Formation 1983 | Founded 1983 | |
Headquarters North Carolina, United States Similar California Graduate School of, Association for Biblical Higher E, Distance Education Accreditin, Association of Christian Schools I | ||
American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions (AAATI) is a Christian nonprofit organisation that has been described as an accreditation mill, based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was founded by Cecil Johnson, president of Christian Bible College, a distance education Bible college based in Rocky Mount that has been described as a diploma mill.
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AAATI is not recognized as an accreditor by either the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
History
AAATI was started in 1983. It is operated by Cecil Johnson, president of Christian Bible College, a distance education Bible college based in Rocky Mount that Steve Levicoff identifies as a diploma mill. In 1993, Levicoff wrote that AAATI gave accreditation for a $100 fee with no educational requirements (a $75.00 a renewal fee each year), and described it as a meaningless accreditation mill sold to schools to avoid appearing to be diploma mills.
Accreditation program
Therapon University describes accreditation by AAATI as "religious accreditation, rather than secular". Therapon states that AAATI "monitors educational and religious standards for Bible colleges", providing accreditation that is "accepted by many religious organizations" but may not be accepted by employers or other educational institutions because AAATI lacks U.S. Department of Education recognition.
Christian Bible College
As of 2012, Christian Bible College offers "life experience" credit for degrees, fixed payments for credentials (North Carolina residents must pay sales tax) and its only contact address is a Rocky Mount Post Office Box.
Alumni of Christian Bible College include Chuck Baldwin, founder and former pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, and the Constitution Party's nominee for president in 2008 and vice president in 2004.
Affiliated institutions
Institutions that have claimed membership in, or accreditation from, the AAATI include: