[Vision2020] Rules of Admission

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (April 20, 2007) UI Argonaut -

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Rules of admission

Written by Tara Roberts -Argonaut     
Friday, 20 April 2007  

Even with a perfect GRE, Brad Littlejohn can't attend UI grad school. Why he
was rejected, and why that could change. 

Brad Littlejohn got a perfect score on his Graduate Record Examinations
General Test. Not just good - perfect. But when Littlejohn applied to the
graduate program at University of Idaho, his application was rejected.
The rejection letter states that because Littlejohn's bachelor's degree is
from an institution "that is not accredited by a recognized accrediting
association," the graduate admissions college could not continue processing
his application.

Littlejohn, 19, attends New Saint Andrews College, a classical Christian
liberal arts college in downtown Moscow. He is one of several NSA students
who have applied to grad school at UI and been denied on the basis of
accreditation. 

A perfect GRE score means Littlejohn received 800 out of 800 possible points
in both the verbal and quantitative sections of the test. He received the
highest possible score, 6.0, on the analytical writing portion of the test.
Only 1 percent of test-takers receive perfect scores in verbal, 6 percent
receive perfect scores in quantitative and 4 percent receive perfect scores
in analytical writing. It is extremely difficult to earn perfect scores
across the board. 

When Littlejohn received the rejection letter, he wasn't surprised.
"I was actually amused, really. UI wasn't my first choice actually to go to,
but I was interested in giving it a shot," he said. "Everyone I've talked
to, of course, has thought it's quite laughable." 

But the rule that played a role in preventing UI from processing
Littlejohn's application may be changed in today's State Board of Education
session.
The Idaho Legislature passed House Bill 712 in its 2006 session. The bill
instituted a more rigorous registration process for private post-secondary
academic institutions in order to protect "the integrity of academic credit
among institutions" and help "to avoid the proliferation of degrees that are
granted by paying a fee and not taking classes and still obtaining degrees."


One rule that resulted from H.B. 712 changed the way colleges like NSA are
viewed by the state. IDAPA 08.01.11, Registration of Postsecondary
Educational Institutions and Proprietary Schools, was updated to state that
the SBOE "recognizes only regional accreditation organizations."
NSA was accredited in the fall of 2005 by the Transnational Association of
Christian Colleges and Schools - not a regional accreditation board. Thus,
NSA was not recognized by the SBOE. 

NSA Executive Vice President Bob Hieronymus said he thinks the rule was
overly reactive.
"The SBOE, in an attempt to crack down on diploma mills, used a sledgehammer
instead of a fly swatter."
Some Idaho schools, such as Lewis-Clark State College, currently recognize
NSA credits, said NSA Director of Admissions Aaron Rench. UI's College of
Law has accepted NSA students into its program (Stephen Perez, the college's
director of admissions, was unavailable for comment.) 

UI as a whole, however, has never recognized NSA credits, Rench said.
Rench said he would like acceptance of NSA students to "be consistent on the
books and in practice."
Since last fall, NSA officials have been trying to have the rule changed,
Hieronymus said. On Wednesday, Littlejohn and other NSA students and
administrators met with Stuart Tennant, the SBOE chief post-secondary
academic officer, to discuss the effects of the accreditation rule. 

Changes to the rule are on the table for the SBOE meeting that concludes
today. If approved, the rule's language will change to read that the board
"recognizes only institutional accreditation organizations."
Hieronymus said the change should eliminate the problem facing NSA students
like Littlejohn.
"That will, I think, open the door for a number of possibilities for
students here who want to be dual-enrolled or come here for two years and
transfer to UI," he said. 

Rench said the meetings with Tennant were productive, and he hopes the rule
will be changed so the relationship between UI and NSA will improve.
"I know that in general we would love to be able to cooperate, to have a
cooperative relationship," he said. "We like the University of Idaho. . We
just believe it's something that just needs to get worked out in terms of
the paperwork."
UI Provost Doug Baker also met with Tennant Wednesday. Tania Thompson, UI
director of media relations, responded to inquiries regarding the NSA
situation on behalf of the provost. 

"Provost Baker has begun fact-finding into the issue of admissions
application processing," Thompson said.
She said there is no timeline for when this fact-finding will be completed. 
More information from Thompson was not available at press time. 

Until admissions issues between UI and NSA are clarified, NSA students must
find places other than UI to attend graduate school.
Littlejohn is looking into Cambridge, where he's been in touch with a
faculty member who encouraged him to apply.
He said he feels like UI hasn't even tried to be cooperative in this
situation.
"Many of the faculty, at least in the grad school, don't like NSA and don't
want to encourage us by accepting our students," he said. 

Hieronymus said that once the "bureaucratic impediments" are gone, the
relationship between UI and NSA should grow stronger.
"We think that the interests of students should be first and foremost, and I
know my colleagues at the UI feel the same way," he said.
He and Rench cited the interaction of the University of Oregon and Northwest
Christian College as an example of what they hope will build between UI and
NSA. NWCC students can access UO resources such as the library, and there is
a system of credit equivalency for transfer and dual-enrolled students. 

Hieronymus said it's a shame that NSA students are dismissed just on the
basis of accreditation. But today's ruling could be the first step in a
change.
"What we have here is an opportunity to serve our collective student
population better and I know the University of Idaho wants to do that as
much as we do."

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

"Here We Have Idaho"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/HWHI.mp3

"I-D-A-H-O Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Vandals.mp3