FORM - Association of Theological Schools / Commission on Accrediting

Petition for Closing a School or Relocating the Main Campus

for consideration by the ATS/COA Board of Commissioners
Commission-accredited schools must petition for approval prior to closing their school (i.e., ceasing operations permanently) or relocating their main campus (i.e., continuing operations in a new location), per Policies and Procedures IV.E. For any closures due to mergers or acquisitions, schools should complete instead the petition for change in control or legal status. In completing this form, please include links to additional documentation as requested or as deemed helpful. Your Commission staff liaison will contact you if there are any questions regarding this petition.
i. Name of school: *
ii. Contact information for person submitting this form: *

Prefix First Name (MI) Last Name Suffix
iii. Title: *
Position title of person submitting this form
iv. Email: *
A copy of your form will be sent to this address
v. Indicate the type of petition being submitted: *
Once petition type is selected, complete the items on the following pages

Closing the school (i.e., ceasing operations permanently)

(per Policies and Procedures IV.E; cf. III.L.1-3)
1. Effective date of closure: *

Month Day Year
2. Describe reason(s) for closing and ceasing permanent operations: *
3. Describe how and when this closure has been (will be) communicated to those affected, especially students and employees (provide links to letters/emails sent to those affected): *
All documents must also be uploaded; see final page of this form
4. Describe how the school's teach-out plan addresses all Commission criteria (Policies and Procedures III.L); provide link(s) to all required documentation (III.L.1-2); if a teach-out agreement is also required, provide a link to that agreement (III.L3): *
All documents must also be uploaded; see final page of this form
5. What entity will maintain the official records of the school (including student transcripts) after the closure? *
List here the address of that entity and whether it is accredited
6. Is the school accredited by another agency? *

No Yes*
*If YES, list the name and contact information for that agency:
7. Does the school participate in US Title IV federal financial aid programs? *

No Yes**
**If YES, describe what steps the school has taken to communicate this closure to that federal office and what their response has been:

Relocating the main campus (i.e., continuing operations in a new location)

(per Policies and Procedures IV.E.2; cf. III.L.1-2)
1. Effective date of relocation of main campus: *

Month Day Year
2. Complete address of "OLD" location:

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

City State / Province

Postal / Zip Code Country
3. Complete address of "NEW" location:

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

City State / Province

Postal / Zip Code Country
4. Approximate distance between the closed and new locations: *
Indicate in miles or kilometers
5. If the new location is part of another entity (e.g., church or college), please list the name of that entity here and add a link to the written agreement allowing the school to use that facility: *
Written agreement must also be uploaded; see final page of this form
6. Describe reason(s) for relocation: *
7. Describe here any change in the degrees that will be offered there: *
(e.g., the same degrees as offered in the current location will be offered in the new location)
8. What resources are available at the new location:
8a. Faculty: *
Indicate whether all faculty will relocate
8b. Facilities: *
Describe briefly the new facilities and their accessibility
8c. Library: *
Describe any changes to library resources and services
8d. Student Services: *
Describe any changes to student support services
9. Describe how and when this relocation has been (will be) communicated to those affected, especially students and employees (provide links to sample letters sent to those affected): *
All documents must also be uploaded; see final page of this form
10. Describe how the school's teach-out plan addresses all the criteria in Policies and Procedures III.L.1-2 (e.g., all students will relocate) and provide a link to any required documents: *
All documents must also be uploaded; see final page of this form
11. Describe any authorization(s) needed for this relocation (e.g., approval of governing board, approval of a state or provincial entity, etc.) and provide a link to any documentation of the approval(s): *
All documents must also be uploaded; see final page of this form
12. Is the school accredited by another agency? *

No Yes*
*If YES, list the name and contact information for that agency:
13. Does the school participate in US Title IV federal financial aid programs? *

No Yes**
**If YES, describe what steps the school has taken to communicate this closure to that federal office and what their response has been:

When finished, please submit this petition to the ATS Director of Commission Information Services by hitting the "submit" button below. You can expect an automated confirmation email within a few minutes. There is no fee for this (or any) Commission petition. Please do not send any paper copies or any emailed attachments; submit only this completed, online form (including any links to additional information requested).

NOTE: Petitions for closing a school or relocating a main campus are typically decided by the Board of Commissioners within a few months (see submission deadlines on ATS petitions and notifications webpage). If the school is relocating its main campus, the Board will require a focused evaluation visit within six months of the effective date of relocation (relocations of embedded schools moving to another part of the campus do not require focused visits, per Policies and Procedures IV.E.2).
ATS Commission Staff Liaison Email *
A copy of your form will be sent to this address
CEO Email
A copy of your form will be sent to this address
CAO Email
A copy of your form will be sent to this address
ALO Email
A copy of your form will be sent to this address
PDF attachment (optional)

If submitting multiple documents, consolidate these as one (bookmarked) PDF file
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Additional comments
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Petition for Closing a School or Relocating the Main Campus

Closing the school (i.e., ceasing operations permanently)

Relocating the main campus (i.e., continuing operations in a new location)