HOLISTIC STUDENT LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

We promote spiritual formation, academic growth and professional development over the life of each student. Recent improvements include:

• Launched scholarship programs: Heacock Scholars began in 2019 to attract and engage high-ability business students. In 2022, we greatly expanded scholarships for new business students, including vouchers for experiences like Study Abroad and Leadership Summit.

• Reimagined student engagement during the pandemic: The Lytle Center offered more speakers and small groups in Abilene and online, when we were unable to host Leadership Summit in Colorado. The Griggs Center launched an introductory entrepreneurship course for all business students. Several majors added a required internship. The college partnered with the university to pilot and implement Compass, a student development initiative recognized and supported by the Suitable software platform.

Compass helps students navigate holistic development

While great teaching is essential to what goes on inside COBA, the emphasis on students both inside and outside the classroom is key to their holistic learning and development. And that’s the reason COBA is partnering with the university in the design and implementation of the Compass initiative, which is supported by the Suitable software platform.

The Compass initiative begins with a customized roadmap showing key experiences the student can choose during their time at ACU and within COBA majors. Then, they utilize the Compass app or website to gain access to badges and activities that they can pursue at appropriate times during their journey. The student will also have a record of not only their spiritual formation activities such as Chapel, but all of their co-curricular experiences, including those within COBA.

COBA dean Dr. Brad Crisp (’93) and Derran Reese (’00), ACU’s director of experiential learning, presented this initiative at the 2022 Suitable Pathways conference in Philadelphia, where ACU Compass won two awards: Highest Student Engagement (91% engagement rate) and The Distinguished Program Award. Reese said Compass was designed to help students engage in activities and experiences that help them grow in various ways: intellectually, spiritually, professionally, etc.