Academic Practices of the Washington Theological Consortium

Consortium Council of Academic Deans
Thursday, September 29, 2005

Introduction During the almost 40 year history of the Washington Theological Consortium, the Council of Academic Deans has met regularly to review the policies and practices that govern faculty and course exchange and other academic matters. The decisions made over the first 33 years were compiled for the first time in 2000 in a small booklet entitled Academic Policies. In the academic year 2004-05, the Council of Academic Deans reviewed this booklet thoroughly and decided to completely revise it in the light of current practices. What follows is that revision as adopted by the Council of Academic Deans on September 26, 2005.  

Basic Convictions Over the history of the Consortium a number of general agreements have been worked out among the member schools. The following is the current listing of the convictions which guide the Consortium:

• There is a strong willingness among the schools to work together, even at some sacrifice, to come to a deeper mutual understanding and to offer a superior theological/ministerial education. The Consortium provides its members opportunities to work together on projects that could not be accomplished individually.
• There is a basic commitment of time, talents, and finances to further this working together. In practical terms this means a commitment of administrative time, teaching time, and payment of mutually agreed-upon assessments to support this work.
• There is a mutual sense that, wherever possible, there should be no direct exchange of money among the schools for “services rendered” to each other or to the Consortium in general, but that each school’s contribution to the common weal will roughly balance out in the long term.
• Cross Registration is open to any student matriculated in a Master’s level or higher degree or certificate program. Limits may be prescribed, as dictated by circumstances, e.g., level of degree program, balance of Home and Host students in a given course, etc. Generally these limits should be as few as possible.
• Full reciprocal library privileges are given to any student matriculated in a Master’s level or higher degree or certificate program. Details are as agreed by the Librarians.

1. Each Dean strives to keep the others informed of academic developments on his/her campus that might affect the good of the whole Consortium.
2. In making decisions for the whole Consortium, the Deans strive for consensus in their decision making. When necessary, they refer decisions to the Consortium Board of Trustees.
3. In questions that arise on individual cross registrations of students, the Council’s practice has been that the Deans of the two institutions confer and decide what seems best for all. The Deans report their decision informally at the next meeting of the Council. The Council does not usually make policy based on individual exceptional instances. Faculty Exchanges 1. The Council of Academic Deans has adopted the following course of action regarding the Visiting Ecumenical Professor Exchange:  
   • The Executive Director will survey the member institutions each semester as to future faculty needs and report the findings to the Council of Deans. He/she will seek to foster Consortium exchanges and will keep an ongoing record of all exchanges and Consortium Courses.
   • The Dean of each institution will seek to identify faculty at other institutions whom he/she thinks could fulfill future faculty needs.
   • In requesting professors, host schools ought to plan sufficiently ahead, as much as three years if possible.
   • The final decisions on exchange will be made by the deans of the two institutions.
   • Course exchange may occur during the Fall or Spring Semesters, during the January Term or during the Summer Term.
   • The schools have agreed to offer at least one course every two years at another institution.
4. The Deans strongly encourage faculty to guest lecture in their colleagues’ courses in other Consortium institutions. For a single lecture, there will normally be no honorarium offered. In the course of a normal academic year, a Dean might expect that at least two individual lectures will be given by their faculty members in classes at other Consortium institutions. The Consortium will compensate faculty members for traveling great distances as needed. The Executive Director will survey the faculty members each spring for topics that they would be willing to lecture on during the following academic year. 3. If a suitable exchange is not possible between institutions, two deans may agree that a faculty member may be compensated as an adjunct by one of them without violating contractual arrangements which restrict adjunct teaching. Such agreements will only apply to Consortium member institutions.

Consortium Courses The Council agrees to the following: The Consortium Director will encourage that at least 2 seminars—either team taught or with a Coordinator—be offered each academic year.

• The Consortium Deans remain strongly committee to the traditional type of team taught ecumenical Consortium Seminar. This is a seminarwith at least two professors of different traditions present throughout the whole semester. Ideally one such seminar would be offered each semester.
• Because of the inherent difficulty of setting up team taught courses, and because of the richness of courses such as those led by a Coordinator who brings in a number of lecturers for an individual course, this type of Consortium Seminar is also encouraged.
• The Consortium Executive Director will seek to offer at least one short course each academic year on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue during the Summer or January terms. This course will be offered by the Executive Director or by a professor(s) who agrees to do so. Compensation will be through the Consortium. Such courses will always be open to all Consortium students.
• The Consortium Deans encourage the sharing of Online Courses. These will be listed on the Consortium Website. Students who register into Online Courses will pay tuition to the Sponsoring Institutions. The Sponsoring Institution will offer “Simplified Access”. That is, a student in good standing in another Consortium Institution will not be asked to apply for admission to the Sponsoring Institution.
• The Consortium Deans encourage the sharing of Immersion Experiences. It is understood that cross registering students must fulfill all requirements of the Sponsoring Institution. Students will pay tuition to the Sponsoring Institution. All other expenses—travel, lodging, etc.—are to be born by the student. The Sponsoring Institution will offer “Simplified Access” to the student.

• Most of the members of the Consortium have adopted an academic policy by which each student in a pastoral degree program is required to elect at least one course "in another tradition" or a Consortium Seminar. All members strongly encourage all their students to participate in Consortium Seminars and ‘courses in another tradition’. The Deans believe that such cross registrations are enriching for their institutions. Both faculty and students benefit. Of particular benefit is enrolling in or teaching a course at another institution.
• Cross registration is open to any matriculated Master’s level or higher degree or certificate student.
• Under whatever rules are prescribed by his or her own school, a student enrolled in any member school may cross register, without extra charge, into courses offered by the other schools, subject to whatever restrictions are indicated as to prerequisites, size of class, etc., or agreements among schools. Courses are listed on the Consortium Website.
• The Registrars of the Consortium schools provide practical guidelines and up-to-date information on the details of how to cross register.
• Since each school can ensure a place for its own students (or follow other priorities for cross registration) in all its courses, students who cross register cannot be guaranteed a place in any course until the close of the pre-registration period. The few students who have not been given a place will be informed of this through their Registrars.
• Students cross registering into a Doctoral Level course may do so only with the explicit permission of the professor, obtained before cross registration, and noted on the cross registration form.
• Field Education offerings at the schools are often not opened for cross registration and not listed in the Consortium booklet because of their small class size, prerequisites and so forth. This holds true for specialized offerings such as Spiritual Direction Supervision. The current practice of a Dean sometimes admitting a qualified Consortium student on an individual basis seems best for all concerned.
• Multiple Cross Registrations
• Students may cross register for one course in any or each school, in each semester, without question, subject to the rules of their home school.
• Students may cross register for two courses in the same school each semester:
• if they have the approval of their Advisor that these courses will be of significant value and importance to their theological education or pastoral training;
• if they set out in writing to the Dean of the home school the value and importance of these courses;
• if the Dean of the home school indicates his/her approval of the request by affixing his/her own signature. (No permission need be received from the Dean of the host school.)
• In no case may students cross register for more than two courses in the same semester in the same school without explicit written permission of the Dean of the host school. A student is to seek this permission in writing in a letter to the Dean of the host school, stating the reason for the request. This letter of request must already be signed by the Dean of the home school, indicating his/her approval. A written answer should be received from the Dean of the host school at least one week prior to the final date for late registration and schedule changes.

The number of credits given for individual courses varies from institution to institution. Students should be aware of these differences in cross registering. Any change in the number of credits offered for a course can only be made with the permission of the Deans of the Home and Host schools.  

January and Summer Course Exchanges
Several of the member institutions have agreed to experiment with January and Summer Course Exchanges. Their Agreement is as follows: January participants are Baptist, Gettysburg, Union/PSCE, VUU, and VTS and the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences [GSISS]   Summer participants will be BTSR, CBS, GSISS, JLC, LTSG, U/PSCE, WTU, and WES. 

• a. This is an experiment for 3 years. It began in January of 2005.

• All available January courses/summer courses of the participating institutions will be listed on the Consortium website.
• Students will cross register using the normal Consortium process for doing so; Tuition will be paid to the student's own school. [The normal presumption is that costs would balance out over time. This presumption will be monitored over the three year trial period.] Students will have to pay the host institution for travel or other non-tuition expenses connected with a course.
• The Dean of the school receiving a student reserves the right to cancel a course based on enrollment from his or her own school.  [This is the current policy during fall and spring semesters.] Normally no more than 3 Consortium students will be cross registered into any course. Enrollment would be monitored by the Registrar of the host institution.
• Faculty will be paid by the home institution according to its normal policies for January or summer courses.
• Students would make their own living arrangements for January and summer courses.  They might choose to seek accommodations on the campus where the course is being offered if such are available.
• The academic policies of the host institution apply. Other issues will be worked out by the deans of the participating institutions on an individual basis if possible.
• Students from schools not participating in the course exchange will follow the current policy for cross registration. That is, the student will pay tuition to the host school. Usually a student in good standing at a Consortium school will not be required to go through the admissions process of the host school.
• Ecumenism courses offered by the Consortium Executive Director during January or summer and hosted by a Consortium member institution will be open for cross registration to any student in any member institution regardless of whether the student's institution is participating in the January or summer course exchange. The student will pay tuition to his or her home institution. [The schools all pay the salary of the director and thus would have equal access.]

For those institutions not participating in the Consortium exchange cited here, January and summer session cross registration agreements are made on a bilateral case by case basis. The custom of “Simplified Access” noted above generally applies.

Incomplete Grade
Since the policy governing the Incomplete (I) grade differs among the schools of the Consortium, the Deans have agreed to the following policy: Normally the grade of “I” is not given to students cross registered through the Consortium. If circumstances indicate that such a grade should be given, the granting of the "I" grade will be governed in all aspects by the policy of the host school. Orientation materials should make clear that students need to be aware of the policies of the host school. The Dean of the host school will be consulted before an extension or Incomplete is granted. In instances where an extension or “I” is granted, the Registrar of the host school will notify the Registrar of the home school of this grade.

Library Usage
The libraries of the Washington Theological Consortium (WTC) contain over two million volumes in theology and related disciplines. Students and faculty who hold a currently valid ID from a WTC school are eligible for borrowing privileges at WTC libraries during the academic year. Students and faculty must obtain a form verifying their status from their home library and present this when they seek to borrow books from another member library. The staffs of the libraries are prepared to assist users, to explain their collections in more detail, and to answer questions. Consult the Consortium Website [www.washtheocon.org] for more information about the location, hours, policies, and collections of the member libraries.  

Council of Academic Deans Meetings
1. There will be two meetings per semester of the COAD.
2. The term of the Chair of COAD is two years.

Documents containing previous policies and practices [e.g. Consortium Thursdays] can be found in the Consortium Archives.