Association for Biblical Higher Education

“Membership in the association is institutional, not individual. Institutions which have been granted accredited or pre-accredited (candidate) status by the commission on accreditation are considered members whose delegates are eligible to participate in association governance according to provisions of article v.(c.f., article vii).”

“Purpose and prerogatives: 1. The board of directors shall adopt the annual budget based on association membership dues which shall be adopted by the delegate assembly. 2. Board representation: the delegate assembly shall elect 10 members of the board of directors to serve 4-year terms of office on a rotating basis, in accordance with corresponding bylaws. 3. Commission on accreditation: the delegate assembly shall elect 12 to 18 commission on accreditation members to serve 4-year terms of office on a rotation basis, in accordance with corresponding bylaws. 4. President: the delegate assembly shall ratify the board's initial appointment of the association's president by a two-thirds majority. 5. Accreditation standards: the delegate assembly shall ratify proposals of the commission on accreditation to establish and/or amend accreditation standards and related policies, in accordance with corresponding bylaws.”

“Purpose & prerogatives: 1. Budget adoption: the board of directors shall adopt the annual budget based on association membership dues which shall be adopted by the delegate assembly. 2. Board representation: the delegate assembly shall elect 10 members of the board of directors to serve 4-year terms of office on a rotating basis, in accordance with corresponding bylaws. 3. Commission on accreditation: the delegate assembly shall elect 12 to 18 commission on accreditation members to serve 4-year terms of office on a rotation basis, in accordance with corresponding bylaws. 4. President: the delegate assembly shall ratify the board's initial appointment of the association's president by a two-thirds majority. 5. Accreditation standards: the delegate assembly shall ratify proposals of the commission on accreditation to establish and/or amend accreditation standards and related policies, in accordance with corresponding bylaws. Voting privileges: 1. Each delegate shall have one vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted. 2. Accredited member institution delegates shall have full privileges of voting. 3. Candidate member institution delegates shall have the privilege of discussion from the floor and of voting by acclamation. They shall not exercise the privilege of nominating or voting on officers or of voting on a roll call or on amendments to the constitution or bylaws.”

“The administration will ensure accurate annual completion and timely filing of irs form 990. The completed form will be circulated to all members of the board of directors for review. Board member questions and concerns relative to irs form 990 representations will be directed to the administration via the board chair within 30 days of circulation.”

“The board standing policies manual includes policies governing board members' conduct and conflict of interest. Each board member is required to submit a signed conflict of interest inventory at each meeting of the board of directors. The board expects of itself and its members ethical and businesslike conduct. Board members must represent uncompromised loyalty to the interests of the entire organization. They must avoid any conflict of interest with respect to their fiduciary responsibility. There must be no self-dealing or any conduct of private business or personal services between any board member and the organization except as procedurally controlled to assure openness, competitive opportunity and equal access to "inside" information. This conflict of interest policy, and similar policies pertaining to the commission on accreditation, will be made available to the public upon request and via the abhe website. 1. Abhe's commission on accreditation considers for accreditation only those institutions and programs that have as a primary purpose the preparation of students for biblical and christian ministries. 2. Abhe's commission on accreditation considers an institution or program only upon the request of its chief administrative officer and permits the withdrawal of the request at any time prior to action by the commission on accreditation. 3. Abhe's commission on accreditation selects evaluation team members on the basis of their professional competence, their ability to assess programs of biblical higher education, and their acceptability to the institution or program to be evaluated. No individual can serve as both consultant and evaluator for an institution or program during a given cycle of accreditation. 4. Abhe's commission on accreditation follows sound evaluation procedures that ensure: (1) thoroughness and accuracy in the securing of information, (2) good communication at every point among all parties involved in the process, (3) due regard for the protection of an institution with respect to the confidentiality of documents and reports, (4) ethical and professional practices of evaluators during, preceding, and following the visit, (5) non-acceptance of honoraria by commission representatives from an institution (except for scheduled fees) during an institution's or program's accreditation process, (6) expeditious handling of steps in the accreditation process, (7) an absence of conflicts of interest within decision-making bodies, (8) prompt notification of commission actions on membership status, including the reasons for action, and (9) complete and accurate records, including at least the last two full reviews, of the accreditation process of each institution or program and all actions taken regarding its status with the commission. 5. Abhe's commission on accreditation seeks to conduct its activities with a view to economy of operation and reasonable cost to its institutions. 6. Abhe's commission on accreditation avoids showing favoritism in the endorsement of vendors seeking entry into the biblical higher education market. The association reserves the right to inform its members of advantageous services and products. Abhe, commission on accreditation manual, policy on the assignment of primary and secondary readers cases to be considered by the commission on accreditation as a whole will be assigned to both a primary and a secondary reader. This procedure enables a division of labor and assures objectivity. It also provides for thoroughness, the opportunity for a second opinion, and a backup, given the unforeseen absence of the primary reader. To assure objectivity, enhance fairness, and avoid a conflict of interest, primary and secondary readers will not be assigned to a particular institution if they share the same denominational affiliation or the same geographic base for constituency, or if they have previously served on the institution's faculty or staff, on an evaluation team that visited the institut”

“President: the president's salary and benefits will be determined by the board of directors. The board will seek to compensate the president at a threshold level at least equal to the average member college president's salary in the 400-599 fte enrollment category. Additional consideration will be given for merit and longevity. The chair will facilitate the president's compensation review on an annual basis. The executive committee is responsible to recommend annual compensation adjustments. Directors: the commission on accreditation is responsible to establish, publish in its manual,and implement in its annual budget a policy regarding compensation of its director and other coa professional staff. The president is responsible to work with the coa to ensure that its compensation policies and practices are consistent with the association's executive compensation principles and parameters.”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are available upon request. Financial statements and president's annual report are available on the organization's website.”