F.A.Q.
Questions
- What is Gutenberg’s SAT Code?
- What is Gutenberg's Federal School Code?
- What is Gutenberg’s ODE I.D. Code?
- How many students currently attend Gutenberg?
- Is Gutenberg College authorized to grant degrees?
- Does Gutenberg College admit foreign students into its program?
- Is Gutenberg College approved to admit veterans receiving veteran’s benefits?
- Is Gutenberg College accredited?
- Does Gutenberg College accept homeschooled students?
- What kinds of careers do Gutenberg College graduates pursue?
- Can a student study at Gutenberg for a couple of years to benefit from the Western Civilization course and then transfer to another college?
- Is Gutenberg College a Christian college?
- What practical value is there in earning a B.A. in Liberal Arts at Gutenberg College?
- At what point on the theological spectrum is Gutenberg College?
Answers
- Q: What is Gutenberg’s
SAT Code?
A: 2605
« back to top » - Q: What is Gutenberg's Federal School Code?
A: 039324
« back to top » - Q: What is Gutenberg’s ODE I.D. Code?
A: 03932400
« back to top » - Q: How many students currently attend Gutenberg?
A: 48 students, representing 12 states, the Republic of Moldova, and Argentina.
« back to top » - Q: Is Gutenberg College authorized to grant degrees?
A: Gutenberg College is a nonprofit corporation authorized by the State of Oregon to offer and confer the academic degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Liberal Arts described in the Gutenberg Catalog, following a determination that state academic standards will be satisfied under OAR 583-030. Inquiries concerning the standards or school compliance may be directed to the Office of Degree Authorization, 1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 100, Eugene, Oregon 97401. www.osac.state.or.us/oda/
« back to top » - Q: Does Gutenberg College admit foreign students into its program?
A: Gutenberg College is authorized under federal law to enroll
nonimmigrant alien students.
« back to top » - Q: Is Gutenberg College approved to
admit veterans receiving veteran’s
benefits?
A: Gutenberg College’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree in Liberal Arts is approved for students receiving veteran’s benefits.
« back to top » - Q: Is Gutenberg College accredited?
A: Gutenberg College is a member of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) [PO BOX 328, Forest, VA 24551; Telephone 434.525.9539; e-mail info@tracs.org], having been awarded Candidate status as a Category II [institution] by the TRACS Accreditation Commission on November 9, 2004; this status is effective for a period of five years.
Therefore Gutenberg College is included in the federal Department of Education’s list of accredited institutions.
« back to top » - Q: Does
Gutenberg College accept homeschooled students?
A: Over 50% of Gutenberg’s students have homeschool backgrounds. The faculty of Gutenberg College has found that homeschooled students, as a group, more easily think outside the traditional educational box and thus value the kind of education Gutenberg College offers. Therefore Gutenberg welcomes both homeschooled students and students from campus-based schools.
« back to top » - Q: What kinds of careers do Gutenberg College graduates pursue?
A: Time will tell. Gutenberg has not yet graduated enough students to answer that question fully. Currently, however, Gutenberg graduates tend to want to pursue graduate work in various fields: journalism, teaching at the high-school level, teaching college-level philosophy, and law.
« back to top » - Q: Can a student study at Gutenberg for a couple of years
to benefit from the Western Civilization course and then transfer
to another college?
A: The answer requires two parts; the first part corresponds to the benefit of such a plan, while the second part relates to transferring credits to another institution.
- Part 1: Both a benefit and a downside attend such a plan. During their first two years at Gutenberg, all students participate in the Western Civilization (WC) class, where they read and discuss selected works from the Great Books. The selections represent writings from the beginning of recorded history to modern times, the goal of the course being to give all students a general grasp of the history of ideas that have influenced Western culture. Possessing this knowledge greatly benefits the student. The downside of studying this material for only two years, however, is analogous to a music student who only learns how to make the musical notes on an instrument: yes, technically he can play the instrument, but he has not learned how to play music. Students who have finished two years at Gutenberg can see why and how modern culture has gotten to where it is, but they are just then prepared to explore the depths of the Great Conversation—the “discussion” about mankind’s deepest concerns that has spanned thousands of years.
- Part 2: Transferring credits to another institution is always at the discretion of the receiving college, which may choose one of three options: (1) give credit for all classes taken (this option is not likely); (2) give credit for a portion of classes taken (this option is more likely); or (3) give no credit for classes already taken (the more likely option at Great-Books colleges).
-
Possible reasons for not transferring credits are listed below:
- 1. The receiving college has a set policy of not accepting any credits from any outside institution.
- 2. The receiving college’s program is so integrated and non-traditional (Gutenberg’s program, for example) that outside classes could not possibly fit the model and content used by the college.
- 3. The receiving college does not accept credits from colleges accredited by agencies other than the agency that accredited it (for example, Gutenberg is accredited by TRACS, whereas another institution may be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, WASC).
- Q: Is Gutenberg College a Christian college?
A: Yes, but Gutenberg is also quite unconventional. A person visiting or attending Gutenberg will soon note this overarching passion of both the students and the tutors: to understand the truth as God created it, to understand who God is and what man’s relationship to God and to the world is. At Gutenberg, this passion to understand the truth is, of course, pursued in the context of reading the Great Books. Understanding the Great-Books authors and their views in light of a sound biblical worldview is the mission of Gutenberg College. Wise, caring, Christian tutors encourage students to personally think through the questions and solutions proposed by the authors; and such thinking takes the serious student beyond just an academic exercise to a personal growth that few colleges can claim for their students.
The Gutenberg College faculty takes the Bible seriously; it would be difficult to find another group of people committed to a higher view of the Scriptures (see Gutenberg’s “Biblical Foundation Statement”). A class rarely goes by in which the tutors and students do not compare and contrast what they are reading with the biblical perspective.
On the other hand, the unconventional nature of Gutenberg places it in a category different from most Christian colleges. Gutenberg does not offer a degree in Bible; nor does it have chapel. Gutenberg College has been compared to L’Abri Fellowship (the ministry that the late Dr. Francis Schaefer and his wife, Edith, developed in Switzerland) due to its willingness to reach out to a wide variety of students compelled to seek truth. Some of these students would not fit the mold or requirements of the traditional Christian college. Gutenberg College ministers to anyone who will commit to work hard and who the faculty think will benefit from Gutenberg’s unique program—whether or not that person fits into typical Christian culture.
« back to top » - Q: What practical value is there in earning a B.A. in Liberal
Arts at Gutenberg College?
A: The value of Gutenberg’s B.A. depends on whether a person values the ability to understand culture’s influence upon hearts and minds and, furthermore, how to live life from God’s perspective in light of those influences. Gutenberg will not hand a student a pre-packaged, high-paying job. Rather, Gutenberg College offers its students the ability to think through the very difficult issues of life that affect and will affect all humans.
Whether they see it or not, all people are products of their environment and culture. Cultural influences, perspectives, and convictions—some good and some quite bad—bombard everyone and have done so since birth. Because the culture in which we live is so familiar, we are often unaware of its impact on us. Gutenberg College teaches students to see how past ideas have impacted everyone so that the students can then compare these cultural ideas with the biblical worldview. Many Christians go through life unaware of how the ideas of the past have influenced the culture in which they live; and consequently, they are unaware of how those ideas have impacted—and continue to impact—their lives.
A high-paying job cannot ensure a person’s well being; nor does an education whose primary goal is a high-paying job impart the ability to understand life. Gutenberg College does not guarantee either a high-paying job or the ability to understand life, but its program does offer its students the necessary tools and skills to pursue both with integrity and honesty.
« back to top » - Q: At what point on the theological spectrum is
Gutenberg College?
A: Most people would put Gutenberg College in the Reformed camp due to our understanding of the sovereignty of God (see Biblical Foundation Statement). Gutenberg students, however, are not required or expected to hold the same views that the faculty holds; many students do not, and that is perfectly fine. The tutors at Gutenberg have an abiding trust in God as the Sovereign Lord of both the universe and each individual. In practice this means that the tutors do not feel compelled to inculcate their ideas into the minds of the students; indeed, aggressive indoctrination runs counter to Gutenberg’s model of teaching students to think through issues for themselves. This is not to say that the tutors themselves are unclear about where they stand on issues; rather, the tutors encourage a give-and-take of ideas and perspectives so that students can think through issues and come to their own conclusions.
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