Credit Hours in the News

CCCU Joins Higher Education Community in Support of Bill to Repeal State Authorization and Credit Hour Regulations

February 27, 2012 http://www.cccu.org/news/articles/2012/CCCU-Joins-Higher-Education-Community-in-Support-of-Bill

WASHINGTON – The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities has signed on to a letter delivered today to House members urging them to vote for H.R. 2117, the “Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act.” The bill is expected to be voted on in the House of Representatives this week. If passed, it will repeal the new federal definition of a credit hour and the federal parameters for how states must authorize the institutions that operate within their state. Both of these provisions were included in the Education Department’s “Program Integrity” rules, which were completed in 2010 and went into effect on July 1, 2011.

The two provisions have been vastly unpopular in the higher education community, as evidenced by the 51 higher education associations (including the CCCU), seven regional accreditation organizations, and 41 other accreditation organizations that signed onto today’s letter sent by the American Council of Education on behalf of all of these entities.

The letter notes that, except for the state authorization and credit hour provisions, the “Program Integrity” rules are part of a laudable attempt by the department to curb abuse and bring greater integrity to the federal student aid programs. “However, given the almost total lack of evidence of a problem in the context of credit hour or state authorization, these two portions of the package miss their mark,” states ACE in today’s letter. “We see no justification for two regulations that so fundamentally alter the relationships among the federal government, states, accreditors and institutions. We believe the outcome of this unprecedented regulatory overreach will be inappropriate federal interference in campus-based decisions in which the faculty play a central role.

The end result will be a curtailment of student access to high-quality education opportunities.”
Since the “Program Integrity” regulations were proposed in June 2010, the CCCU has consistently opposed the provisions that H.R. 2117 will appeal. The CCCU’s August 2, 2010, comments to the Education Department are available here. Last June the CCCU signed on to a letter sent to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, supporting her introduction of H.R. 2117.

A related Senate bill, S. 1297, was introduced last June but has not yet been considered by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Updated February 29, 2012: The U.S. House of Representatives passed The Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act (HR 2117) on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 with a bipartisan vote of 303 to 114.

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About the CCCU:  The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of 185 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. The 116 member campuses in North America are all fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 69 affiliate campuses from 25 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth. Visit www.cccu.org.

Is Christianity a Threat to Civilization?

 

By Dale E. Smith, M.A., LCPC  

Alumnus of CTS 

Many non-religious people believe that Christianity poses a threat to civilization. That Christians are exclusive and claim to be morally better than others. That God, and Jesus if He exists at all, is impersonal, indifferent to or uninterested in the sufferings of humanity, perhaps even unjust and cruel because of the many crimes perpetrated by Christians or other religious faiths throughout history. This is of course, a generalization and bias in its assumptions. There is always danger in generalizing about anything when based upon some facts that are true, but disregarding other facts that are also true.

First of all, many Christians in fact, are some of the most emotionally damaged and needy persons on Earth even though some do not admit it. Jesus did not come to save the righteous, but the flawed (Sinners). The fact that religious people throughout history have committed some of the most heinous of crimes under the self-righteous idolatry of religious moral superiority does not negate the fact that much has also been done in Love toward others. The old adage, "You can't always judge the forest, simply by some of its trees" is true. The proponents for rejecting religion, and especially Christianity, fail to understand or consider the overwhelming positive influence that deeply religious individual people who truly follow as best they can Jesus' teachings have contributed to civilization. In many ways some non-religious persons place their philosophy of life and themselves on a moral pedestal as a false god in itself. They are just as capable or guilty of crimes against humanity and self-righteous arrogance as some marginal or fanatical Christians or other religious faiths have been.

During the past century many secular, humanistic and non-religious ideologies also have caused untold misery, death and destruction. Any honest look at human history will reveal that not only Christians but also non-Christians are both flawed in this respect when religious indifference or fanaticism have become the moral focus rather than the true Gospel of Christ.

In my counseling practice I have noticed one certain fact concerning all persons I talk with. Namely, that whatever their personal, moral, ethical, philosophical, religious, agnostic or atheistic beliefs may be, they invariably always have some need based upon self interest that deludes them into thinking and behaving contrary to their own individual moral values eventually. They are blind to the fact that their human nature is primarily focused upon themselves, their individually or collectively perceived identity and behaviors are resistant to the idea that there is in reality only one absolute morality which is dictated by God. Because of that, they believe that God and life is unfair, that all suffering is bad and to be avoided, and that if only they could change themselves or others in some way all would be well in our world. 

This is understandable considering that this misconception of individual freedom and the right of each individual to create one's own morality has been promoted since the dawn of human history. Even the religion of evolutionary theory is based almost entirely upon such assumptions, since it claims that man evolved and continues to evolve containing within his claimed good nature the inherent so called legitimate tendency of survival of the fittest and his right to self determination. If such assumptions are true, then how well has it worked out in the affairs of the actual perpetual discontentment of civilizations? I submit, not very well. Human history has proved consistently and repeatedly, either between individuals, within a family, community, kingdom, empire or nation the secular ideologies have also failed as much or more than the religious ones. Personal liberty is not dependent on freedom from absolute morality and individual choice, but rather upon a committed struggle of faith toward God's absolute spiritual values of right and wrong as the perfect ideology. Mankind cannot do this on their own. It has been and can only ever be exemplified by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only perfect man and One and only true Son of God. The fact that we humans fail miserably in following such God given absolute and perfect truth in no way negates that truth is a fact and real. If there is any hope for mankind, it certainly cannot be available in our self-conceived or self-centered approaches as has been demonstrated throughout all human history. Why not? Because all material creation as we know it is in fact changing and moving toward decay and death, even the scientific experts agree to that. Sadly, many are yet unconvinced of that reality and falsely believe that man can and will save everything by shear human efforts alone. Thus, so many people believe only in themselves as god and act it out in a multitude of different ways and by different ideological names never realizing their self delusion or powerlessness over reality. 

The disturbing and unjustified idea promoted by some religionists as well as secularists that man can in some way create his own good (Whatever that definition of good he believes exists) if given enough effort or things derived from man's own knowledge, morality, values, ideologies or strength has proven ultimately false in light of actual human historical events. There remains then, only one inescapable truth in which an honest individual performing a rigorous historical and self appraisal can reveal, that being, that Jesus Christ is God and He alone has set the real standards for truth, reality, life and for how to exist correctly with God in our experience as beings. Furthermore, that He alone makes all things happen and quite in spite of us. Once we come to really know God's Grace, believe and accept God's free gift of salvation through His Son Jesus, receive The Holy Spirit from God, then and only then will we be really able to live in freedom of independence within the dependence on God. Then we are free to live as God intended, regardless of circumstances as we know them in this dying World. Then we are free to live eternally and have that Peace and forgiveness and unity beyond human understanding with God even though we fail often in our human efforts to grow towards His perfection. Then we are free to experience and witness what God is doing in and through us to make us become closer to Him and more like Him and because it pleases and glorifies Him. Then we are free to realize that what mankind can never do has already been done for us some two thousand years ago by God through Jesus Christ on Calvary's Cross. And finally then we will be free to know that we know that we are free because The Truth of God in Christ has set us free!

Why is Christianity Such an Easy Target for Ridicule and Attack?

Dear Gary,
 

"It seems to me that we Christians and our faith are constantly under attack. It just appears that it is OK to belittle Christians, and there are really no repercussions to those who perpetuate the onslaught. The media loves to do it, the political left finds pleasure in it, and of course the Muslims won't tolerate us. It appears as well that our own government is becoming increasingly secular despite the words "In God We Trust" that everyone carries around with them."

Christian persecution is not a new invention. It started with the agony that Christ himself had to endure and continues with all of the martyrs since. Biblically speaking, Christ told us that we would be persecuted for His name's sake. {Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.(Matt 5-11)}. This persecution comes in many forms. The assault on Christians in the United States may be somewhat different that those on the Coptic Christians in Egypt since the Arab Spring.

I have done my own analysis on this particular issue and wanted to share it with you. I think it boils down to this: God is love. {Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.(1 John 4:8)}. The believers in God love life and they embrace life for the joy it brings. This joy brings with it patience and kindness. {But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against these things there is no law.(Gal 5:22-23)}.

But you have to understand that the world in not patient. It is very impatient. And who did God give this world to for it's management? That's right, satan. {I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me.(John 14:30)}. God can take this world from satan and snuff him out in an instant. But he doesn't. Why? Because He wants you to overcome. {Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.(1 John 5:5)}.

The devil has come to steal and kill. The devil is very impatient. He does not like tolerance. He has made it so the world revolves around sin, and the wages of sin is death. {For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.(Rom 6:23)}. So this world is sinful in nature and wants to rob you of your joy and bring death. See the difference? Christ came to bring life and give it more abundantly. {The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.(John 10:10)}.

Many years ago I was an insurance agent and also sold investments such as mutual funds. In my training and licensure by the National Association of Security Dealers (NASD), I learned that by age sixty five, most people have about as much money as they did when they were sixteen. The onslaught of costs over a life time will leave the average person penniless. The world system is meant to keep you down. Its the devil's plan and he runs the show here on this earthly plane.

I understand that the poor will always be with us. {The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.(Matt 26:11)}, but I am talking about hard working people who toiled for a life time. But that is the way the world works. That's the way governments work. That is the way satan works. That is why as Christians you have to understand that you are in this world, but not of it. {If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.(John 15:19)}.

My conclusion is that God is love. Love brings life and life produces joy, patience and tolerance. The world brings sin. Sin develops hate which brings forth intolerance and death.

 

Any one in the public eye wouldn't think of saying something really provocative against the Muslims for fear they would be threatened or killed. They would probably be right! But no one is going to fear a lone wolf Christian going after them or a Christian group putting a bounty on someone via their website. You see, it is all about God who gives life and promotes love and satan who brings death by promoting hate.

 

In His Grip,

Dr. Gary Tryzbiak

Tuition Costs

Here is a New York Times article talking about the issues of tuition costs.  It makes us proud as CTS that we offer great rates for excellent education.  There is no sticker shock here like many are said to have within the typical higher education system.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/opinion/reining-in-college-tuition.html?_r=1

Blogging Versus Doing a Research Paper

I found this article interesting, because he is honest about what the issues are with doing a blog instead of a research paper.  I agree with the students in their opinion regarding blogs.  I will let you read it, because if I state what I agree with it will give most of the article/blog away.


 http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/peer-driven-learning-blogging-vs-term-paper

Online Education Transforming the Education Arena

The article is not specifically about CTS, but it definitely talks about our online school in general.  CTS strives to continually adapt and engineer a great online education experience.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2011/04/20/online-education-may-transform-higher-ed

Academic Writing

Here is an interesting article on academic writing.  It talks about the need to use your academic advisors and at the same time not to be so hard on yourself when your papers are edited or graded.  We all struggle with writing academic papers and need a little guidance as we go.

 http://chronicle.com/article/Shame-in-Academic-Writing/128483/