Questions regarding Enrollment
Excerpts compiled from BGCT Seminary Study Report

Funds received by the six SBC seminaries are not always used for "graduate" theological education. Cooperative Program funds are being used for some undergraduate baccalaureate degrees (university and college level classes) and to provide "free" education to non-Southern Baptist students from other denominational or religious groups.

Enrollment in "graduate level" theological education has plummeted in most of the SBC seminaries in the last decade.

According to some SBC seminary catalogs that now offer college or university level degrees in direct competition with state Baptist convention owned and operated schools, as much as $8,000 per student is offered to undergraduate baccalaureate students.

Southern Seminary's published policy on admissions states, i.e., "No tuition is charged to any student regardless of denominational affiliation. This is possible because of the generous support of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention through the Cooperative Program."

Based on the SBC Annuals, master level program enrollment fell at Midwestern, New Orleans and Southern from 1990 to 1998. Enrollment dropped from 356 in 1990 at Midwestern to 243 in 1998. At New Orleans, enrollment declined from 794 in 1990 to 670 in 1998. At Southern, enrollment fell from 1,389 in 1990 to 908 in 1998. The annuals reported a decline at Southwestern from 2,717 in 1990 to 2,443 in 1996. Actual numbers for 1997-98 for Southwestern are difficult to determine due to an acknowledged error in reporting.

Following the firing of Mark Coppenger, Michael Whitehead, interim president of Midwestern, acknowledged some enrollment figures were misstated and inaccurate. On the basis of those misstatements, Cooperative Program funds were overpaid to Midwestern in excess of $300,000.

The funds were not returned.

In an interview with the Committee, August 30, 2000, Southwestern Vice-President for Business Affairs, Hubert Martin, indicated that for two years Southwestern has misreported their enrollment in 1997 and 1998. The correction of those figures appeared to give a serious decline of students in 1999. If Southwestern's 1999 figures are correct, since the firing of Russell Dilday, the seminary has experienced a decline of: 494 students in the School of Theology; 297 in the School of Educational Ministries; and 50 in the School of Church Music. There was an overall total decline of 841 for all schools.

October 2000