AC signs MOU with Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Posted Friday, March 20, 2026
Author: Mickey Alvarado
ADRIAN, Mich. — Adrian College and the Ann Arbor Institute of Religion, sponsored by Seminaries and Institutes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 12 that allows certain religious education courses to transfer to Adrian College.
Courses offered through the Church Educational System’s (CES) Institutes of Religion and accepted for transfer at regionally accredited universities, including Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University-Idaho and Brigham Young University-Hawaii, are now eligible for transfer under Adrian College’s established transfer credit policies.
Nathan Gordon, Adrian College Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Institutional Effectiveness, said he recognized for many years that the demographics of Institutes of Religion revealed a significant gap in the United States among universities and colleges that accept institute credit.
“I strongly felt that this is a gap Adrian College, which is very open to spiritual life and students of different faiths, could fill,” Gordon said.
Gordon is also the Elders Quorum President for the Adrian congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The crux of it all, from what I’ve observed since my arrival in 2019, is that Adrian College is a wonderful place that lets students freely exercise their own faith and embrace their distinctive religions on campus.”
Adrian College supports students who choose to take courses independently through the CES’s Institutes of Religion. Because the institutes operate separately from the college, coursework is completed outside the Adrian College registration system and may be submitted for transfer evaluation upon completion. Transfer credit requires submission of official transcripts, compliance with CES enrollment requirements and authorization for enrollment and transcript verification.
John B. Larsen, President of the Ann Arbor Michigan Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the institute was interested in partnering with Adrian College because of its long history of pairing faith with education.
“We believe that education is a divine pursuit — that we are meant to seek learning and enrichment throughout our lives,” Larsen said. “We acknowledge that the way we access information is changing rapidly, and there has never been a greater need for wisdom. How do we pair learning with faith? Students today can turn to tools like ChatGPT to learn, but do they know the right questions to ask? Do they know how to evaluate and apply what they find? What we hope to do is help students bring together the full picture of knowledge, including the spiritual dimension. That spiritual foundation is critically important in our society today.”
Elder Brent B. Ward, Area Seventy of United States Northeast Area, was also present during the Adrian College campus visit and MOU signing.
“As was recently taught by our prophet President Dallin H. Oaks at a BYU Provo devotional, we value learning both by the scientific method and by the spiritual method — using faith, scriptures, inspired teachings, and personal revelation,” Ward said. “This partnership with Adrian College is symbolic of our joint belief in combining scientific and spiritual learning to help the rising generation succeed. I hope that other educational and religious institutions will see what is being done here as a model to follow.”
During the MOU signing, Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking shared some of his personal memories with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a youth, one of his close friends, Gary Beckstrand, often invited Docking to church activities, such as church basketball. These experiences with Beckstrand and other members of the church left him with positive lasting impressions.
A maximum of 14 credit hours (eight from four required “cornerstone” courses and six from elective courses) of approved CES Institutes of Religion or Church-affiliated university religion coursework may be applied toward the requirements for an Adrian College bachelor’s degree.
The agreement was signed by Scott Grimes, Ann Arbor Institute Director and Coordinator for Seminaries and Institutes of the United States Northeast Area, and Docking.
