Illustration by Rose Wong

Theological schools are assuming crucial roles in providing accessible and supportive educational environments for underrepresented students. In Trust’s Matt Hufman spoke with the Rev. Loida Martell, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs and dean at Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS), about a Pathways for Tomorrow grant that is bolstering academic programs for African-American, Latinx, and Catholic students, and how prior learning experiences can increase degree accessibility for these students.

What is wonderful about LTS’ Pathways grant is you’re looking for students you don’t normally see. How is the grant supporting these students?

The purpose is to enhance LTS’ support of African-American, Latinx, and Catholic students by creating meaningful and financially sustainable opportunities for them to earn a graduate-level degree. We’re expanding admission for African-American and Latinx studies, along with a reboot of our Catholic studies program. We foresee our certificate programs for the Hispanic and African-American ministries as pipelines to a master’s in Latinx or African-American studies. We also are partnering with the Diocese of Lexington to expand our master’s in Roman Catholic pastoral studies.

How is LTS recognizing prior learning experiences, which can help these students with the expense of obtaining a degree?

This is the centerpiece of our Pathways project. If we reduce the time to complete a degree, we reduce the cost. So we ask: “How can we make theological education affordable to people who will not make big bucks?” The answer is prior learning assessment (PLA).

Many from these marginalized communities already have extensive church experience, which we can incorporate into admissions to avoid duplicating their existing knowledge and skills. By bridging academic knowledge with experiential learning, we can give academic credits based on their experience and reduce their educational debt, thereby ensuring they perform as well as those entering through traditional modes.

This process has three pathways. The first one takes advantage of the certificates in Hispanic and African-American ministries, because a lot of the people who are taking these courses have years of experience. They are leaders who want more training. If these students have successfully completed the certificates and hold a baccalaureate degree, they can apply to any LTS degree program and be granted up to 10 hours of advanced standing for those courses. This will save them time and money.

The second covers those who don’t have a baccalaureate but can prove – in a rigorous way – that they can do graduate studies. If they’ve taken LTS’ required core competencies courses, they have earned the equivalent of a baccalaureate and can gain entrance.

The third pathway is for anyone who has at least five years of either pastoral or leadership experience. One of the best things about LTS is that we believe that learning takes place in the congregation. This experiential learning is an integral part of the conversation and enriches the educational experience for all students.

Listen to the full conversation on Episode 56: click here