Responding to Remarks Concerning LC (Originally Posted on Cenla Antics): As a follow-up to the article I wrote this morning: Obviously the business analogy is what we're working with here, so let's expound on that a little bit. LC isn't like a privately-held small business; it's more like a publicly-traded mid-sized business. The Board doesn't "own" LC, and although the Southern Baptist Convention claims ownership, they don't actually "own" LC either. LC is owned by shareholders: its students, its alumni, its donors, its professors. These groups have the most "stock" in the future success of LC, because their worth in "human capital" is directly correlated to the value of their degree and/or job. Like a publicly-traded company, LC is also beholden to regulating bodies that determine whether or not it's violated established guidelines for accreditation, Title 9, etc. "Ownership" can make decisions contrary to these established guidelines, but by doing so, they risk violating the regulations of their accreditation. I believe LC should lose its accreditation, because accreditation bodies typically require that colleges practice academic freedom. I believe that any dogmatic directive instructing professors on what to believe and how to teach is a flagrant violation of the principle of academic freedom. I believe this because I respect the professors and students of LC, and I believe that the current administration is in the process of significantly "devaluing" their degrees through a series of decisions based on a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible. While I understand that a loss of accreditation would be a major shock to the system, I believe that students as well as the community at large needs to wake up and fix this problem before it's too late. In my opinion, there is only one other solution: The present board and administration need to resign in order to avoid future embarassment. Again, I am NOT the lone voice calling for this. There are many people, including many LC alumns, who feel that the present administration needs to be reprimanded for their actions. Think about it like this: What if, ten years from now, LC does become a Bible School? What if fundamentalists continue to control its curriculum? Any student who is serious about getting a job with a major employer and any student who wants to seek an advanced degree from a reputable university will be met with skepticism because their degree is from LC. That's not the way things are now, but people are making a mistake if they think that all of the professors who left were "just the bad apples." In time, it will be difficult (perhaps impossible) for LC to hire anyone with a phD from a serious institution. Why? Because most professors don't like to be told what to teach. You may disagree with that philosophy, and that's your perogative. But serious professors committed to research and teaching do not like taking orders on what to research and how to teach. Look, you can call me an elitist. Fine. Keep shooting the messenger. You can label me whatever you want to. I'm just conveying my opinion. I want to see LC succeed, because I know that a good, private college is good for our entire economy. It's good for our art scene, music scene, nightlife, and tourism. It can put us on the map as a destination, and it can create wealth and opportunities for its students and alumns.

This entry was posted by Blogger, on Wednesday, May 17, 2006.