s
a college at the beginning stages of the process of becoming formally
established in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the College of St. Justin
Martyr cannot yet offer students a Bachelor of Arts degree. This is a difficulty that any new college must
confront and overcome. Thus, we
want interested students to know that we will do everything in our power
to satisfy the requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania so that
their studies will receive the formal recognition they will assuredly
deserve. Here, as in all things, we must rely upon God’s
providence and our own faithful efforts to provide us with the necessary
funds.
Once we have met the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s requirements and have been given the authority to grant degrees, we intend to pursue national accreditation through the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE). There is every reason to be confident that we will be successful in our efforts to become accredited; nevertheless, potential students must understand that AALE normally requires a new educational institution to be in operation for at least two or three years before it can be officially evaluated.
It is important for students and their parents to recognize that licensure and accreditation are not a cause of good education, but only, at best, a sign that an educational institution has met certain minimal requirements. Because the College of St. Justin Martyr’s faculty and curriculum aim far beyond the mere minimum, we can assure our students that the education they receive will more than compensate for any short-term absence of formal certification by the governing authorities.
Students who may be interested in pursuing graduate studies after attending the College of St. Justin Martyr should further realize that there have been, in recent times, a number of small Catholic colleges that have operated for years without accreditation. Experience has shown that graduate programs have accepted qualified students from these colleges despite their unaccredited status. Students who have received a genuine liberal arts education, and who can demonstrate mastery of those arts, need not fear that universities and employers will prefer paper certifications to young men and women who can speak intelligently, reason cogently, and write effectively. Certainly the experience of home schooling families in this country has demonstrated that officially recognized schools have no monopoly on true education.
Finally, we, the faculty and administration of the College of St. Justin
Martyr, pledge to assist our graduates in every possible way in their
efforts to find their place in the larger world outside of our college. Because our small size allows us to operate
more as an extended family rather than as an institution, we will be able
to provide the kind of personal attention and guidance which should not
only prove to be an educational advantage, but which is also so essential
to young men and women seeking to discern and to do God’s will.
