A university that describes itself as Australia’s largest supplier of theological schooling has develop into the nation’s forty fourth college, ending years of pricey appeals and demonstrating the rising energy of small non secular suppliers.
The Australian Faculty of Theology (ACT) – which will probably be renamed the Australian College of Theology – is the third non secular establishment to obtain full college standing since 2020.
In 2021, the Seventh-day Adventist church-owned Avondale College and theological faculty the College of Divinity had been elevated to Australian college standing, becoming a member of the Australian Catholic College, which confronted backlash final yr over a speech denouncing abortion and same-sex marriage made by a visitor speaker at its commencement ceremony.
On Wednesday, the Tertiary Training High quality and Requirements Company (Teqsa) confirmed the ACT would comply with go well with, concluding a multi-year assessment course of with the tribunal over whether or not the standard of the school’s analysis was excessive sufficient to be deemed a college.
The ACT says its chief objective is to “equip people to faithfully serve God’s church and God’s world” by means of {qualifications} in ministry, theology and Christian research.
The ACT dean and CEO, Prof James Dalziel, mentioned he was happy the establishment’s “long-term effort has been externally recognised”.
About 2,500 college students are enrolled annually throughout 16 affiliated faculties in Australia and New Zealand, finding out programs akin to A Christian Perspective on the Historical past of Science, Evangelistic Preaching and Sexuality and Id.
The deputy director of the Centre for the Research of Larger Training on the College of Melbourne, Affiliate Prof Gwilym Croucher, mentioned there have been “no right answers” on what establishments needs to be esteemed with the college title, which had been utilized otherwise the world over and over the previous century.
“The first public universities [in Australia] specifically excluded theology as foundational,” he mentioned. “But there’s always been scholarly theological work done here.
“The challenge in recent decades for policymakers and people in higher education is that the title itself conveys a lot of authority, leading to concern about the market power it provides.”
Croucher mentioned the elevation of non secular establishments to college standing in recent times may very well be attributed to their lengthy historical past. He pointed to ACU – a well-established and revered public college – as complicating the talk on whether or not universities needs to be secular.
“Would it be fair to stop other theological-based [institutions] elevated to university status?” he mentioned.
“The broader question is, is it acceptable to the Australian community that a university teaches and researches in a narrow field … what we don’t want is to inadvertently diminish the university title, while making sure universities doing good work aren’t excluded.
“It’ll be more interesting to see whether we have new universities created that don’t have as long a history.”
The ACT was first based by the Church of England in 1891 and granted self-accrediting authority in 2010. It has sought to develop into a college since 2016, with its preliminary utility refused by Teqsa three years later, prompting an attraction to the executive appeals tribunal (AAT).
In 2022, it was registered as a college faculty – one step down from an Australian college – after a assessment into supplier classes commissioned by the previous Coalition authorities to assist its objectives for a “diverse high quality” greater schooling sector.
Teqsa cited the “presentation of new evidence” as the explanation for its upgraded standing.
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Half of the eight college faculties registered on account of the reforms are non secular, together with Sydney Faculty of Divinity, Excelsia Faculty, Moore Theological Faculty and Alphacrucis College Faculty.
In October 2024, the AAT handed down its determination, ruling the ACT met the grounds for college registration, topic to session with state and territory schooling ministers. None opposed the change in supplier standing.
Teqsa had contended the ACT’s analysis was not of a excessive sufficient customary for registration, arguing “a university is not just simply a benefit that [an] institution pays its dues and is entitled to as of right”.
“It is a very, very significant status which reflects on Australia’s place in the international community, both in teaching and in research.”
The ACT argued non secular research obtained little or no funding however the faculty had nonetheless managed to launch analysis at a “world standard”.
College faculties don’t obtain analysis block grant funding from the federal authorities and can’t apply for aggressive grants from our bodies such because the Australian Analysis Council.
On account of the registration, the ACT will change its title to the Australian College of Theology (AUT) and search entry to authorities analysis and infrastructure funding.
The ACT reported a internet working lack of $578,000 in 2023, “primarily” attributed to authorized bills associated to the tribunal course of.
Its enrolments have dropped by about 30% previously 5 years, described as an “ongoing challenge” for suppliers within the theology sector in its annual report.
In a press release on the college’s web site, Dalziel mentioned: “As the ACT enters this new season, we need to remember that our calling is something different to just focusing on status.
“It’s a calling to faithfully equip people to serve God’s church and God’s world.”
Unbiased Larger Training Australia, of which ACT is a member, congratulated the school for its “significant achievement”. Its CEO, Dr Peter Hendy, mentioned Australia’s latest college had been a “valued contributor and leader in the independent higher education sector”.
