Alternative Healthcare, Intuitive Counseling Education, Spirituality Studies

Governance Components

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION

Holos University Graduate Seminary (HU) is an official graduate school of the All Faiths Church of Spirituality and Health and operates in compliance with the laws of the State of Missouri. HU is a division of the Church and has its own self-perpetuating governing Board.
HU encourages the organization and effective operation of governance bodies at all levels of its community. As these groups form, they are strongly encouraged to develop and publish specific charters that spell out clearly their goals and objectives.

ALL FAITHS CHURCH OF SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH

The All Faiths Church is a public benefit corporation. The specific purpose for which the corporation is initially organized is to be a church and a religious college that will encourage all to honor the Divine Creator of the Universe; to respect the divinity of the human soul; and to treat all being with unconditional desire to help and to heal and to also engage in activities which are necessary, sutitable or convenient for the accomplishment of that purpose, or which are incidental thereto or connected therewith which are consistent with Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal REvenue Code. Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable religious, educational, and scientific purposes.

The Church Board devotes at least one meeting a year to a discussion of issues related to HU, and may make recommendations directly to the Board of HU.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Consistent with its holistic spiritual philosophy, it is the policy of Holos University to practice non-discrimination in all of its interactions. Holos University Graduate Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religious affiliation, physical ability, veteran status, political affiliation, marital status, parental status, age or sexual orientation, whether in admissions policies, employment, engaging the services of independent contractors, or in any other Holos University-affiliated event or project.

NON-HARASSMENT POLICY

HU strongly discourages any improper and unwelcome conduct that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation to another person. Harassment may take the form of words, gestures or actions which tend to annoy, alarm, abuse, demean, intimidate, belittle, humiliate or embarrass another or which create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Harassment normally implies a series of incidents. Disagreement on work performance or on other work-related issues is normally not considered harassment and is not dealt with under the provisions of this policy but in the context of performance management. Included in this statement is
sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favor, verbal or physical conduct or gesture of a sexual nature, or any other behavior of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation to another, when such conduct between administrators, faculty, staff, and students, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. While typically involving a pattern of behavior, it can take the form of a single incident. Sexual harassment may occur between persons of the opposite or same sex. Both males and females can be either the victims or the offenders.

ACCREDITATION
Holos University Graduate Seminary is an official graduate school of the All Faiths Church of Spirituality and Health and operates in compliance with the laws of the State of Missouri. HU's Official Catalog is submitted for annual review to the Missouri Board of Higher Education, renewing HU's right to indicate that the university continues to operate in accordance with the laws of the State of Missouri. Missouri does not provide accreditation as such.
Holos University is committed to pursuing the accreditation process through an official accrediting organization. We have structured our programs and prepared our syllabi and other documents and procedures to conform to rules and regulations that guide graduate programs at most accredited North American universities. Accreditation is a long-range goal, but Holos University maintains a commitment to becoming a fully accredited University, accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. To this end, we retain the services of one of the most experienced Site Visitors for health-related studies with years of experience working with the North Central Association; he also sits on the All Faith’s Board of Directors.

GENERAL REVIEW: ACCREDITATION

Accreditation is not required in the United States for universities to operate legally as degree-awarding institutions. In the US, accreditation with an independent association of schools is an optional, not mandatory, course of action that universities may or may not choose to establish. Most countries do not have independent university accreditation organizations; rather, assessment is performed by a government educational regulating organization, similar to the Missouri Board of Higher Education, which grants legality.  The US Department of Education (USDE) does not grant accreditation; furthermore, accreditation organizations in the US are not USDE governed. The US accreditation organizations are private institutionalized boards that grant a peer-review status of “accreditation” to universities who choose to submit to their board review process. Most countries do not have private organizations that review and approve universities as “accredited.” USDE advises that their listing not be used as the only document on which any decision is made but many users ignore that advice.  The biggest single benefit of accreditation by a USDE recognized accrediting agency is the ease of opportunity for students to apply for government-guaranteed financial aid. HU is committed to achieving accreditation that is recognized officially by USDE and we are pursuing several avenues to accomplish that objective. Accreditation is always retroactive to cover degrees granted prior to achieving USDE recognized accreditation.  NOTE: Transfer of credits between all universities, whether regionally accredited or State approved, is normally dictated by the policies of each receiving university office of the registrar. For further details about accreditation go to: http://www.holosuniversity.org/about/accreditation/ If you still have questions write to: FacultyDean@HolosUniversity.org or call 888-272 6109.

HU BOARD
The official Board of HU, a self-perpetuating organization, is the university’s guiding center. It has full authority to approve and authorize administrative and academic policy for the university and all of its programs. Board meetings are held two times per year at HU and additional telephone and E-mail conferences are called by the Chair as needed. Executive Committee members also serve as voting members of the board. The powers and duties of the Board are outlined in its Official Guidelines. During its meetings, the board members assess the current policies and operation of HU and offer suggestions for the upcoming semester to the Executive Committee.

ALL FAITHS BOARD
The Church is governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Directors. The HU Bursar provides a monthly, written financial report, on or before the 15th of each month, to the Church President to keep the Church Board adequately and currently informed of financial and other administrative developments. The Church has ultimate feduciary reponsibility for the University, thus decisions that relate to the financial health of HU are made by the Church Board. The Church reserves the right to request additional details in the monthly reports as described above, or it may choose to receive them at a different time interval. The purpose of these reports is to keep the Church apprised of the fiscal and recruitment health of HU.

Both the Executive Committee and the HU Board are charged with maintaining compatible and complementary views of theology and mission with those held by the Church. Although policies and academic programs will be maintained and directly overseen by the Executive Committee and the HU Board respectively, the Church retains the authority to insure that the programs and policies of HU reflect the Church’s overarching theological tenets. Therefore, the Executive Committee submits to the Church Board for review: The most current Official Seminary Catalog, Student Handbook and Faculty Handbook. The website will be kept compatible with the most current Official Catalog. The Church reviews the website and may offer suggestions for additions or changes. It must be clearly understood that HU does not officially endorse, recommend, or discourage ordination in any one specific church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other religious group.

Both the Church and HU honor the rights of all religious organizations to apply whatever criteria they choose as to whom they ordain. As in the case of membership in a church, ordination is not a prerequisite for being a student, staff member, administrator, or professor at HU. Ordination policies are set by the Church.

STUDENT COUNCIL:
The Student Council consists of one representative from each entering class. There are facilities available to students on the HU Website for interaction. An Alumni Council was formed in 2008. The formation of a Faculty Council is also strongly supported. As these councils are organizing themselves, they are developing their own policies and procedures and are not under direct administration by the Board of HU or the HU Executive Committee.

STUDENT, ALUMNI, AND FACULTY COUNCILS
HU has encouraged the organization and effective operation of governance bodies at all levels of our entire community. As they form, the development of specific charters that spell out clearly their goals and objectives are strongly encouraged. Towards that end, all members of the HU community are invited to come together in a ‘town hall meeting’ in cyber-space to discuss appropriate topics. The meeting is held annually in the fall. The date is announced in the school’s calendar on the website. Out of this meeting have developed faculty, alumni, and student councils that interact with each other and with the Executive Committee. Other town meetings are called as the need arises.
The current HU Student Council consists of one representative from each entering class who are chosen during the ORP residency. Facilities are available to HU students on the Internet for interaction and discussion. Faculty, alumni, and student councils organize themselves and develop their own policies and procedures, call their own meetings, and are not under direct administration by the Executive Committee or the Board.

CONTRIBUTIONS
Holos University Foundations operates as 501-C-3 organization that allows donations to be tax deductible. HU encourages tax-deductible contributions to support its various programs. . Of greatest value are those funds that are undesignated; they permit the university to apply funds towards the greatest need at the time. However, funds specifically for the support of student loans, special research projects, or for virtually any major development in Body/Mind/Spirit healing are welcomed. Through ongoing fundraising activities this fund continues to grow. For information on how to donate funds, contact the Provost. Provost@holosuniversity.org