On July 6, 2010, Dean Mark Markuly received an official letter from the Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting. The School of Theology and Ministry (STM) is now officially reaffirmed in our accreditation for a 10-year period. All degrees are accepted. The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) is North America‘s primary accrediting body for theological schools and seminaries, and many of the denominations partnering in STM require such accreditation for students seeking ordination.

Accreditation associations are essential in education. They keep critical, reflective thinking at the heart of the faculty and the curriculum. The ATS visitation team evaluated STM against the best practices of other accredited institutions, allowing us to see our school in the broader perspective of North American theological education. STM will become a better school because of this accreditation process, and the data collected and analyzed for ATS will now inform a strategic planning process over the next year.

The School of Theology and Ministry‘s strategic directions for the next decade will have to respond to profound forces at play in the world, forces reshaping human relationships, impacting individual and social expectations of life, re-defining human responsibility for the environment, and changing the role of religion in society.