Student Records Privacy Policy (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of aspects of a student’s educational record that is not considered ‘directory’ information. Educational records include financial aid, student account records, and academic records which are considered confidential and will not be released without written consent from the student, except to the extent that FERPA authorized disclosure without consent. For this reason, it is necessary for Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America College to obtain permission from a student in order to release financial and academic information not excluded by FERPA laws. Copies of FERPA are available in the Student Life office, Admissions office, Registrar’s office, and with the Dean of Men/Dean of Women. To request information, please complete a FERPA form.
Donor Privacy Policy
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (Mid-America) will not sell, share, or trade your name or personal information with any other entity. Mid-America will not send you mailings on behalf of other organizations or excessively contact you.
This policy applies to all personal information sent to Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America College. Personal information includes the information sent online and offline, on any platform (“platform” includes the Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America College websites and mobile applications), any electronic, written, or oral communications.
To the extent a donor’s personal information is held internally, access to this information is restricted to a limited number of employees charged with managing and protecting donor information.
HIPAA Privacy Policy
Mid-America protects the privacy of its students, faculty, and staff and follows the guidelines set forth in The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For more information, please visit the official government HIPAA website.
Online Privacy Policy
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (Mid-America) values its users’ privacy. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) will help you understand how we collect and use personal information from those who visit our website or make use of our online facilities and services, and what we will and will not do with the information we collect. Our Policy has been designed and created to ensure those affiliated with Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary of our commitment and realization of our obligation not only to meet but to exceed most existing privacy standards.
We reserve the right to make changes to this Policy at any given time. If you want to make sure that you are up to date with the latest changes, we advise you to frequently visit this page. If at any point in time Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary decides to make use of any personally identifiable information on file, in a manner vastly different from that which was stated when this information was initially collected, the user or users shall be promptly notified by email. Users at that time shall have the option as to whether to permit the use of their information in this separate manner.
This Policy applies to Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and any subsidiary company listed below, and it governs any and all data collection and usage by us. Through the use of mabts.edu and any subsidiary website listed below, you are therefore consenting to the data collection procedures expressed in this Policy.
| Subsidiary Company | Subsidiary Websites |
|---|---|
| Mid-America College | midamericacollege.com |
| Institute of Nouthetic Studies | mabts.edu/ins and nouthetic.com |
Please note that this Policy does not govern the collection and use of information by companies that Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary does not control nor by individuals not employed or managed by us. If you visit a website that we mention or link to, be sure to review its privacy policy before providing the site with information. It is highly recommended and suggested that you review the privacy policies and statements of any website you choose to use or frequent to better understand the way in which websites garner, make use of, and share the information collected.
Specifically, this Policy will inform you of the following:
- What personally identifiable information is collected from you through our website;
- Why we collect personally identifiable information and the legal basis for such collection;
- How we use the collected information and with whom it may be shared;
- What choices are available to you regarding the use of your data; and
- The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information.
Information We Collect
It is always up to you whether to disclose personally identifiable information to us, although if you elect not to do so, we reserve the right not to register you as a user or provide you with any products or services. This website collects various types of information, such as:
- Voluntarily provided information which may include your name, address, email address, billing and/or credit card information, etc. which may be used when you purchase products and/or services and to deliver the services you have requested.
- Information automatically collected when visiting our website, which may include cookies, third-party tracking technologies, and server logs.
In addition, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary may have the occasion to collect non-personal, anonymous demographic information, such as age, gender, household income, political affiliation, race and religion, as well as the type of browser you are using, IP address, or type of operating system which will assist us in providing and maintaining superior quality service.
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary may also deem it necessary, from time to time, to follow websites that our users may frequent to glean what types of services and products may be the most popular to customers or the general public.
Please rest assured this site will only collect personal information that you knowingly and willingly provide to us by way of surveys, completed membership forms, and emails. It is the intent of this site to use personal information only for the purpose for which it was requested and for any additional uses specifically provided for on this Policy.
Why We Collect Information and for How Long
We are collecting your data for several reasons:
- To better understand your needs and provide you with the services you have requested;
- To fulfill our legitimate interest in improving our services and products;
- To send you promotional emails containing information we think you may like when we have your consent to do so;
- To contact you to fill out surveys or participate in other types of market research when we have your consent to do so;
- To customize our website according to your online behavior and personal preferences.
The data we collect from you will be stored no longer than necessary. The length of time we retain said information will be determined based upon the following criteria: the length of time your personal information remains relevant; the length of time it is reasonable to keep records to demonstrate that we have fulfilled our duties and obligations; any limitation periods within which claims might be made; any retention periods prescribed by law or recommended by regulators, professional bodies, or associations; the type of contract we have with you, the existence of your consent, and our legitimate interest in keeping such information as stated in this Policy.
Use of Information Collected
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary does not sell, rent, or lease any of its customer lists and/or names to any third parties.
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary may collect and may make use of personal information to assist in the operation of our website and to ensure delivery of the services you need and request. At times, we may find it necessary to use personally identifiable information as a means to keep you informed of other possible products and/or services that may be available to you from www.mabts.edu and its subsidiaries.
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and its subsidiaries may also be in contact with you with regards to completing surveys and/or research questionnaires related to your opinion of current or potential future services that may be offered.
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary uses various third-party social media features including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other interactive programs. These may collect your IP address and require cookies to work properly. These services are governed by the privacy policies of the providers and are not within Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary’s control.
Disclosure of Information
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary may not use or disclose the information provided by you except under the following circumstances:
- As necessary to provide services or products you have ordered;
- In other ways described in this Policy or to which you have otherwise consented;
- In the aggregate with other information in such a way so that your identity cannot reasonably be determined;
- As required by law, or in response to a subpoena or search warrant;
- To outside auditors who have agreed to keep the information confidential;
- As necessary to enforce the Terms of Service;
- As necessary to maintain, safeguard, and preserve all the rights and property of Mid- America Baptist Theological Seminary.
Non-Marketing Purposes
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary greatly respects your privacy. We do maintain and reserve the right to contact you if needed for non-marketing purposes (such as bug alerts, security breaches, account issues, and/or changes in Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary products and services). In certain circumstances, we may use our website, newspapers, or other public means to post a notice.
Children Under Age 13
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary’s website is not directed to and does not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen (13). If it is determined that such information has been inadvertently collected on anyone under the age of thirteen (13), we shall immediately take the necessary steps to ensure that such information is deleted from our system’s database, or in the alternative, that verifiable parental consent is obtained for the use and storage of such information. Anyone under the age of thirteen (13) must seek and obtain parent or guardian permission to use this website.
Unsubscribe or Opt-Out
All users and visitors to our website have the option to discontinue receiving communications from us by way of email or newsletters. To discontinue or unsubscribe from our website, please send an email stating that you wish to unsubscribe to communications@mabts.edu. If you wish to unsubscribe or opt-out from any third-party websites, you must go to that specific website to unsubscribe or opt-out. Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary will continue to adhere to this Policy with respect to any personal information previously collected.
Links to Other Websites
Our website does contain links to affiliates and other websites. Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary does not claim nor accept responsibility for any privacy policies, practices, and/or procedures of other such websites. Therefore, we encourage all users and visitors to be aware when they leave our website and to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personally identifiable information. This Privacy Policy Agreement applies only and solely to the information collected by our website.
Notice to European Union Users
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary’s operations are located primarily in the United States. If you provide information to us, the information will be transferred out of the European Union (EU) and sent to the United States. (The adequacy decision on the EU-US Privacy became operational on August 1, 2016. This framework protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred to the United States for commercial purposes. It allows the free transfer of data to companies that are certified in the US under the Privacy Shield.) By providing personal information to us, you are consenting to its storage and use as described in this Policy.
Security
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary takes precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline. Wherever we collect sensitive information (e.g., credit card information), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the webpage.
While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers and servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment. This is all done to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, or modification of the user’s personal information under our control.
The company also uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) for authentication and private communications to build users’ trust and confidence in the internet and website use by providing simple and secure access and communication of credit card and personal information.
Acceptance of Terms
By using this website, you are hereby accepting the terms and conditions stipulated within the Privacy Policy Agreement. If you are not in agreement with our terms and conditions, then you should refrain from further use of our sites. In addition, your continued use of our website following the posting of any updates or changes to our terms and conditions shall mean that you agree and acceptance of such changes.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Privacy Policy Agreement related to our website, please feel free to contact us at the following email, telephone number, or mailing address:
Email: communications@mabts.edu
Telephone number: 901-751-3000
Mailing address:
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
2095 Appling Road
Cordova, Tennessee 38016
