United Methodist Church Renews Listing of American University as a United Methodist Affiliated Institution
April 12, 2005. The University Senate of the United Methodist Church has notified American University that the University has been approved for continued listing as a United Methodist-related academic institution. The letter, dated March 28, 2005, was the result of an institutional review by the church last fall and a vote of the University Senate in January.
In September, the University was visited by a team from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church to examine the University’s affiliation to the church. The team examined not only evidence of the University’s connectedness to the church, but also its institutional integrity, financial management, course catalog offerings, and other academic standards. The University Senate review usually follows the Middle States accreditation review and builds upon their findings.
American University was founded in 1893 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, the predecessor of The United Methodist Church, to fulfill the vision of Methodist Bishop John Fletcher Hurst for creating a national Methodist university to educate those who would enter into public service. It has been a church affiliated university ever since. “Those connections are not as visible as they once were,” said Rev. Mark Schaefer, United Methodist Chaplain. “There are no longer any mandatory chapel services or anything like that. But the enduring connection can be seen in the University’s commitment to public service, social justice, and issues of global concern.”
Other enduring connections are the office of University Chaplain—currently the Rev. Joseph Eldridge—required to be filled by a United Methodist; the participation on the Board of Trustees by the General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and by the Resident Bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference ex officio; and the availability of scholarship assistance from The United Methodist Church for United Methodist students attending AU. In addition, many of the buildings and facilities on campus are named for prominent Methodists: Anderson, Bishop Asbury, Bishop Hughes, Bishop Hurst, Mary Graydon, Bishop McDowell, Davenport, among others.
The University has identified its various commitments to public service, to inclusive participation in university governance, to equity and equal access, and to an appreciation of diverse cultures as “reflect[ing] and remain[ing] faithful to basic ethical principles it shares with the church.” The University Senate likewise concluded that the “missional relationship of the University to The United Methodist Church is amazingly consistent with the educational philosophy and beliefs of John Wesley and the traditions of Methodism.”
“I am pleased that the Church has re-affirmed its relation to the University,” said Schaefer. “People often have the impression that ‘church-related institution’ means a Bible college or a strictly parochial institution. AU demonstrates how a church affiliated institution can be a place of serious and critical inquiry, social activism, religious and cultural diversity, academic excellence and spiritual growth.”