President Obama last week directed federal agencies to change the way graduates pay back student loans, the latest in a string of measures that aim to make college more accessible and affordable. Governors across the country have echoed the president\u2019s claims that it is time to get college costs under control. Here\u2019s one idea that wouldn\u2019t cost taxpayers a nickel: Stop overregulating Bible colleges.<\/p>\n
As it stands, some state education boards are keeping Bible colleges from issuing bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s and doctorate degrees. Instead, such colleges can only give out diplomas or certificates of completion. Bible colleges have an illustrious history in the U.S.\u201d\u201dCongregationalist ministers founded Yale to equip young men for the ministry, after all\u201d\u201dbut many of today\u2019s more than 1,000 Bible colleges are being relegated to second-class status.<\/p>\n
In Illinois, our law firm recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Bible colleges, with the backing of the nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, against the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The IBHE claims that the Bible colleges do not meet the state\u2019s curriculum requirements, and therefore cannot issue degrees.<\/p>\n
That claim is absurd.<\/p>\n