La Sierra University

of Schools and Colleges, gave the university an eight-year accreditation extension despite concerns over academic freedom and institutional autonomy. La Sierra was accused of apostasy by the executive committee of the Michigan Conference, one of the church's regional governing bodies. In 2011, the denominational accreditation agency, the Adventist Accrediting Association, gave La Sierra an accreditation extension ending in 2012, but required it to make changes to better promote Adventist teachings.
In June 2011, three La Sierra University staff members resigned after a recording surfaced in which they were heard consuming alcohol and speaking critically of church officials. They alleged that they were compelled to resign in relation to the ongoing controversy but the university denied those allegations; the staff members sued the university but lost their case. Later that year, the board of trustees voted in favor of a proposal stating "that creation be taught in university classrooms as faith, rather than science, …