STUDENT COMPLAINT POLICY
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Students, staff and faculty have the right to express any concerns they might have with any aspect of their educational experience. Adhere to the following steps when addressing these concerns:
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If anyone in the Seminary community has a misunderstanding or dispute with another person in our learning community, they first must address their concern directly with that person as misunderstandings can often be cleared up best at their source.
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Faculty members encourage students to ask them any questions about a course syllabus, grade, assignments in the course or any communications which remain unclear.
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Likewise, staff or faculty address their concerns to their direct supervisor for clarification.
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If a matter remains unresolved, community members may address academic matters to the Dean of their program and administrative matters to the Director of Administration.
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An item is only considered as a formal complaint if a community member indicates in their communication to our President, Academic Deans or Director of Administration that they believe Thirdmill Seminary is not following its own policies, the standards of its accreditors, US state or federal laws.
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The Academic Dean or Director of Administration will confirm receipt of a complaint and copy the President of the Seminary within two business days. The complaint will be brought to the next scheduled meeting of the appropriate faculty committee (Curriculum Committee or Student Services).
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Once the Committee of the faculty meets and acts, the community member will be informed of their decision by the person who received their formal complaint within two business days of the committee’s action.
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If the matter remains unresolved, the community member may appeal in writing to the President of the Seminary by email to gperry@thirdmillseminary.org. The President will confirm receipt of the appeal within two business days and inform the community member that their appeal will be considered at the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the faculty. Once a final decision is reached, the President will inform the community member within two business days.
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If a student or other community member remains unsatisfied with the response of Seminary to the matter, they may follow the complaint procedure below to file a complaint with the Florida Department of Education’s Commission for Independent Education, or the respective commission in the state where they reside (see list below).
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STUDENT COMPLAINT POLICY AND PROCEDURE
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Seminary for the Third Millennium (DBA Thirdmill Seminary) is required to provide all current and prospective out-of-state students with the contact information of the state agency that handles complaints against institutions of higher education within that state. All students have a right to lodge a complaint or grievance at any time. Students are encouraged to review the complaint policy (shown above) and first seek to resolve their complaints through informal discussion.
Thirdmill Seminary ensures that all concerns and complaints are addressed fairly and are resolved promptly. Upon NC-SARA approval, student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), must first be filed with the institution (Thirdmill Seminary) to seek resolution. If resolution is not found, the student may contact the institution’s SARA Portal Entity in the state of Florida:
Commission for Independent Education
325 W Gaines Street, Suite 1414
Tallahassee, FL 32399
https://nc-sara.org/agency/florida-commission-independent-education
https://www.fldoe.org/policy/cie/student-concerns.stml
Students may refer to this website for assistance with the process: https://www.nc-sara.org/student-complaints
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Accreditation
Seminary for the Third Millennium (Thirdmill Seminary) is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency (listing here). DEAC is Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). As such, our programs and administrative policies are frequently reviewed to ensure that we continue to meet the DEAC’s exacting standards of excellence. The DEAC office is located at 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036. Their phone number is (202) 234-5100.
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Student Complaint Process
Our accreditor DEAC has an “Online Complaint System” that enables individuals to file a complaint directly from the DEAC website. The complaint form may be found at http://www.deac.org/Student-Center/Complaint-Process.aspx. All complaints should be submitted using the website.
Written complaints must contain the following:
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the basis of any allegation of noncompliance with DEAC standards and policies;
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all relevant names and dates and brief description of the actions forming the basis of the complaint;
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copies of any available documents or materials that support the allegations;
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a release authorizing the Commission to forward a copy of the complaint, including identification of the complaint(s) to the institution.
In cases of anonymous complaints or where the complainant requests for his/her name to be kept confidential, the Commission considers how to proceed and whether the anonymous complaint sets forth reasonable and credible information that an institution may be in violation of the Commission’s standards and whether the identity of the complainant is not necessary to investigate. Students may also file a complaint with the state office which oversees the operation of institutions of higher learning in the state in which they reside. Contact information is provided below.
Alabama
Status: Exempt, received private school certificate of exemption
Commission on Higher Education
Department of Postsecondary Education, Office of Private School Licensing Division
PO Box 302000 Montgomery, AL 36130-2000
Phone: 334-293-4653
Student Complaint Process (page 4) https://www.ache.edu/wp-content/State%20Auth/federal-reg.pdf
California
Status: approval or exemption not required without physical presence, subject to periodic review
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA 95798-0818
Email: bppe@dca.ca.gov Phone: (888) 370-7589
Student Complaints – Follow the seminary Complaint Policy and/or DEAC
Florida
Florida Commission for Independent Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1414 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-0505
Contact info - https://www.fldoe.org/contact-us/
To voice a concern, write a letter to the address above or send an e-mail containing information found at this site https://www.fldoe.org/policy/cie/student-concerns.stml to CIEINFO@fldoe.org.
Georgia
Status: Exempt, religious school exemption
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 E. Exchange Pl. #220, Tucker, GA 30084-5305
Phone: 770.414.3300
ttps://gnpec.georgia.gov/student-complaints
https://gnpec.georgia.gov/student-resources/complaints-against-institution/gnpec-complaint-rules
Kentucky
Status: licensure not required for online distance education
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
1024 Capital Center Dr #320
Frankfort, KY 40601-7512
Phone: 502.573.1555
Email: cpeconsumercomplaint@ky.gov
Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill’s Seminary Complaint Policy and/or DEAC
Mississippi
Status: authorization not required for online distance education, subject to periodic review
Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation
3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6453
Phone: 601.432.6198
Student Complaint Process and Form
http://www.mississippi.edu/mcca/student_complaint_process.asp
Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill’s Seminary Complaint Policy and/or DEAC
Ohio
Status: authorization not required for online nonprofit distance education
Ohio Department of Higher Education
25 South Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215-4183
Phone: 614.728.3095
Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill’s Seminary Complaint Policy and/or DEAC
New Mexico
Status: exempt due to nonprofit religious institution
New Mexico Higher Education Department
2044 Galisteo Street, Suite 4, Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100
Phone: 505-476-8400
Student Complaints: https://hed.nm.gov/students-parents/student-complaints
Oklahoma
Status: authorization not required, subject to periodic review
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: 405.225.9100
Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill’s Seminary Complaint Policy and/or DEAC
South Carolina
Status: exempt from licensure requirements due to course offerings limited to Bible or theological credentials
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
Academic Affairs, Postsecondary Institution Licensing
1122 Lady Street, Suite 400, Columbia, SC 29201
Phone 803.737-2260
Student Complaints
Tennessee
Status: authorization not required without physical presence, subject to periodic review
Tennessee Higher Education Commission
404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 1900, Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: 615.253.7458
Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill’s Seminary Complaint Policy and/or DEAC
Students may refer to this website for assistance with the process: https://www.nc-sara.org/student-complaints