approval of class texts and materials by administrators and a more recent action involving a board committee more closely in academic hiring and requiring new faculty hires to be in agreement with the Southern Baptist Convention's 2000 Baptist Faith & Message statement.