Seminary Undergoes Accreditation Review

A review team from the Office of College and University Evaluation of the University of the State of New York visited Jordanville on October 9, 2006, as part of the renewal of the Seminary's accreditation status. Holy Trinity Seminary has been continuously accredited and registered by the Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education of the University of the State of New York, a nationally recognized accrediting body, since its founding; it underwent its last renewal in 2001, when it received reaffirmation of its status for five years. Preceding this year's site visit by the review team, Holy Trinity Seminary undertook an internal review of its curriculum, quality of education, scholarly resources, financial stability, and overall achievement of its institutional mission. The self-study, conducted by Deacon Vladimir Tsurikov, Assistant Dean, showed that suggestions made during the last accreditation review in 2000 had been met and frequently exceeded. Holy Trinity Seminary was pleased to show concrete improvements in the areas of faculty development, curricular objectives, fundraising initiatives, and preservation of scholarly resources. The review team, headed by Robert H. McHugh, Associate of Higher Education, included Professor Alexis Klimoff from the Department of Russian Studies at Vassar College, Professor Peter Bouteneff from Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, and Hee Gwone Yoo, Slavic Librarian at the Baltic and Slavic Division of The New York Public Library. During their visit, team members attended classes, met with faculty and students, and visited the library, archives, and a current exhibition. Significant attention was devoted to reviewing files and discussing the self-study with the Seminary's administrative officers. The Seminary expects to receive the review team's report by December 2006, at which point it will respond to its suggestions and observations. A Seminary representative will meet with the Regents' Advisory Council in February 2007 to discuss the results of the accreditation review. A final determination concerning the renewal of the Seminary's accreditation status, including length of accreditation, is expected to be made by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York in April 2007.