Columbia Evangelical Seminary

Much has been written about it and can be viewed at degreeinfo.com.

 

I am not overly impressed. It's a fairly small operation with limited resources. I would recommend the SA DE schools over CEV. Thery're cheaper too. Although they do claim James White as an alumunus, I do not know anyone with a reputation who graduated from there. What you get depends on who your mentors are.

 

Which is exactly what one gets regardless of the school one attends.

 

Which is exactly what one gets regardless of the school one attends. </font>[/QUOTE]Yeah, at larger schools you get several rolls but at a one-horse operation you get basically one roll of the dice. So many others have rolled snake-eyses that you have almost no supporting reputation. Columbia what? Where's that?

(BTW, just how did Walston settle on this name? Some think it is too close to Columbia International University, a well-respected school. I know what he says, but another choice would have been more comfortable for me.)

 

Perhaps he was lying, Paidagogos. Email the guy and ask him.........

 

Hey Rhet:

I was not suggesting that Ric Walston was lying, rather, I was using sarcasm in response to particular poster's remarks about not believing CES's reason for using the name Columbia.......

 

Some may not know that CES (what there is of it) is very close to the Columbia River.

I'm wondering if Rhet is comparing CES favorably to South African universities in terms of utility and if so what is the rationale for that.

 

Rhet,
Welcome to the board. I'm kind of intrigued by CES.How does it work, do the mentor and the student decide together which classes a student needs for a particular doctoral program? Do the students generally listen to lecture tapes or is it mostly independent reading and writing papers?

 

I know of little about CES other than James R. White's having received his doctorates through Columbia. I did look, however, at the stated credentials of the faculty, and most received their terminal degrees from regionally accredited or similarly recognized institutions.

The regents, though, are a different story. I don't think any has received a terminal degree from an RA. I'm not sure how much of an issue that would be or even if it's an issue.

Bill

 

Hey Rhet:

I was not suggesting that Ric Walston was lying, rather, I was using sarcasm in response to particular poster's remarks about not believing CES's reason for using the name Columbia....... </font>[/QUOTE] So, your sarcasm caught up with you! Now, you're defensive. Go back and read my post with your glasses on. I did not say he was lying but that it was too close to be comfortable. Others have questioned his veracity perhaps. Don't you think that Walston was savvy enough to recognize the possible confusion with Columbia International University? Perhaps he made a poor choice but it does not necessarily mean that he was lying. One must learn to read carefully and accurately without imposing his own presuppositions.

 

Savvy

CES is not a degree mill pe se. However, one cannot say that it is a high quality school. Having credentialed faculty does not necessarily make a quality institution although a qualified faculty is a component of a quality institution. Faculty alone does not assure quality. Some defunct and discredited secular distance education schools (e.g. Columbia Pacific University and Clayton University) have put together an impressive array of talent. A lot depends on Walston who is the chief architect of the school. His ideas of scholarship and education differ somewhat from my own. Therefore, my opinion of CES is blasé. Although CES is not a degree mill, such as Christian Bible College, etc., it is definitely not in the same class as the SA DE schools.

IMHO, the weakness of CES is the variability of the mentors exacerbated by the weakness of institutional design. Whereas a highly motivated and bright student under one demanding mentor may do outstanding work, another less competent student under a lax mentor may do decidedly second-rate work. Although there is variability in RA schools, the institutional structure and philosophy keep a higher degree of accountability and rigor for the less motivated students and faculty.

On the other hand, a really sharp cookie can write his ticket as he pleases with a weak institution.

 

Rhet, Thanks for the info. I'm in an RA/ATS accredited D.Min. program presently that I'm very happy with. I enjoy looking at catalogs and curricula, though. It's sort of a hobby. I find distance ed and alternative programs quite interesting. I saw your info at CES. You have impressive credentials. May God richly bless your ministry.

 

This is true but the fact that we see equal acceptance of less than wonderful degrees along side of respected credentials tells you something of how they view scholarship. Don’t you think?

In some DE circles, we typically see this arrangement as if the respectability of the adjunct faculty will rub off on the less than wonderful sheepskins of the officers and administration. (Note: For many years, the president of Walden University had a mere masters—he wonderfully resisted the temptation to accrue one or more doctorates for himself.) Somehow, I don’t think scholarship works exactly this way.

BTW, I may point out that adjunct faculty members have other primary obligations elsewhere other than the adjunct DE faculty where they serve. My question is whether they can bring the same quality and rigor, regardless of qualifications, to a part-time position as if they were a full-time teacher with a primary obligation and commitment to the DE school. Time is a factor.

Furthermore, faculty qualifications in any school make for only one of many factors affecting academic quality.

Finally, I sincerely question the true purpose of less than wonderful degrees (John Bear’s term). IMHO, it is the desire for status and recognition rather than learning. If it is for learning, why not study with an expert mentor and forget the degree? Methinks the cart is before the horse. I would rather have it noted on my vitae that I was a student of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn than a D.Ph.Sc. from the Universal Metaphysical Graduate University of Advanced Studies for the Philosophy of Science and Human Knowledge. It really doesn’t matter how you slice it, it is still a lot of baloney!