As it prepares to welcome students to its Casper, Wyoming campus in the Fall of 2025, Luther Classical College is working towards accreditation for its A.A. and B.A degrees. LCC’s administrative faculty has over fifty years of combined accreditation experience among President Rev. Dr. Harold Ristau, Admissions Director Dr. William Lipke, and Academic Dean Dr. Ryan MacPherson. LCC welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate that its courses require academic rigor, that its faculty are well-trained, and that its finances are sustainable. The college also welcomes the opportunity to define its mission as a classical, Lutheran college and to demonstrate fidelity to that mission. These are traditional marks of accreditation.

Once accredited, LCC would be eligible to apply for federal financial aid. However, the college will not do so, lest the “strings” attached to government funding pull the college away from its Christian commitments. The Board of Regents is adamant in its opposition to the idea of ever accepting government aid. “Our founding has been predicated upon independence from worldly influences which seek to pollute the faithful confession of God’s Word,” Rev. Dr. Ristau states. “Our supporters have expressed how much they appreciate our commitment to pure doctrine at the expense of financial convenience.”

LCC has pursued accreditation with recognition of how far accreditation standards have changed over the past thirty years. “We have seen the focus shift from ‘critical thinking’ to ‘student-centered learning’ to today’s infatuation with ‘diversity, inclusion, and equity,’” Dr. MacPherson explains. “Sometimes subtly, sometimes more openly, those slogans steer educational institutions away from the created order in which God is honored, neighbors are served, and real learning happens.” The Board of Regents has acted with cautious investigation in selecting an accreditation agency that will respect, rather than threaten, the college’s biblical commitments. The selected agency has the approval of the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which means that other reputable colleges and universities should accept LCC’s transcripts for credit transfer and graduate school applications.

Below is the accreditation statement found in LCC’s Academic Catalog:

State and federal law requires that an institution conferring a liberal arts degree be accredited by an agency approved by both the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). LCC is seeking such accreditation in a manner that also protects its mission. LCC is on schedule to open in the Fall of 2025 and, upon submission of a satisfactory application, to be granted approval for conferring an A.A. degree to the first cohort of students in Spring 2027 and a B.A. degree to the first cohort of students in Spring 2029. The college also is actively developing articulation agreements with selected theological seminaries, law schools, and graduate programs to ensure that LCC graduates may pursue advanced degrees at other institutions. Accreditation policies prohibit the disclosure of more specific information until LCC has in fact achieved approval. LCC will provide updates as the process continues.

In the meantime, LCC’s Board of Regents will ensure that the process upholds an exit clause that would urge an alternative if ever the chosen accreditation agency undermines LCC’s scriptural commitments. Dr. MacPherson concludes, “At Luther Classical College, we believe, teach, and confess, never equivocating where God has clearly spoken.”