SPRING2011
New Department of Education Rules | 10 Diversity Research Aids Goal of Reaching Underrepresented Student Groups Rocks, Fear, and a Giant Roar in the Land of the Pyramids | 36
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the civic engagement issue
inadvance civic engagement feature
COVER: New Department of Education Rules Impact CCCU Schools
10
From a new credit hour definition to new state oversight, expanded federal rules will affect your campus, but it isn’t too late to advocate. By Chelsea Farnam
Politics and Religion on the Christian College Campus: How Schools Can Foster Grace-filled Civic Dialogue
17
Christian colleges can graduate citizens who know how to dialogue rather than argue about civic issues. By Heidi Raass Spencer
Want to Encourage Civic & Social Engagement? Then Tell Me A Story
22
The stories of those who have preceded us can provide the best inspiration for engaging with the world’s needs. By Kami L. Rice
Diversity Research Aids Goal of Reaching Underrepresented Student Groups
30
New CCCU diversity research will help us meet the United States’ goal for college graduation rates and better represent God’s kingdom. By Sarah Trainor
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is an international higher education association of intentionally Christian colleges and universities. Founded in 1976 with 38 members, the Council has grown to 111 members in North America and 73 affiliates in 25 countries. The CCCU is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The mission of the CCCU is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help transform the lives of students by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth. Distribution CCCU Advance is published each year in the fall and spring and is mailed to members, affiliates and friends of the CCCU. It is also available online at www.cccu.org/advance. Direct questions and letters to the editor to editor@cccu.org. Advertising CCCU Advance is now accepting advertising from organizations that serve the students, faculty or administration of our campuses. For more information and/or to receive a Media Kit please email advertising@cccu.org. People Paul R. Corts, Ph.D.
President Shapri D. LoMaglio
Rocks, Fear, and a Giant Roar in the Land of the Pyramids
36
A MESP alumnus shares a first-hand view and photos of civic engagement in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. By Joel Carillet
Executive Editor Director of Government Relations & Executive Programs Kami L. Rice
Editor Kevin Zwirble
Graphic Designer
Web Extras
Jason Hohertz
Throughout Advance you will see the web extras icon. This indicates exclusive resources located online for our readers. Visit www.cccu.org/advance to access these extras.
Web Manager Ashley Walters
Copy Editor Stay connected with the CCCU on twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, vimeo & Issuu. Visit www.cccu.org/connect.
From the President . . . . . . . 1
R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
By Paul R. Corts
By Cynthia Tweedell
Editor’s Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Open Source . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
By Kami L. Rice
By Amy Goldman
Around the Council. . . . . . . 3
Going Global. . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The news of the CCCU offices
By Amy Goldman
From Capitol Hill . . . . . . . . . 9
The Last Word. . . . . . . . . . . 44
By Shapri D. LoMaglio
By Karen M. Cianci
On the Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
FSC Certified Seal
from the President
The Unexpected View from Inside the Beltway by Paul R. Corts, Ph.D.
F
olks who live in the nation’s capital city are
Phil Eaton, president at Seattle Pacific University and
occasionally accused of succumbing to
contributor of a column to this issue of Advance reminding
“Potomac fever,” the “Beltway mentality” or
us of the hope Christian higher education uniquely offers our
some other peculiar malady that infects the
culture, has written a new book entitled Engaging the Culture,
hearts and minds of those who work to shape
Changing the World. After giving a thoughtful review of the
American public policy. Such terms often carry a pejorative tone reflecting a frequent attitude heard around the country about a broken, strident, contentious political system that leaves Americans questioning, “Can anything good come out of Washington?” When I first moved to Washington nearly 10 years ago and entered government service, I brought some of that typical attitude with me, but it quickly began to change once I observed the city’s activity from the inside. I interacted with Congress in the legislative process; I participated in the executive branch of government where we took laws passed by Congress and put them into operation; and I became a local resident,
state of contemporary world cultures devoid of truth claims,
“As I travel our country and the world visiting our CCCU campuses, I am so optimistic and encouraged as I see students being well prepared academically and growing in spiritual formation...”
with great energy and passion he challenges Christian higher education to excel in winsomely engaging culture with Scripture’s truth claims, to be in the world expressing love to it while not being of the world and to use language the world will understand to build trust and convey the good news, joy and hope of the gospel. This is a clarion call for those of us here in Washington, a place that certainly needs this Spirit-infused, winsome engagement of culture, but it’s also a prophetic call for all in Christian higher education to develop students who will receptively engage culture with incarnate truth. As I travel our country and the world visiting our CCCU campuses, I am
Washington Post subscriber, local
so optimistic and encouraged as I
television news viewer and local talk
see students being well prepared
radio aficionado (a requirement to
academically and growing in spiritual
stay informed on the horrendous
formation as they prepare to go into the
traffic or the frequently delayed
part of the world God calls them to—
Metro system). Confronted and consumed by politics 24/7,
whether it be inside the Beltway, on the other side of the world,
incrementally the outsider became the insider who has
or anywhere in between—to be salt and light, ambassadors for
learned to mostly love it. Someone has to engage and do
the Truth—the Lord Jesus Christ—and the good news of the
public policy, so why not me or you?
Gospel. May it ever be so!
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 1
Editor’s note Fighting Against Extremes by Kami L. Rice
I
the opportunity CCCU schools have to engage civically, and in
budget cut or another, who is certain the world is falling apart
student groups to fill the United States’ looming shortage of
if the opposite side wins, or the cynic certain that caring about
educated workers.
t can be easy in our present civic moment to fall into one
Sarah Trainor’s article on the CCCU’s diversity research reveals
of two camps of extremity: the passionate advocate for one position or another, for one party or another, for one
Christ-like fashion, by preparing previously underrepresented
civic matters doesn’t matter, concluding gloomily that voting for Dancing with the Stars contestants has become the only way for one’s voice to be heard and vote counted. We hope with this issue to remind us all that the answer is somewhere in the middle. Disconcerting Department of Education regulations became the catalyst for the issue’s civic engagement theme, which our writers address from myriad angles.
And finally, Joel Carillet offers us a front-row seat to the civic engagement embraced by Egyptians as they fight for change in their country. In addition to our feature stories, all the usual department stories are here again. But we’ve expanded our book review section because, after all, we are book people. This expanded section embodies a subtle shift we’ve taken in smaller ways throughout this issue: We really hope for Advance to be a
In our cover story, “New Department of Education Rules Impact
publication that reminds you what’s distinctive about Christian
CCCU Schools,” Chelsea Farnam explains the nuts and bolts of
higher education, offers you resources that are helpful for your
these regulations, what they mean for our schools, and why we
campus work, and includes as many of your voices as possible.
need to engage our elected representatives on such issues. Her article is complemented by several of your voices in sidebars that we hope will make clear the importance of advocating on behalf of Christian higher education as well as erase the intimidation of approaching our representatives. In “Politics and Religion on the College Campus,” Heidi Raass Spencer reminds us that CCCU schools are well positioned to develop citizens who embrace civic engagement and avoid the trap of the ineffective extremes by learning to engage in civic conversation using biblical tools and grace-filled dialogue.
From subtle changes in the magazine’s art direction to expanded use of sidebars to icons highlighting extras available online, in our third year of publishing in this magazine format, we’re still tweaking and improving to ensure we are offering you a publication that’s worthy of claiming some of your day’s limited minutes. After you’ve read the articles, we’d love it if you would give us a few more of your minutes and write to tell us what you think. Email us at editor@cccu.org with the good, the bad and the ugly, or simply with ideas for future book reviews. Healthy relationships
“Want to Encourage Civic and Social Engagement? Then Tell
with government, community and with your Advance staff are best
Me A Story” considers the power of true stories—whether
fostered by two-way conversation. We’ve spoken in these pages,
their subjects were famous or not so well-known, successful or
and now we’re eager to stop speaking and listen to you. We hope
obviously flawed—to inspire both us and our students, guiding us
you will give us something to listen to.
into richer, more effective, more Christ-like relationships with our governments, our communities and our God-given callings.
2 CCCUAdvance spring2011
around the council From the President’s Office CCCU President Announces Retirement, Search Committee Formed WASHINGTON – The CCCU Board of Directors announced in January that President Paul R. Corts will retire at the end of June 2012. Corts has served as president of the CCCU since 2006. With his five-year term set to expire this year, Corts agreed to serve for one additional year, declining any further extension to his tenure. Corts said, “We are honored to be invited to extend our leadership of the CCCU and will happily do so for one more year. Serving in Christ-centered higher education has been a great love of our lives for Diane and me, but it is time for me to plan an orderly retirement from the relentless pressures of leading such a robust worldwide
Paul R. Corts delivering the opening remarks during the 35th Annual Presidents Conference. The CCCU Board of Directors announced in January that Corts will retire at the end of June 2012.
organization.”
elected chair of the CCCU Board of Directors, will oversee
New Board of Directors Officers Named
the presidential search process. The Board has appointed
WASHINGTON — At the CCCU’s
the following individuals to serve on the search committee:
annual business meeting conducted
Carl Zylstra (Dordt College), chair; Bob Brower (Point Loma
during the 35th Annual Presidents
Nazarene University); Sandra Gray (Asbury University);
Conference, held January 27-29 in
Kim S. Phipps; and Scott Whitaker (Biotechnology Industry
Washington, new leadership was
Organization).
announced for the Board of Directors.
Kim S. Phipps, president of Messiah College and newly-
“We are grateful for Paul’s leadership these past five years,”
Kim S. Phipps, president of Messiah College (PA), was named
said Phipps. “He has moved the Council forward in significant
the new chair of the Board of Directors. Phipps replaces Carl
ways, and we have appreciated the experience, insight and
Zylstra, president of Dordt College (IA), who served as chair
commitment to Christian higher education that have informed
for one two-year term. In addition, Gayle Beebe, president of
his leadership. We pray God’s blessings on Paul and Diane’s
Westmont College (CA), was named vice chair; Chip Pollard,
retirement, and we look forward to continuing our work together
president of John Brown University (AR), is now secretary; and
to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and
Mike O’Neal, president of Oklahoma Christian University (OK),
to provide for a smooth leadership transition.”
remains treasurer.
To learn more about the Presidential Search, visit www.cccu.org/news/presidentialsearch.
“I am honored to serve the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities as chair of the Board of Directors. I look forward to working with our talented administrative leadership and
Council Approves New Member and Affiliate At their January meeting, the CCCU Board of Directors
our member campuses to strategically advance the cause of Christian higher education,” said Phipps.
approved a new member institution, Hannibal-LaGrange
Henry Smith, president of Indiana Wesleyan University (IN),
University in Hannibal, Mo., and a new international affiliate,
was elected to the Board of Directors, while Phipps, Pollard
Universidad Nacional Evangélica in Santo Domingo, Dominican
and Sandra Gray, president of Asbury University (KY), were
Republic. There are now 184 CCCU members and affiliates
appointed to new three-year terms. O’Neal was re-appointed
around the world, with 111 member campuses in North
for one year.
America and 73 affiliate campuses in 25 countries. spring2011 CCCUAdvance 3
around the Council
Christianity Today International Forges Strategic Alliance with CCCU to Offer Christian College Search Website WASHINGTON -- The CCCU has launched a strategic partnership with Christianity Today International (CTI) to aid Christian families in the college search process. The CTI college website, www.christiancollegeguide.net, has been dramatically redesigned to exclusively feature CCCU North American member institutions in its search database. The newly-designed and upgraded website launches in May and includes expanded information on each school, enhanced school search and compare features, and numerous ways to connect with and request information from schools. Intended to assist college-bound students and their families who are exploring Christ-centered higher education options, the site also offers expert, trustworthy content on the college search and preparation process. It includes free articles on preparing for college, paying for college and life at college, all written from a Christian perspective.
Annual Awards Given for Leadership and Advancing Racial Harmony WASHINGTON -- At the CCCU Presidents Conference in January, Azusa Pacific University (CA) was awarded the Robert and Susan Andringa Award for Advancing Racial Harmony, celebrating the school’s achievements in making progress in the areas of diversity, racial harmony and reconciliation. George Marsden, the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, received the Mark O. Hatfield Leadership Award, which is presented to individuals who have demonstrated uncommon leadership reflecting the values of Christian higher education. Miroslav Volf, director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture Top: Jon Wallace, president of Azusa Pacific University (CA), accepts the Robert & Susan Andringa Award for Advancing Racial Harmony from Paul R. Corts (L), Andrea Cook, president of Warner Pacific College (OR), and Carl Zylstra, president of Dordt College (IA). Middle: Miroslav Volf, winner of the John R. Dellenback Global Leadership Award for Scholarship, is pictured with Mimi Barnard. Bottom: Paul R. Corts; George Marsden, the Mark O. Hatfield Leadership Award recipient; Chip Pollard, president of John Brown University (AR); and Carl Zylstra.
4 CCCUAdvance spring2011
and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale University Divinity School, was honored with the John R. Dellenback Global Leadership Award for Scholarship, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Christian higher education through scholarship, writing and public influence. George Marsden’s remarks from the awards ceremony are available online. Visit www.cccu.org/advance.
around the Council
Monograph Series Launched The CCCU has launched its Monograph Series, which features two formats: a narrative series and a research series. The first
producer of That 70’s Show, writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and many industry people who faithfully teach and mentor emerging LAFSC filmmakers.
monograph research publication, The CCCU and the Spiritual
Alumni celebrities present included Destin Cretton, director of
Development of Their Students, was released in January.
Sundance Film Festival’s 2009 Best Short Film, Short Term 12,
Written by University of Texas researchers Charles E. Stokes
and winner in 2010 of the most coveted screenwriting award in
and Mark D. Regnerus, this publication makes widely available
Hollywood, the Academy’s Nicholls Fellowship in Screenwriting,
a meta-analysis conducted in 2009 on current research in the
for his feature length screenplay of the same film.
area of spiritual formation.
Approximately 1300 students have completed LAFSC since
Caring for the President will be the first title released in the
its inception in 1991.
monograph narrative series. Designed for easy reading, quick reference and practical counsel, the narrative series will rely on personal experience and real-life stories. A digital edition of the first Monograph Series publication is available for purchase through the CCCU’s Amazon storefront. For more information, visit www.cccu.org/advance.
CMC Wraps First Two Semesters in New Nashville Location NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After nine years in Martha’s Vineyard, BestSemester’s Contemporary Music Center (CMC) relocated to a state-of-the-art music building in Nashville last fall.
Student Programs
CMC Director Warren Pettit says the decision to relocate was
LAFSC Marks 20th Anniversary with Celebration
“contemporary” in Contemporary Music Center, CMC decision-
LOS ANGELES -- Over 200 alumni and friends of BestSemester’s Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) gathered in Los Angeles on the evening of April 2 to celebrate
easy based on cumulative factors. Desiring to maintain the makers wanted to reflect changes in the music industry over the past nine years, which meant moving from an artists’ retreat model to an immersion model located in one of the country’s major music centers.
LAFSC’s 20th anniversary. The program included comments
Last fall and again this spring, CMC students tasted the life of
by Ken Bussema, CCCU vice president for student programs,
musicians and crew on the road during a capstone opportunity
and remarks from LAFSC founding director Doug Briggs and
to apply the skills they gained during the semester. Students
his wife, Fran.
from all three CMC tracks—artist, executive and technical—
Alumnus Timmy Morgan led a humorous skit that dramatized
fulfilled their industry roles in the real life context of a multi-
differences between LAFSC 1991 and LAFSC 2011.
stop regional concert tour.
An anniversary video chronicling LAFSC’s many semesters brought back a flood of memories. Karen Covell, producer and founder of the Hollywood Prayer Network, and her husband, film composer Jim Covell, closed the event in prayer. “I loved watching alums from many years past entering into
“[The tour] was a great opportunity to get real world experience in the music industry,” said Steve Harpine, a CMC student from Messiah College (PA) who served as a manager of the fall tour. “It really helps you figure out what details you need to manage, especially as an executive in this program.”
the celebration and finding delight with each other and hearing them talk about the enormous influence LAFSC has had on McSparran, director of LAFSC.
BestSemester Programs Offer Faculty Visit Opportunities
In attendance were actors Tony Hale (Arrested Development,
BestSemester programs regularly offer faculty development
their professional and spiritual lives,” said Rebecca Ver Staten-
Stranger than Fiction) and Doug Jones (The Silver Surfer,
opportunities that extend the programs’ benefits to faculty
Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), as well as producer Ralph Winter
while introducing them to the opportunities available to their
(X-Men series, Star Trek series), writer Dean Batali (executive
students. Two BestSemester culture-shaping programs, continued on page 6>>
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 5
around the Council from page 5>>
the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) and the Contemporary Music Center (CMC), scheduled faculty visits this semester. March 31- April 3 LAFSC hosted the Cinema Studies Conference for CCCU Academics, featuring the theme “Transcendence: Dark and Light” and held in conjunction with the Reel Spirituality Conference. Faculty from more than 15 schools attended. CMC is hosting a four-day professional development opportunity in Nashville for faculty and staff May 23-27. The workshop will help participants build, develop or expand
Presidential Changes The following institutions have experienced presidential transitions in the last year. The new presidents are listed with their start dates for each campus. Arizona Christian University (AZ): Len Munsil, September 2010 Southeastern University (FL): Kent Ingle, February 2011 Uganda Christian University (Uganda): John Senyonyi, October 2010
upon the contemporary music curriculum at their schools.
William Jessup University (CA): John Jackson, March 2011
BestSemester’s Washington, D.C.-based American Studies
Institutional Name Changes
Program (ASP) has the longest history of faculty visit opportunities and typically offers them once or twice per year, now in conjunction with BestSemester’s Washington Journalism
Southwestern College (AZ) is now Arizona Christian University.
Center (WJC). In addition, most summers see two study tour opportunities for faculty to visit BestSemester’s international
countries as targets for U.S. foreign direct investment in these
culture-crossing programs.
countries’ renewable energy development. AWS Corporation’s president used the research to support his presentation at a
ASP’s Global Development Enterprise Students Acquire Research Clients
conference in Morocco for Middle East/North Africa countries.
WASHINGTON – The Global Development Enterprise (GDE)
India Studies Program Director Chosen
team of BestSemester’s American Studies Program (ASP)
The CCCU is pleased to announce the appointment of
has been engaged by Leatherstocking, LLC, to conduct
Kirk McClelland as the inaugural program director for
a two-year research project focused on U.S.-Brazil joint
BestSemester’s India Studies Program (ISP), which
efforts to establish an indigenous transportation bio-fuels
launches this fall. McClelland will begin his role with the
industry in Sub-Sahara Africa.
CCCU on June 1. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in recreation
During the next four semesters, GDE teams will conduct rigorous field work, drawing heavily upon Washington resources to produce a report assessing the potential for collaboration among American and Brazilian commercial, governmental and non-profit organizations interested in developing a Sub-Sahara Africa bio-fuels industry. Last fall the GDE client was AWS Corporation, a Washingtonbased market development and consulting firm that represents non-U.S. governments, trade associations and corporations to U.S. governmental and commercial organizations. The firm’s mission is to advance sustainable economic and social development by assisting clients in establishing global markets for their goods and services. GDE students built a database and conducted an assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of four North African 6 CCCUAdvance spring2011
and leisure studies from Gordon College (MA) and a Master of Education in international education development from Boston University. He is currently working toward a doctorate in learning, leadership and community at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. McClelland’s rich base of international experience in 17 countries has prepared him well for his new role. After graduating from Gordon College, he volunteered in Uttarakhand, India, for a year, serving as a mentor with Tibetan refugees. While working as the director of service-learning and missions at Gordon for eight years, McClelland spent three summers leading teams of Gordon students on service-learning tours to five of India’s states–Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala. Students learned from Indian social activists and non-governmental organizations doing wide-ranging work.
around the Council
Most recently McClelland has been working in Plymouth State
ISP is the newest addition to the CCCU’s BestSemester line-up
University’s Global Education Office, serving as an adjunct
of 12 culture-shaping or culture-crossing student programs.
faculty member in the business department, assisting students
The CCCU’s other culture-crossing programs are in Australia,
with business internships and advising them on study abroad
China, Latin America, the Middle East, Uganda and the
programs, helping faculty organize short-term international trips,
United Kingdom.
and conducting four international site visits to study abroad programs to assess their viability for Plymouth State students. McClelland’s master’s thesis focused on a semester abroad program in India with a strong emphasis on service-learning.
ISP is launching in partnership with CCCU international affiliate CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Sciences (BACAS) in Coimbatore in southern India. ISP students will take two core courses—“Contemporary India:
“I believe Kirk brings to this position a variety of relevant
Culture, Society and Challenges” and “India’s Religious
experiences and skills, along with a strong commitment to
Landscape”—designed to provide a broad overview of the
faith-based cross-cultural education, all of which will help
historical, religious, geographical and economic landscape
us establish a very strong study program. His interest and
of India. The background of this basic understanding of
experience in India will serve our students well, and I am
India’s past and its contemporary context will equip students
looking forward to working with Kirk,” said Ken Bussema, the
to explore such issues as poverty, social justice, rapid
CCCU’s vice president for student programs.
social change and religious pluralism through the eyes and experience of Indian Christians.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 7
around the Council
During their semester in India, students will take additional
season with the Chief Enrollment Officers/Financial Aid
courses designed by BACAS faculty specifically for ISP students
Administrators Conference in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Since then the
and will have ample opportunity for immersion in the local
Council has helped to provide a variety of conferences and
and campus communities through such activities as attending
events that inform, encourage, challenge and inspire members.
BACAS chapel and participating in service opportunities with
They included:
BACAS students. As program director for ISP, McClelland will be the primary administrator, responsible for managing personnel, student development, curriculum, alumni programs, physical facilities and equipment on-site in India. McClelland, his wife and their two small children anticipate relocating to Coimbatore this summer. ISP students will arrive in India on September 7.
35th Annual Presidents Conference Campus Ministry Directors Conference • Chief Institutional Advancement Officers Conference • Chief Student Development Officers Conference • Chief Academic Officers Conference • Student Learning & Global Justice • •
Upcoming events include: • C.R.A.L.
Annual Conference: Enhancing the Quality of Christ-centered Adult Education May 23-25, 2011
Conferences & Events Upcoming CCCU Events
•
2011 Commission on Technology Conference May 31-June 3, 2011
This past January, the CCCU kicked off the 2011 conference
•
2011 Chief Financial Officers Conference June 1-3, 2011
•
2011 Chief Public Relations & Communications Officers Conference - June 15-18, 2011
•
2011 New Presidents Institute - July 9-12, 2011
•
2011 Governance Institute - July 14-16, 2011
• Changing
Faces: Cultural Competency, Diversity, and Reconciliation - Sept 25-26, 2011
• 2011
CCCU Genesis Conference Nov 10-12, 2011
For more information on the CCCU Conferences & Events schedule, visit www.cccu.org/conferences_events.
find your next vendor
CCCUVendor DirectorY: product & service providers to christ-centered higher education
To start your search, please visit cccu.org/vendordirectory.
8 CCCUAdvance spring2011
from capitol hill Constitution Matters: Let Your Government Hear from You By Shapri D. LoMaglio, J.D.
T
he First Amendment guarantees us the right
New members are subject to a steep learning curve, navigating
to “petition our government for a redress
the details of hundreds of complex policy issues while still
of grievances,” and we have certainly been
learning how to find the cafeterias! Your representatives will
exercising that right recently. For the last
appreciate your helping them get up to speed by seeking them
10 months the CCCU has been working to
out to share your thoughts and concerns.
combat some very intrusive regulations promulgated by the Department of Education that could potentially interfere with institutional autonomy and religious mission (see cover story). We have written letters to the Department of Education, met with its officials and with members of Congress, and urged you to do the same.
Inviting your representatives—newly elected or otherwise—to your campus for tours, events or guest lectures and visiting them when they are in your district, or when you come here to Washington, are key ways to introduce yourself to them and start building relationships with those elected to represent you and your campus. Equally important can be building relationships
We have been encouraged by your response. Many college
with their staff through these same opportunities. If you are
presidents, provosts, financial aid administrators and others
lucky enough to have an alum serving on your congressional
on CCCU campuses have contacted public officials regarding
representative’s staff, you already have a head start.
their concerns. We have also been encouraged by the reception you have been greeted with: your representatives respect your voice and value your opinion. Time and time again, congressional representatives have emphasized how much they want to hear from you. Associations in Washington are important and respected voices, but ultimately representatives want to hear from their constituents, especially those from respected institutions like yours.
In the short time I have been with the Council, I have repeatedly seen evidence of how highly the CCCU and its schools are regarded here in Washington. People are happy to meet with me when I tell them I am with the CCCU. While the issues will change from Congress to Congress, your congressional representatives’ desire to hear your voice and the perspective of your institution does not. This makes “petition[ing] our government” a little less daunting.
Reaching out to elected representatives in Washington is particularly important right now in light of the recent election results. With 93 freshman representatives and 13 freshman senators in the 112th Congress, one out of five members is new. These new members might not be familiar with your institution, the value you contribute to your community, or the larger movement of Christ-centered higher education.
Shapri LoMaglio is the Government Relations and Executive Programs Director at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 9
civic engagement
New Department of Education Rules Impact CCCU Schools New rules published by the Department of Education last October have shaken awake CCCU members and other higher education institutions who often haven’t felt a pressing need to appeal to their congressional representatives or to push back against the Department of Education. The department’s new Program Integrity Issues regulations contain measures that expand federal oversight of higher education in some troubling ways. Blair Dowden, president of Huntington University, spoke on behalf of the CCCU and its colleges at a congressional subcommittee hearing on March 11, expressing concern about the extensive new oversight inherent in the regulations. “The American higher education system is the best in the world,” Dowden said in his address, “largely because of its independence, innovation and creativity. I believe that these regulations work to undermine, rather than strengthen, those valuable characteristics.”
10 CCCUAdvance spring2011
By Chelsea Farnam
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 11
Tips for Government Engagement by College Presidents By John Martin President Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, New York
DO: • Make yourself known to your elected officials. Make appointments to see him or her at his/her office. • Hire a government relations official and use this person as much as possible. Make sure the campus knows this person is responsible for contact with elected officials. Make sure elected officials know this person speaks for you or at least has your ear so messages can go back and forth efficiently. • Invite elected officials to campus for special events, even if they cannot come. • Make sure the officials have time with students—most love to interact with college students. • Visit Washington as often as possible and get to know the staff of the representatives and senators. Know the staff by name. Remember things about them. • Volunteer to serve on committees for your elected officials. I serve on an education advisory board for Congressman Christopher Lee, who represents half of our campus. • Invite your elected officials to use your campus for their events. We had one of the town-hall meetings about health care on our campus for our then-Congressman Eric Massa.
Burdensome and Unclear Rules The regulations include two particularly disconcerting rules. One expands the existing state oversight role by adding new requirements to the current minimally-invasive law under which each state has been authorizing all colleges educating students
• Go to fund-raisers and events for your elected officials.
in that state. The federal rules fail to give clear specification for
• Visit your state capital and get to know your representatives there.
what exactly these new state approvals will entail. The regulations
• Remember the importance of local officials—they are important in zoning issues, complaints that inevitably come to the campus, building plans, master planning and community image. Make sure you treat them all with respect and dignity.
also add new rules for institutions conducting distance learning. Under the regulations, colleges could be required to obtain some sort of license or authorization in every state where they are operating distance or correspondence courses. In other words,
DON’T: • Don’t be afraid to ask for earmarks, member items or letters to help you get funding from government agencies. • Don’t take elected officials for granted. Use every opportunity to stress the importance of Christian higher education to them. • Don’t assume that they understand the unique place of Christian higher education in our society. Research your elected representatives to discover their understanding of faith and society. Knowing where they went to college (was it public or private?) will also help you understand them. • Don’t underestimate the importance of being a college president or of speaking for a college president if you are a government relations expert. Presidents carry a lot of weight for a number of reasons. • Don’t try to be “buddy-buddy” with elected officials. We do not want to be seen too much as allies. • Don’t think your elected officials on the state or federal level will always be your friend. There will be times when they are diametrically opposed to things that we hold near and dear. But remember to treat them with respect all the time.
authorization could be needed from every state where at least one student taking a college’s online courses resides. This increased weight of bureaucracy will be felt not only at the administrative level but will extend to the classroom as well. A second troubling new rule creates a federal definition for the credit hour. In an attempt to standardize the credit hour, the Department of Education regulations call for every course--including music classes, lab sciences and practicum courses--to be examined and altered to fit the federal definition. That definition creates a standard formula for the credit hour: one hour in the classroom plus two hours of student work outside class per week. These sweeping new regulations are slated to go into effect July 1, forcing colleges to scramble toward compliance in just a few months. The regulations were finalized Oct. 29, 2010, and the Department of Education promised to publish “Dear Colleague” letters clarifying many of the questions surrounding the implementation of these regulations soon after. Instead, these
12 CCCUAdvance spring2011
civic engagement
letters were not published until the week of March 14, giving
instances the sweep of the proposed regulations and the increase
institutions just over 100 days to comply. Furthermore, the letters
in administrative workloads that would affect all institutions does
have been widely panned in the higher education community as
not seem justified to stop a relatively small number of schools from
hardly worth the wait because they create as many questions as
engaging in some fraudulent or unlawful activities.”
they answer and leave previous concerns firmly intact.
Separately, the CCCU sent comments asking the department
“I think [the regulations] are unnecessary because the present
“to reevaluate the broad impact of these rules. Instead of
system [of accreditation agencies] is a workable system,” said
adding such sweeping regulatory requirements, we ask that
Dowden. “I think these two parts of the legislation are really
the proposals be directed at schools that have committed bad
based on just a handful or a small number of institutions that
acts, so that the stated goal is accomplished without creating
have had difficulty. I think they’re a reaction to that rather than to
expensive and cumbersome regulations for all schools.”
an actual problem.”
Dowden, a past CCCU Board chair, decided to take his concerns
The rules are a reaction, in particular, to some colleges engaging
straight to Capitol Hill. One of four panel members at the March
in financial aid fraud. The offending colleges, which are generally
11 “Education Regulations: Federal Overreach into Academic
for-profit institutions, seek to establish their operations in states
Affairs” hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education
with weak regulations. Without outside oversight, some schools then create curriculums with disproportionately easy coursework that is rewarded with full credit hours. The result is an inflated system where students are graduating underprepared for the workplace and overburdened with debt to the federal government. “The CCCU supports the federal government’s money being spent wisely, schools not engaging in fraud, waste, and abuse, and students having the information they need to ensure the schools they’re going to will give them a good value for the money they’re spending,” said Shapri LoMaglio, director
and Workforce Training, Dowden
“The American higher education system is the best in the world, largely because of its independence, innovation and creativity.”
offered legislators an inside look into the
Blair Dowden President Huntington University
instructors could also use an “equivalent”
of government relations and executive programs for the CCCU. “But the department, with these regulations, used
Register on June 18, 2010, and finalized on October 29, 2010. Despite almost 2,000 comments asking for changes, clarifications and removal of some parts in their entirety, the rules were finalized with largely the same content.
“The effort to transform the credit hour into a simple accounting unit used for bookkeeping shows, I believe, a fundamental misunderstanding of the credit hour,” Dowden said in the hearing. “A credit hour is not only different from institution to institution, but is different even within an institution from program to program.” In an effort to provide some flexibility for different learning methods, a change in the final credit hour regulation provided that to the seat time formula. However, this flexibility produces confusion, since understanding of an equivalent comports
the problems they’re trying to fix.”
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was posted in the Federal
to institutions of higher education.
institutions are uncertain whether their
a hatchet and not a scalpel to address
Increased Administrative Workloads
obstacles these regulations would present
with the governing agency’s. John Ebersole, president of New York’s Excelsior College, a not-for-profit online school, joined Dowden on the panel at the hearing. He estimated that Excelsior would have to factor in $150,000-200,000 annually for the increased fees and additional staff needed for compliance. But that estimate is only a shot in the dark, as each state will have its own unique requirements for
Comments submitted by the American Council on Education and
authorization, and the Department of Education has not proposed
signed by the CCCU and more than 70 other higher education
an effort to unify them.
associations and accrediting agencies noted, “In too many spring2011 CCCUAdvance 13
The regulations do declare that religious colleges are eligible for
2009, the highest annual rate on record. Those numbers did
an exemption from the requirements. But on closer examination,
not even factor in students at for-profit colleges.
very few colleges are included in that narrow definition, one so
Aware of those numbers, the Department of Education wants to
narrow that none of the colleges in the CCCU would qualify. In
make sure students have the best possible chance at succeeding
order to be exempted, an institution must solely offer religious
in the workforce and locating gainful employment rather than
degrees, making all religious liberal arts schools subject to state
racking up debt on the government’s tab in exchange for an
authorization.
inadequate education. It views these new regulations as the way
Attempting to Protect Students
to accomplish this.
While these regulations are sweeping and cumbersome, some view
“Every year the federal government spends billions of dollars
action by the federal government as justified. According to a recent
on student financial aid,” said Representative Ruben Hinojosa,
study by the Institute for College Access and Success, student loan debt is increasing at the same rate it has been for years, but jobs are becoming more scarce, binding the federal government and recent
student aid dollars.”
The Institute for College Access and Success is an independent,
Finding a Better Solution
non-profit group whose goal is to make college affordable and
In a podcast discussing the new regulations, CCCU President
available to people of all backgrounds. Their Project on Student
Paul Corts acknowledged that oversight is needed in the face of
Debt, published in October 2010, found that the class of 2009 graduated with an average of $24,000 in student loan debt, up 6 with the last four annual increases. However, the unemployment rate for young college grads, the study says, rose from 5.8 percent in 2008 to 8.7 percent in
and Workforce Training. “It’s imperative that Congress and the Department of Education provide strong oversight of these federal
grads together in an unfortunate predicament.
percent from the previous year. That increase is generally on par
ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education
fraudulent practices and increasing debt. However, he suggested that other avenues be taken. “We want to be supportive of rooting out the bad actors,” he said. “The department already has plenty of tools to root out waste, fraud and abuse, and they haven’t used those. … If the regional
If at First You Don’t Want to Advocate, Try Again By Jay Barnes President Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota Meeting with members of our congressional delegation was not something I wanted to do. Yet, it seemed important given all the issues facing us in Christian higher education. The preliminary briefing done by Shapri LoMaglio and others during the government relations pre-conference preceding the CCCU’s Presidents Conference in January really helped me understand the issues so I could talk about them with the three elected officials, all Democrats, on my schedule. My first stop was Senator Al Franken’s office where I met with his higher education aide. Franken was instrumental in increasing Pell Grant funding, and I wanted to convey my appreciation for that. However, his aide was not well versed on the program integrity issues related to credit hour definition and state registration. I was able to describe our concerns and share material provided by the CCCU. The second stop was Representative Betty McCollum’s office. I was overwhelmed by the warm welcome I received from her chief of staff. He was more conversant with the issues and
14 CCCUAdvance spring2011
welcomed the additional information I was able to provide. It was also helpful that I could describe positive things Bethel University was doing in McCollum’s district that tied to her concerns for urban poor and public education. The last stop was for a personal meeting with Senator Amy Klobuchar. Unexpectedly, she was giving a speech on the Senate floor, so her aide took us to the Senate chamber where we met with the senator in a lounge area. She was very familiar with our issues and had been in several conversations about them with other senators. I discovered that she had also been extensively briefed by the for-profit universities located in Minnesota. In spite of my hesitation, I found these meetings to be a very energizing and helpful experience. I realized that our congressional representatives see advocates for different positions daily, and we need to be among them. I concluded that it was important for me to know better the people whose decisions affect us all.
civic engagement
New Reality, New Responsibilities By Alan Cureton President Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota
In my first few years as president of Northwestern College my focus was on the institution, not outside issues. Hence, the attention I gave Washington was nominal except for communications from the CCCU or the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).
accreditation is a problem, let’s get that fixed. Why throw all of that system out and adopt … direct government control of everything?” Under the new regulations, accreditation agencies will continue in their existing role, but they have been instructed to enforce the new credit hour definition as part of their regular evaluations. “We get millions of dollars from the federal government in financial aid, so I’m not saying we don’t need to be accountable,” said Dowden. “But this is an overreach of accountability. There are mechanisms in place for accountability in addition to what the accrediting bodies do to protect the integrity of institutions and the education process.” In taking his concerns to Congress, Dowden said he hoped to encourage legislators to rescind the state authorization and credit hour regulations, but he would be pleased if their implementation is at least delayed. “The action now is on the congressional level,” said Dowden. “Hopefully there will be some movement, at the very least, to postpone the implementation of those two regulations for a year and to have some continuing discussion and dialogue.” As the July enforcement date quickly approaches, concerned individuals can still contact the secretary of education to ask the department to rescind the regulations or contact their federal representatives and senators to ask that Congress defund them. Without funding, the regulations will still be on record, but would
Historically, Northwestern has never had a model of strong government interaction. We were not naïve about the federal government’s influence upon the lives of our students; we simply had little interest in federal regulations. Times have changed. It is important that we do, too. American higher education has evolved to meet the demands of our society and economy. And with the growing role of federal financial aid programs, the federal government, appropriately seeking accountability and dialogue, is becoming more intrusive in its policies and procedures within the realm of higher education. Therefore, we must engage. The line between public and private universities is waning in the eyes of the federal government. As the volume of funding for federal financial aid programs increases, those increases are receiving more attention from the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. As regulations increase, so should accountability. Accountability expectations are normal and appropriate. It is the new reality. We must expect more scrutiny, regulations and administrative oversight. But because these regulations are being written by department or committee staff who have never administered a financial aid program or worked within the realm of higher education, we must help educate and advise them. We do so by reaching out and establishing relationships to help them understand the importance of mission, purpose and history. Thus, those of us who live outside the Beltway must present a voice of reason for what we do and why we do it. Because of the new reality, my responsibilities as president also include lobbying congressional members. We must put new wine into new wine skins. The old skins no longer work.
be essentially dead in the water. “I oppose these regulations because they unnecessarily interfere with the good work that my institution and many others are doing, because they have the likelihood of raising costs without delivering value to students, and because they create the potential for misunderstanding, misapplication and even mischief by politically motivated state actors,” said Dowden at the close of
Chelsea Farnam, a 2010 graduate of Milligan College, participated in the Scholars’ Semester at Oxford her senior year. After spending a year reporting for the Johnson City Press, Chelsea now works as a marketing writer for IBM Global Technology Services and resides in Johnson City, Tenn.
his address to the congressional subcommittee. spring2011 CCCUAdvance 15
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The Importance of a Robust Government Relations Program For CCCU Institutions By Kelly E. Smith Associate Vice President Government, Corporate, and Foundation Relations Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, New York
Why Government Relations Are Important Unlike other stakeholders, local, state and federal governments have legislative and regulatory power over our institutions. There are local matters such as the rulings of town planning boards or federal issues like the recently passed direct lending portion of the higher education act that can dramatically affect our colleges. Developing a relationship with officials is critical so that they can understand our priorities and we can understand theirs. As we do with our traditional stakeholders, they need to be cultivated, cared for and communicated with on a regular basis. This is especially true of CCCU institutions, which are truly Christcentered and not just church affiliated. We have the very important task of educating our governmental entities about our brand of education, how it is unique, and why it is important to the educational fabric of our region and nation.
Recent Issues Which Make Our Task of Government Relations Even More Important There are a number of issues emerging that will need our special attention over the next year or two. Some are unique to CCCU schools, but some are not. Though only five are listed here, there are others which will demand our attention as well. • The right to hire according to mission. This right, currently in place at the federal level, is tenuous, at best. It is increasingly being chipped away at the state and local level, and these attempts have also been made at the federal level. • Weakened regional accrediting bodies. There are some in the federal education establishment who would like to abolish peer reviewed accreditation and move toward governmental control. • The move to direct lending by the federal government. The federal government is now the lender, not just the guarantor of the loans. Congress and the Department of Education will be even more interested in what happens to their “clients,” that is the borrowing students, on our campuses. • Questions about pricing and discounting. Fortunately, Congress seems to have moved away from talking about price controls, which actually were proposed several years ago. Now the focus seems to be on financial aid, the average awards and the way colleges use their endowments.
16 CCCUAdvance spring2011
• Questions about the price of textbooks and the “real” cost of college. As of this summer every college will have to publish on its web site every textbook for every course, along with its price so that prospective students will be able to calculate the real cost of attending college.
How to Build a Strong Government Relations Program Building a strong program is akin to building a good advancement strategy or a good marketing and communications plan. It takes time, effort, financial resources and the proper personalities. Here are four very important points. • Presidential involvement is crucial. If the president is not involved, the program will flounder. There is power in a presidential visit to a mayor, city councilperson, state senator, assembly person, congressperson or a federal senator. • The right person must head up the office. The person should be interested in current events, knowledgeable about the people and structures involved, and have great people skills. This person also must be able to articulate the college’s position on the issues in front of important elected officials. This person must be the same kind of person that the institution trusts to interface with board members and major donors. • Realize that each governmental entity and elected official is like a major donor which must be cultivated. Whether obtaining financial support, influencing legislation, adding weight to another educational group’s suggestions, or helping your region advance through legislation, this can only happen if you already have a relationship with the elected officials and the governmental entities. This is no different from any donor or foundation relation. It takes cultivation.
• Recognize that a government relations program is a long-term commitment. This is not something that can be entered and exited quickly. Institutions have ongoing relationships with towns, counties, states and the federal government. You are establishing or deepening a relationship that will go on far beyond your presidency. This article can be viewed in its entirety at www.cccu.org/advance.
How Schools can Foster Grace-filled Civic Dialogue
By Heidi Raass Spencer
From 24-hour cable news to AM and XM radio stations to internet bloggers, political bickering has long filled the nation’s airwaves and, in years more recent, the country’s cyber traffic. Most Americans agree that part of what makes a democracy thrive is the freedom to debate and disagree on virtually every issue facing the United States. However, when this dialogue becomes filled with name-calling and personal attacks and assigns God to a particular political
civic engagement
party, what should be the response of the Christian and, in
place to foster civil political discourse, they believe, providing
particular, the Christian college?
students with the opportunity to learn how to disagree agreeably.
Several years ago students at Northwestern College in St. Paul,
“Christians should be setting the example for the world,” Fenrick
Minn., felt compelled to start a College Democrat Club in reaction
stated. “Scripture tells us to love, to seek peace and pursue it, and
to an upcoming election, according to adjunct professor Dr.
to be engaged in dialogue with gentleness and respect. I think
David Fenrick, who also directs Northwestern’s Center for Global
Christian colleges should be giving students the tools about how
Reconciliation and Cultural Education (C-GRACE). Years earlier an
to have respectful discourse within the community of faith.
on-campus Republican Club had been established, but for these
These involve skills for listening as well as speaking.”
Democratic students, they felt their voice wasn’t being heard.
For Fenrick and the students at Northwestern, the approach to
Unfortunately, other students on campus told these students
respectful dialogue is both taught and modeled by their faculty
they could not be committed Christians and also be Democrats.
and staff. In recent years one of the ways Northwestern has done
Editorials in the campus newspaper publically took aim at the
this is through “breakout chapels,” where various departments
students’ efforts. “The response was so discouraging they
and student groups sponsor chapels and forums that foster civil
eventually backed down and didn’t move forward with their club,”
dialogue on difficult issues. Many of these “hot topics” have
Fenrick shared. “My response was: Do we really want to link
theological undertones, but the goal is to generate grace-filled
Christianity with a particular political party? Instead, as Christians, we must remain filled with grace, choosing to abstain from political shouting matches and demeaning people of different political opinions.” Dr. Corwin Smidt, professor of political science at Calvin College and director of the Henry Institute in Grand Rapids, Mich., agrees. “Committed Christians may have the same moral stand on an issue, but they may approach that issue with two completely different ways to solve the problem.” The sin nature into which we are all born affects our ability to discern what is right or which political philosophy to embrace,
“Scripture tells us to love, to seek peace and pursue it, and to be engaged in dialogue with gentleness and respect.”
Smidt continued. “There is often a moral ambiguity in politics, which is why we need to be careful in ascribing that our
David Fenrick Professor Northwestern College
discussions. Two professors present opposing viewpoints on a difficult topic, such as racism and reconciliation, the role of women in the church and society, or forgiveness and repentance. These breakout chapels also include a time for question and answer, and the entire forum is presented in a Christ-like, respectful way, allowing everyone to be heard. “Teaching students how to have healthy discourse by the faculty modeling respectful dialogue has been very positively received,” he said. “A student may hear another student ask a question during the Q & A time, and it may come as a surprise to others. Later they may ask that person, ‘I didn’t know you felt that way. Tell me why you think that.’” Students want to talk about difficult issues,
politics are right, remembering that even
Fenrick added. “An institution of higher
those we call our political opponents bear
learning should be the place where they
the image of God.” Grace-filled Dialogue Fenrick and Smidt also agree that for college students to learn
can come and ask difficult questions. We are trying to give them that opportunity at Northwestern. That is why these chapels are well attended and well received.”
how to have civil dialogue with people from varying political
Another way Northwestern College attempts to foster civility,
perspectives, they must have examples. Since those examples
respect and understanding among a diverse student body is
are not typically found In the news media and sometimes are not
through a residence hall called the Antioch House. Students
even found in local churches, the Christian college is the perfect
from all different backgrounds, races, nationalities and political
18 CCCUAdvance spring2011
persuasions form a community and “live out the gospel of reconciliation,” as they practice hospitality toward one another. “It’s an intentional community motivated by God’s desire that we be reconciled to one another. Antioch House provides an opportunity
We Have Something More To Offer By Philip W. Eaton President Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington
for students to live, learn and serve together. This fosters love, respect and understanding,” Fenrick said. The Henry Institute Created in 1997, the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics was formed at Calvin College to promote serious reflection on the interplay between Christianity and public life by becoming a national forum for research, dialogue and information on their interaction. Through the Henry Institute, Calvin students have a very practical opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the political process and engage in living it out. Each year the Institute sponsors approximately 20 students for a semester in Washington, D.C., where they work four days per week in an internship and spend one day in the classroom. Internship sites have included congressional offices, think tanks and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Students have even interned for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and at the White House. “The semester allows students on both sides of the political aisle to put their faith in action,” Smidt explained. “It’s a great experience,” he continued, “allowing students to see first-hand why Christians have a responsibility to understand and get involved in the political process. To the extent that you’re not involved, you’re not heard. To remove your voice ensures that your voice won’t be heard. And, you don’t have to shout to be heard. We must teach our students the importance of politics and its impact on our culture.” Promoting Civility in the Classroom and on Campus Another way Smidt practically helps foster civil political dialogue on campus is in the classroom through his own personal example. Rather than using his classroom as a bully pulpit to espouse his political views, Smidt holds back, choosing not to reveal his personal political viewpoints unless specifically asked. “I try to provide a forum for balanced discussion, enabling students to come to their own conclusions. This fosters critical thinking skills and allows students with differing viewpoints the freedom to be heard with respect.” This approach to teaching doesn’t require a broad-based institute.
In Academically Adrift, their recent, much-noted indictment on the failure of higher education in America today, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa point out that “the future of a democratic society depends upon educating a generation of young adults who can think critically, reason deeply, and communicate effectively.” Their conclusions are deeply troubling, to say the least. “We find disturbing evidence,” they conclude, “that many contemporary college academic programs are not particularly rigorous or demanding. Moreover, students rarely seem to focus on academic pursuits; many appear to be academically adrift in today’s colleges and universities.” According to Arum and Roksa, we are failing at the job our society has called us to do. It appears we have become so inwardly focused on ourselves that we are failing at our own stated aspirations to graduate students who will make a difference in the world. We who are leaders in Christian higher education must answer these indictments for our colleges and universities. We must determine whether our students are being equipped to “think critically, reason deeply, and communicate effectively,” and if we are failing, we must aggressively go about reorienting ourselves around these goals. But as I read these damning assertions about the failures of higher education, I kept thinking there must be something more to our aspirations for a college education. Part of the reason, perhaps, that students seem to be “academically adrift,” is that the university of our day is not giving them a compelling reason for why they should master these skills. Is it enough to pursue financial security and success, for example, as the goal of education? Are we adequately connecting the pursuit of skills and competencies with a big and meaningful idea for their lives? This is where the purpose of the Christian university must enter the picture. We have something more to offer our students. As Christians we have a vision for our lives and for our world that is much bigger than ourselves. We are called into God’s promise that he will make all things right in the end. This is the hope in which we do our work, master our skills, accomplish our learning. We are called to bring hope into the world we serve. Now that’s a big idea that can reframe the reason for learning. We recognize the need to master the competencies so much needed in our world, but we master those skills so that we might align ourselves with God’s love for his world. God wants all of his children to flourish, and it is our job, as educators and leaders, to keep our eyes focused on that goal. Perhaps then we and our students will find ourselves, not adrift in our academic work, but energized and focused and emboldened. A review of Academically Adrift can be found on page 26.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 19
civic engagement
While Smidt noted that the Henry Institute has been valuable for
He also noted that while enthusiasm for engaging in politics waxes
promoting the integration of faith and politics, some colleges may
and wanes with election cycles, students graduating from Calvin
not have the resources to begin such an endeavor.
and many other Christian colleges and universities serve their communities in multiple ways. “Not only have we seen students
“So much can be accomplished with very little,” he offered.
become congressmen, but students are running non-profit
“Bringing in a variety of guest speakers or providing students
organizations and serving as public school teachers in tough
with a forum for civil civic discourse can be done with minimal
neighborhoods. Many of our grads are engaged in serving their
funding.”
culture and local community, using whatever their gifts may be for
At Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan., one of the ways President Hal Hoxie has promoted respectful civic discourse
The same has proven true for students at Northwestern. One
is through the inclusion of courses like Social Problems and
of the students who founded Antioch House now serves her
Contemporary Culture and Worldview, which investigates
community by working at a school with kids labeled “too far
different worldviews that are the foundation for many political and social perspectives, in the school’s core curriculum. “Students are encouraged to discover how others think and view issues in modern society,” Hoxie said. “The intent of the course is to assist in the development of civil discourse based on mutual understanding and an appreciation for diversity.” Hoxie also stated that the school recently “restarted” its student government, which simply offers students practical, collegiate opportunities to debate and engage in campus-wide issues.
the public good.”
gone,” engaging these students with love
“Students are encouraged to discover how others think and view issues in modern society.”
Engaging Results When students are provided with the models for respectful civic dialogue in the classroom, in
Hal Hoxie President Central Christian College
forums, in practical ways on campus or through working in our nation’s capital, the impact can be seen as students, in turn, engage their
and respect. Another grad has spread the principles of the Antioch House to another Christian college’s residence life staff. Hoxie concluded, “The political rhetoric of our time can be very heated and personal, and many people try to paint a picture that someone with a differing viewpoint is stupid, evil or not worthy of governing. I think this is a dangerous change in our behavior as Americans, and the primary change has come from taking God and his grace out of the political process. I want to encourage our young people that our system can work. It is the best form of free government, and Christians must engage, they are called to engage, using the biblical tools we teach at Christian colleges -- tools of mutual respect, prayer, grace, serving others, integrity and service before self.”
culture in public service. “About half of our students who return from their semester in Washington, D.C., return to the capital at some point in their futures -- on both sides of the aisle. We’ve had students who have brought their Christian faith to work for the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee and in a host of other political roles,” Smidt said.
20 CCCUAdvance spring2011
Heidi Raass Spencer, a ’97 Asbury University alumna, is the former associate editor of the Ambassador, Asbury University’s alumni magazine, and has authored numerous articles for newspapers, magazines and non-profit organizations. In 2007, Heidi was a contributing writer for Meredith Publishing’s Along the Way, Real Life Moments Touched by God. She lives all over the world with her husband, an active-duty U.S. Air Force Chaplain, and their three children, but today she calls MacDill AFB in Tampa, Fla., her home.
William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833) a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.
22 CCCUAdvance spring2011
civic engagement
Want to Encourage Civic & Social engagement? Then Tell Me a Story By Kami L. Rice When I first heard the story of William Wilberforce and his fight
first post-college jobs in D.C., we embarked on a short-lived but
to end the slave trade, the film Amazing Grace was still 10 years
well-intended mimic.
away from bringing an account of his setbacks and eventual victory to the present-day masses.
Calling ourselves the Urban Justice Corps (UJC), we met regularly to study literature and Scripture about social justice issues, discuss
I don’t remember now whether my instructors somehow
solutions, and do related service projects. In the end, UJC lasted
emphasized the Clapham Sect part of the story or whether my
only for a summer, but it was an early attempt at applying what
affinity to this group of activists and advisors was more natural
we’d acquired from the Clapham Sect’s example, and it provided
than that. Either way, though, as the inspiring historical tale
an entrée for learning how to live out our faith outside the guided
unfolded in our Capitol Hill classroom while I wrapped up my
environment of formal education.
college career with an American Studies Program (ASP) semester, I found Wilberforce admirable.
Years later, as God writes my story of callings that feel too big and too impossible for me to carry alone and as I seek to live
But I was most enamored with his friends, the Clapham Sect,
“where my deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” in
who helped keep him on track, encouraged him to use his
Frederick Buechner’s memorable words, I’ve been deeply grateful
political influence for good, and did grassroots work to advance
for the “Clapham Sect friends” God has given me to prod me
the fight.
faithfully onward.
Some of my ASP compatriots and I were so captivated by the
Years later, it’s also stories such as Wilberforce’s and the Clapham
Clapham Sect and all the other things we learned during ASP
Sect’s that I remember more vividly than I remember the words
that a few months later when five of us were ensconced in our
of most of the college lectures I diligently took notes on. Because story has power. spring2011 CCCUAdvance 23
Ministry Doesn’t Require a Church Job
in more than 20 years was released. Authored by Richard
“I’ve never been an evangelist. I’ve never wanted to work in
BestSemester’s programs in Oxford, Shaftesbury the Great
ministry. I may be a toe in the body of Christ, but everyone
Reformer records the story of Shaftesbury’s wide-ranging social
needs a toe, [and] I like that I can live out my personal beliefs
reform and public advocacy activities over more than 60 years
in my public life. It doesn’t get more public than working for the
and his ability to combine them with a commitment to classic
government,” said Kenny Miller with passion during a recent
evangelical mission.
Turnball, principal of Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall, the school that hosts
phone interview and catch-up conversation.
“Shaftesbury displayed both humility and tenacity,” wrote
Miller, a graduate of Malone University and alum of ASP as well
Turnball in an email interview. “He provides a role model for civic
as BestSemester’s Latin American Studies Program, was one of
engagement and a challenge to evangelicalism, encouraging
my UJC cohorts. He now serves as deputy resident director in
us not to compromise belief but to emerge from our ‘bunker
El Salvador for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the seven-year-old U.S. foreign aid agency that fights global poverty using new models for delivering U.S. foreign assistance. For Miller, it’s the story of Vaclav Havel, the Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician, that he remembers best from his college years. Miller selected a book on Havel as the text required for accompanying his ASP internship with the United Nations. “The main message I found very unique was putting a vocation into perspective with a personal faith,” he says. “In a job [president of Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic] that he didn’t necessarily want but was chosen for, [Havel] took on the public policy of recreating a nation-state without
“From Wilberforce to Havel to Shaftesbury, stories of passionate role models imbue students with motivating visions of the impact possible by lives lived persistently...”
mentality’ and bring Christian faith to bear upon the issues of our day with confidence.” From Wilberforce to Havel to Shaftesbury, stories of passionate role models imbue students with motivating visions of the impact possible by lives lived persistently despite setbacks, of lives lived in response to God’s call, and of lives lived engaged in communities. As Turnball says of Shaftesbury, “He shows what can be achieved over time and with faith and is an example of how to serve Christ in the public square.” Don’t Live Only for the Big Moments The inspiration Samantha Bender found in Freya Stark’s story, as recorded in The Passionate Nomad by Jane Geniesse, took a less expansive and
breaking stride with his Christian
obvious form, yet its impact is just as
beliefs, and, dang it, that’s to be
substantial. Bender, a graduating senior
admired.” Miller finds Havel’s ability to have a massive impact
at Geneva College, read Geniesse’s book last fall with and at the
on public life while basing his actions on his personal faith to be
recommendation of her ASP internship mentor, Karen Wrightsman.
incredibly relevant in today’s civic and political environment.
Stark was a prolific travel writer known for her fearlessness and
In the story of Havel, Miller discovered freedom to be that toe he tongue-in-cheek claimed as his body-of-Christ role. “A lot of
her bold travels in the Middle East, where she was one of the first Westerners to journey in many of the regions she visited.
times, Christian colleges in their regular programming [perpetuate
“It didn’t start off as anything like, ‘Oh, this is great for spiritual
the message] that if you’re a true Christian, you’re going into the
formation,’ just ‘this is a good story,’” says Bender. “It’s not like you
ministry, versus the message…that your ministry doesn’t have to
finish the book and think, ‘What an amazing, amazing woman.’”
be in the church. Your ministry can be a public ministry.”
Stark’s flaws mean she isn’t someone to idolize, yet big things
A similar message is found in the life of Britain’s Lord Shaftesbury, or specifically, Anthony Ashley Cooper, the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury. Last year the first new biography on Shaftesbury
24 CCCUAdvance spring2011
do seem more attainable to Bender now because of what Stark accomplished despite her flaws. “I learned that true inspiration isn’t just these high moments but is
civic engagement
this day-to-day thing. So the biggest take-away for me is that day-to-
vocation, the engaged life Turnball pictures, and the community-
day does matter.” One of Stark’s flaws was her lack of honesty with
rooted life I found in the Clapham Sect’s example.
herself about who she really was. Applying Stark’s story has meant realizing that living for more than just life’s big moments happens partly by daily asking ,“How am I more honest with myself about my relationship with God, in conversations with my roommate, etc?”
When students become college-graduated adults slogging through the mundaneness of the “real world,” such stories remind us that sustained passion and engagement with our world, our communities and our faith is possible. They help us see that when
One of the most significant conversations Bender had with her
passion is rooted in Christ and pursuit of His kingdom, it doesn’t
mentor came as they discussed the way reading a biography
have to fade as we age.
allows you to see the catalyst moments in someone’s life plus all the little choices along the way. Wrightsman challenged Bender to think about the catalyst moments in her life and what led up to them. Wrightsman also described some of these from her own story. Bender says it’s a conversation she’ll continue reflecting on
Go to www.cccu.org/advance and listen to a podcast interview with author Richard Turnball, principal of Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall and author of Shaftesbury the Great Reformer.
for a long time. Inspiring stories aren’t only for students to hear when their young, idealistic selves are imagining what the big world holds. The power of such stories is that they live beyond our student days, calling us to the reflective life Bender describes, the passionate life of Miller’s
Kami Rice (www.kamirice.com), a 1997 Asbury University and American Studies Program alumna, is a Nashville-based freelance writer and editor who has traveled in India, Haiti, Europe and Africa on writing assignments for non-profit organizations and magazines. Her articles on wide-ranging topics have appeared in more than 40 publications.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 25
on the shelf Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses
it comes to the proximate cause and completely off the mark when it comes to the ultimate cause for our having gone “adrift.” The short term
By Richard Arum & Josipa Roksa
culprit is clearly a lack of academic rigor, which by all accounts has
(University of Chicago Press, 2011)
declined precipitously in recent decades, especially in comparison to developments in other countries and especially outside of the rarified air
Review by Ed Ericson III, Ph.D. Vice President of Academic Affairs John Brown University Sometimes a book comes along that crystallizes much of what people have intuited to be true but that they haven’t yet been able to substantiate or put into words. This is such a book. Most of us in higher education have this innate sense that something is amiss in our ivory towers. We’re just not sure what that “something” is. Sociologists Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa do us the great service of bringing together disparate pieces of evidence that have been accumulating over the years and combining it with their own painstaking research in order to give us a much clearer picture of some of the problems confronting us. And problems there are aplenty, as the title would imply. The authors are circumspect, however, in not criticizing the entire higher education
of the elite liberal arts institutions. As noted in Academically Adrift: •
“College students on average report spending only twenty-seven hours per week on academic activities.”
•
“Only one in five full-time college students report devoting more than twenty hours per week on studying.”
•
“Fifty percent of students in our [representative] sample reported that they had not taken a single course during the prior semester that required more than twenty pages of writing, and one third had not taken one that required even forty pages of reading per week.”
In other words, if there is one thing we as educators can do to provide better direction to this adrift academic culture, it is to provide more impetus for a challenging curriculum.
apparatus. In fact, they repeatedly argue that the current system
So why don’t we? Here’s where I believe the authors themselves
works quite well. Just not for the reasons, or the people, that most
are adrift in their analysis. They astutely, and understandably given
of us typically imagine. Students are mostly happy with their college
their backgrounds as sociologists, focus on a change in “culture”
experiences, faculty are mostly satisfied with their academic pursuits,
as the problem. They even note that there used to be both a moral
and various external constituents are mostly content with what they see
and academic function in higher education, but that once the moral
being accomplished.
function was discarded, the remaining academic function was
But amidst this general approval, are students actually learning? For the vast majority, the answer appears to be, “no.” The authors rely heavily on the results of the Collegiate Learning Assessment to argue their case,
fragmented into whatever served the needs of each constituent. A “disengagement compact” took over in which each party wanted more or less to be left alone.
and there are potential problems with putting so much weight on a single
While recognizing and bemoaning the loss of central moral authority
assessment instrument, especially one that focuses only on critical
that has resulted in this adrift culture, the authors clearly don’t share
thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills. College is certainly about
our Christian understanding of how the integration of faith and learning
more than just these things, and the CLA data does not provide definite
can help restore that sense of order. Their proposed solution, therefore,
answers on even this narrow range of learning outcomes.
is to substitute “moral” force with “political” force, i.e. to have the
Nevertheless, the CLA is probably the best we have, and the results the authors cull from this data are both compelling and corroborated by other evidence they have amassed. Furthermore, all colleges and universities would say that critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills are at the heart of the higher education enterprise. So what went wrong to sideline in practice what in theory should be our main endeavor? From my perspective, the authors are dead on when 26 CCCUAdvance spring2011
federal government impose testing and accountability standards for higher education along the lines of what “No Child Left Behind” has done for K-12 education. A worse and more unlikely prescription would be hard to imagine. The sour ending of this book, however, should not put us off to the fruits of the main arguments about the ways in which our higher education culture has become adrift. This is an important book that should provoke some valuable conversations at the local and national levels.
on the shelf
Cultivating the Spirit: How Colleges Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives
commitments. As a matter of fact, a majority of students assume that the
by Alexander W. Astin, Helen S.
This extremely important book, which will be a hopeful guide for many
Astin, and Jennifer A. Lindholm
secular educators, should be read with both eagerness and discernment
(Josey-Bass, 2010)
and applied with great wisdom by those who serve in Christian higher
spiritual matters prioritized in this study can sometimes best be achieved apart from religious, ecclesiastical, theological or ethical beliefs.
education.
Review by David Dockery, Ph.D. President Union University
David S. Dockery is also the author of Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society through Christian Education.
Cultivating the Spirit is a must-read for anyone involved in the rapidly changing world of 21st century higher education. The groundbreaking book reflects careful research over a multi-year period regarding the spiritual lives of college students, faculty and campus leaders. For many readers, the results will be quite surprising. Specifically, those concerned that the college years result in disconnected and incoherent ways of thinking and living—because of a positivistic and agnostic framework that often accompanies secularized and specialized curriculum-- will find that the research in this work suggests otherwise. The book envisions for college students a renewed emphasis on life’s
A Parent’s Guide to the Christian College: Supporting Your Child’s Heart, Soul, and Mind during the College Years Book by Todd Ream, Tim Herrmann, Skip Trudeau (Abilene Christian University Press, 2011)
central issues such as meaning, purpose, social commitment and aesthetic appreciation. The authors’ research revealed that a large majority of college students believe in the sacredness of life, think that spirituality is significant for joyful living, and recognize that one’s spiritual life is vital for strength and guidance. This important work by Astin, Astin and Lindholm not only raises awareness of these issues for faculty, staff and administrators, but offers strategies to enhance student development. Moreover, proposals for curriculum and student development initiatives are included in the book. While there is much in the findings reported in Cultivating the Spirit to bring encouragement to those committed to Christ-centered higher education, there are also caution flags that cannot be ignored. The research portrays a generation of students searching for deeper meaning in life while also seeking to cultivate their spiritual lives. These students are less materialistic than previous generations and
Review by Mark Troyer, Ph.D. Vice President for Student Development Asbury University In A Parent’s Guide to the Christian College, Todd Ream, Tim Herrmann and Skip Trudeau have created a book that is more than a simple guide to the Christian college. This book also exhorts parents to partner with their student in making the most of this formative time in the student’s life, and it guides parents in how to do that. The authors’ unique approach to the subject matter comes from decades of experience working with students. The practical, real life illustrations they include are insightful and helpful, and the authors work hard to root their illustrations and points in relevant literature and studies that give credibility to their advice and admonishments.
more interested in showing compassion and charity to others, while
The guide is broken into sections, the first of which describes “domains
simultaneously addressing larger societal and global issues.
of the Christian college experience:” common worship, classroom
Yet, the research indicates that this student generation does not necessarily connect these concerns with religious, theological or ethical
experiences and out-of-classroom experiences. The second section describes the seasons of life at a Christian college, from the initial transition into college life through to graduation.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 27
on the shelf
Though each Christian college is unique and has its own culture and
director for Square Halo Books, has created a work of art in this
focus, the authors have done a good job of capturing the essence of
volume, with his signature and very appealing design.
what I expect most of us in the field would identify as important in the experience of our students. This guide has the potential to become a
Though not massive, at 131 pages, neither is the book meager: it
great resource in helping our prospective students and parents focus on
is lavish, fun and interesting, colorful and arresting. Chase’s work
the important aspects of our unique niche in the higher education world.
is almost indescribable, and he works in many mediums in several
The authors aren’t afraid of tackling challenging issues like helicopter parenting, the crises that can occur during college years and the challenge for parents of supporting their student while letting them develop their own views of the world. By peppering the guide with illustrations from their own experiences—which are representative of the experiences of most of us in the field—the authors gave life to good principles and concepts that will help parents anticipate issues they may not have previously thought of in the search for colleges.
contemporary styles. His work ranges from a huge white sculpture of a wrecked car to what looks like a piece of graph paper at first glance. Some works are simple sketches mounted on hefty wooden scaffolds. Others are classic modern pieces---squares in circles with splashes of primary colors---but there are also subtle watercolor grids on mirrors. Chase works in gouache on torn paper, he has superimposed photographs on craft bags, and he has a fascinating piece, called Grail and described as “Grape Juice on Aluminum Cans,” that I can’t
I have to admit that as I read this book, I was reading it with two different
stop looking at. Some of his larger installation pieces necessitate
hats on. The first hat was my colleague hat. I read as one who has been in
photographs that show the whole room.
the field for a while. The authors challenged the professional me to “re-up” my commitment to Christian higher education because of the impact it
The Art of Guy Chase is edited by art historian James Romaine from
can make in a student’s life. The other hat I wore was the hat of a parent of
Nyack College, and Romaine’s first great essay, “Negative Thinking:
two college students and a high school student examining which Christian
Why I Don’t Like Guy Chase’s Art,” sets the stage for a thorough-going
university to attend in a year or so. As a parent, I was encouraged and
discussion of said art. And discuss it, they do! What a joy to listen in
challenged to partner with my children in their college experience.
to these contemporaries ruminating on Chase’s work and how it is situated among the best of the contemporary art world. Other tributes or evaluations include a great piece by Wheaton
The Art of Guy Chase
College’s Joel Sheesley; a good commentary by Ted Prescott, retired from Messiah College; a chapter called “Disruption and Illumination:
edited by Dr. James Romaine
Subtitle” by Chase’s Bethel University colleague Wayne Roosa; and an
(Square Halo Books, 2011)
insightful essay by Albert Pedulla entitled “Rescinding Disbelief: The Post-Skeptical Realism of Guy Chase.” The book ends with an honest
Review by Byron Borger Owner of Hearts & Minds Bookstore
and illuminating interview done by Romaine. This is a book I will read and re-read. I am confident this is edifying stuff, challenging in a playful sort of way. It is good for the heart and
The Art of Guy Chase was published in cooperation with a retrospective
mind to ponder why this work is considered important, to appreciate
exhibit, Monochrome Plus, presented early this year at Bethel University
how it helps us see, and to realize this is a godly man, a decent
in St. Paul, Minn. Bethel’s inestimable artist Guy Chase has been
human, doing expressive artwork in a way that causes his fellow
pushing the envelope of his allusive modern art for years and has been
Christ-followers and others to take notice. And, besides shaking my
an important voice in such circles as the International Arts Movement
head in wonderment at it all, it makes me smile.
(IAM) and Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA). Thanks be for Chase’s artistry and for the care given by his friends This book is a tribute to Chase’s good work and a testimony to his
and critics in their thoughtful essays. With contributions from heavy-
wide circle of friends who appreciate his gentle demeanor and deep,
weight artist-thinkers like Romaine and Roosa, Prescott and Pedulla
contemplative spirituality. Not every artist has a body of work that is
and others, this is a wonderfully astute example of the “state of the
important enough to do a major show of this nature, and it is wonderful
art” of contemporary Christian art and criticism.
to have more than a thin catalog showing the pieces displayed. This is a lasting volume, important in its own right and printed well in a square format on glossy paper. The book’s designer, Ned Bustard, creative
28 CCCUAdvance spring2011
Byron Borger and his wife Beth own Hearts & Minds Bookstore (www.heartsandmindsbooks.com) in Dallastown, Pa.
on the shelf
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (Harper, 2011)
Review by Mimi Barnard, Ph.D. Vice President for Professional Development & Research CCCU The Dressmaker of Khair Khana tells the extraordinary story of a young woman entrepreneur who overcame significant adversity in order to support her family after the Taliban took control of Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1996. The daughter of a military officer, 20-year-old Kamila Sediqi had planned on being a teacher, but with necessity being the mother of invention, she became an entrepreneur instead. What’s astonishing about Kamila’s story is that it’s the antithesis of the victim narrative, which is so often portrayed in developing (and developed) countries. Under the new Taliban rules women couldn’t go outside without a chaperone, couldn’t attend school or work, and always had to be fully covered. Kamila was stuck indoors and grew increasingly concerned about her family’s welfare, especially after her father and older brother were forced to flee the country. Confined indoors, Kamila, her family, and her neighbors formed a bookborrowing cooperative. Kamila noticed that the Taliban allowed a woman physician to stay in business as long as she only treated women patients. This led Kamila to think she could start a business conducted indoors and only employing women. Though her mother and older sister were accomplished seamstresses, Kamila hadn’t learned to sew while being educated to be a teacher. Yet, after carefully considering her limited options, Kamila decided to start a dressmaking business. Always aware of her surroundings, she worked within the system towards success. Eventually, Kamila employed more than 100 women as seamstresses—they even made dresses for a Taliban wedding! I enjoy reading on a wide variety of topics, those that are faith-inspired
despite oppression. Gayle Lemmon, through her courageous journalistic efforts, has provided us with an engaging and invigorating perspective of what women want and what women can do regardless of their circumstances, offering a good lesson for women and men faculty, staff and students throughout the CCCU.
Q & A with Gayle Lemmon:
An Excerpt from the Podcast Mimi Barnard: We see so many images coming out of Afghanistan of war and brutality, and to hear a story of hope is unusual. What brought you to seek out this particular story? Gayle Lemmon: I was writing about women entrepreneurs in war zones for the Financial Times and writing a case study for Harvard Business School about the role of women entrepreneurs in countries rebuilding after war. I met this young woman in the offices of MercyCorps, and I asked her how she had become an entrepreneur. She was then on her third business. She told me that she had actually created a business during the Taliban which had supported not just her family but also her community. I was so struck by that story that I kept coming back to it over the years, and that is how The Dressmaker of Khair Khana was born. Barnard: Can you tell me how those of us who work in higher education – students and faculty and administrators, even trustees and parents – how this particular work might impact the work we do and the vision we have for, basically, the globe? Lemmon: I think it’s a story that proves the power of investing in women. What these girls managed to do at an impossible time was to create hope out of despair…I think each one of us, it’s up to us to find a way in which we can contribute and in which we can make a difference with the work that we do. Telling this story and sharing it with others shows just how much impact one person can have at a really difficult time, and maybe that will offer a little inspiration to all of us as we go forward. Barnard: Can you tell us a little bit about [Harvard Business School using Dressmaker as a case study] and also about how the men and women students reacted to the content? Lemmon: Students really enjoyed it because they could think not just about the business but also how difficult it was to be in business during the Taliban, when you had all of the security threats and the real risks and the dangers…Students engaged also with the idea that business is such a force for doing good. I think sometimes we forget that, when we have all of these negative headlines about business and financial crises, that business is actually a force to create lasting change in people’s lives. I think at Harvard Business School the male students and the women students really engaged on that topic of using business to make a difference.
and those that are secular. As we are called to be salt and light throughout the world, I believe part of our responsibility, especially as leaders in Christian higher education, is that we know about, care for
To hear Gayle Lemmon describe what inspired her to write
and respond to the world’s great needs.
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, why it’s important for educators,
Since 2009, I’ve been most inspired by Half the Sky: Turning Oppression
and her own personal role models, go to www.cccu.org/advance.
into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is an excellent companion read, as it tells the story of a specific woman’s path toward success spring2011 CCCUAdvance 29
Diversity Research
Aids Goal of Reaching UnderRepresented Student Groups
By Sarah Trainor
H
However, this highly educated workforce is now reaching
igher education has long played an important role
retirement, and the population entering the market is not educated enough to fill the vacated positions. As noted in a February 27 Chronicle of Higher Education article, the Georgetown Center on
in America’s history. In the
Education and the Workforce reports that by 2018 the United
1940s, Presidents Roosevelt
needed to fill jobs requiring a college credential.
and Truman signed legislation
States will be 3 million degree-holders short of the employees
Such a huge labor gap necessitates a solution. Thus, President
that made earning a college degree more
Obama has created the American Graduation Initiative, or the
attainable and affordable. These initiatives
more citizens with advanced degrees, once again giving the United
2020 Initiative. He has pledged that by 2020 there will be 8 million
ushered in new levels of American prosperity
States the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.
because of the rise in educated workers.
number of 25- to 34-year-olds with college degrees, according to
Currently, the U.S. ranks 12th among 36 developed nations for the the College Board.
30 CCCUAdvance spring2011
diversity research
To achieve Obama’s goal, colleges and universities around the
mission plays in seeking the change they desire. The implications
nation must tap into new markets, including reaching out to
of his research include finding that becoming diverse communities
minority students, the most under-represented student group
begins with mission and theology, leadership is vital, a framework
according to enrollment and completion rates. While most schools
for institutional change is necessary, diversifying the board of
around the country struggle with low diversity percentages, it is a
trustees and hiring an ethnically diverse workforce is important, and
particular problem for CCCU member and affiliate institutions.
scholarships can be used for increasing diverse enrollment.
At the CCCU’s Presidents Conference in January, three reports
Researchers Robert Reyes and Kimberly Case with Goshen
on the state of diversity at CCCU institutions were presented.
College’s Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning compared
Michael Smith, associate professor of
characteristics of ethnic diversity at 129
theater, film, and television at Azusa
CCCU member and affiliate institutions
Pacific University, presented research on the relation between black graduation rates and schools’ evangelical religious affiliations. His research revealed that CCCU membership had a negative correlation with the gap between black and overall graduation rates.*
In his report Smith explained that while private, Protestant colleges and universities had lower black graduation rates than other private institutions, schools that are part of the CCCU performed much worse than their other Protestant counterparts. Smith,
“A more diverse administration attracts, and better yet retains, a more diverse student population.” Irene Neller Vice President for University Communications and Marketing Biola University
and 400 comparison institutions. Analyzing Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data for enrollment, graduation rates, and diversity of faculty and administrators, the study measured the progress of the schools, which were divided into five regions, between 2003 and 2009. Over these six years, the percentage of enrolled students of color in CCCU schools grew from 16.6 percent to 19.9 percent. A range of noteworthy findings came to light through the study, and the full report is available on the CCCU’s website.
who controlled for classification, size,
The research showed CCCU schools
wealth, selectivity and diversity, says,
in the Northeast to have the least
“None of those factors was significant
discrepancy compared to non-
in the comparison of black and overall
CCCU schools’ diversity enrollment
graduation rates. The only statistically significant factor was
percentages in the same region. The Southeast and West both
just being a CCCU institution. That means there is possibly
experienced a gradual increase in CCCU diversity enrollment
something in the culture or campus climate that is common
rates between 2003 and 2009, but the West displayed the
among CCCU institutions that limits black graduation rates.”
largest disparity in diversity enrollment rates between CCCU
The study concluded that CCCU schools with higher black graduation rates should be studied for best practices in hopes of improving diversity rates across the board. “There may be practices and a climate at those institutions that could be adopted by other CCCU institutions that would help to increase graduation rates,” noted Smith. Joel Perez, dean of transitions and inclusion at George Fox University, also presented diversity-related research at the Presidents Conference. Perez’s research investigated what drives four CCCU schools, representing four different U.S. regions, attempting to become more diverse communities and what role their *See charts on next page.
and non-CCCU institutions, especially considering the high percentage of minority students in the region’s general population. CCCU schools in the Southwest had the largest concentration of diverse students compared to the study’s four other regions. The Midwest, which has the highest concentration of CCCU institutions, also has the lowest rates of diversity. However, this ratio reflects the lower diversity of the region’s demographics in general.* Enrollment is only the first step in diversifying CCCU campuses. The ultimate goal is to carry students of color through from opening day to graduation day.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 31
diversity research
african-American graduation rates at 4-year institutions U.S. Department of Education, 2009
50 45
Private Institutions
40
All institutions
35
CCCU Institutions
30
2004
2005
2006
2007
enrollment: cccu & comparison institutions for students of color, 2003-2009 40
CCCU
Mean Percentage
35 30
comparison Institutions
25 20
N = 129 CCCU N = 400 Comparison Institutions
15 10 5 0
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
The overall percentage of students of color at CCCU institutions increased gradually from 16.6% in 2003 to 19.9% in 2009. In comparison, the level of diversity among non-CCCU institutions also increased from 20.5% in 2003 to 23.2% in 2009. This leaves a 3.3% gap between the two groups in 2009.
cccu, comparison institutions, and U.S. Census Data in 2009
Mean Percentage
60
CCCU
50
comparison Institutions
40 30
U.S. Census
20 10 0
Northeast Midwest Southeast Southwest Regions
32 CCCUAdvance spring2011
West
This chart provides an overview of how CCCU and non-CCCU institutions in 2009 compare to U.S. Census information. Census data included 18-24 year olds in designated regions based on 2006-2009 population projections. The nonresident alien category (included throughout this report) was excluded from CCCU and comparison institution samples to more closely align with U.S. Census data. The largest gap between CCCU and Census data can be found in the Southwest (27.1%) and the smallest gap is in the Midwest (10.9%).
diversity research
Reyes says his research helps pinpoint the critical needs
Smith suggests that every school in the CCCU conduct its own
associated with graduation rates. “As we begin a new initiative in
diversity research to address the specific needs of its students.
terms of enhancing diversity, it’s important to know where we’re
This will enable individual schools to measure their progress
at. It helps us know what we’ve accomplished so far and how
and identify what areas need improvement and what areas
much we have to do.” This study paves the way for future studies
are already strong.
and questions that will help identify the necessary steps for change. Having a diverse faculty and administration is one area that can bolster the enrollment, retention and completion rates of minority students. Irene Neller, vice president for university communications and marketing at Biola University, says, “Campus leadership and administration needs to model the population of its student body. It is only natural that students seek out mentoring and role modeling from those they can identify best with. A more diverse administration attracts, and better yet retains, a more diverse student population.” In order to equip its leaders to better
Increasing the presence of minority
“Can you really serve in [God’s] kingdom in the world we have if you have never interacted with people from other parts of the world?”
serve their students, this summer the CCCU is offering its first Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institute (LDI), which will recognize CCCU leaders of
Robert Reyes Research Director for the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning Goshen College
students at CCCU campuses adds new and unique perspectives and enriches all students’ education. Considering the rapid progression of globalization, this should be a top priority if schools are aiming to properly prepare students to contribute to the marketplace. Reyes believes that if CCCU campuses fail to diversify, the quality of a CCCU education will be diminished. “Can you really serve in [God’s] kingdom in the world we have if you have never interacted with people from other parts of the world?” asks Reyes. Smith believes the CCCU should embrace the American Graduation Initiative and share in the goal of making the United States a global leader in education again. “The CCCU enrolls as many students as a large state university system. Therefore, collectively, our
diverse ethnic backgrounds and further
contribution to the solution could be
develop their gifts and skills as they
significant,” he says.
serve God in higher education.
With the help of these recent studies,
Neller believes these types of leadership programs need to
CCCU institutions can better discern what changes need to occur
become commonplace on all CCCU campuses. “This type of pro-
to help our schools enroll, retain and graduate students of diversity,
active development program can single out candidates who will
providing a more holistic education for all students.
eventually be sought after by other universities or other industries because of their growing expertise or ambition to lead,” she says, noting that if CCCU schools fail to identify and cultivate their existing leaders, they will surely lose them to others. The encouraging conclusion from Reyes and Case’s research is that the CCCU is steadily improving ethnic diversity. Reyes encourages all member institutions not to lose hope despite the challenges ahead. “We are making gains. This is possible. It is
Sarah Trainor graduated from Biola University in 2008 where she majored in journalism and spent a semester studying journalism and art history at Roehampton University in London. Upon graduation she began working in the Office of the President at Biola. Currently, she works in marketing for CB Richard Ellis.
challenging, but we need to keep working at it because without it our education is irrelevant.”
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 33
R&D CCCU Adult Programs Crucial to U.S. 2020 Vision by Cynthia Tweedell
T
he United States needs innovation in higher
Center for Research in Adult Learning at Indiana Wesleyan
education in order to reach the new types of
University indicates adult programs at Christian colleges have a
college students necessary for the country to
dramatically higher average graduation rate of 75 percent.
achieve the U.S. 2020 Vision: 60 percent of adults with college degrees by 2020. This goal of
a dramatic increase in the number of Americans with college degrees cannot be met unless the graduation rates of minorities and adults increase. According to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the present number of traditional-aged college graduates is insufficient to replace retiring babyboomers who have college degrees. Higher education will need to reach more diverse and older populations in order to fill the nation’s need for an educated citizenry.
Adult degree programs are also increasing the racial diversity of CCCU graduates. Several years of data from the Center for Research in Adult Learning indicate these adult programs attract and retain a substantial number of minority students. Four-year graduation rates for African-Americans in adult programs at Christian colleges average around 70 percent. This compares very favorably to national data published by Education Trust in 2010 indicating college graduation rates for African-Americans around 40 percent. At a time when many educators and policy makers are scratching their heads trying
Thanks in part to aggressive marketing by the for-profit higher
to figure out how to increase minority graduation rates, it is clear
education sector, the demographics of students in higher
that adult programs at CCCU institutions are already excelling in
education are changing. Eduventures data predicts enrollment
this area.
by traditional 18-21 year olds will grow by only 7 percent in the next five years, while enrollment by 22-29 year olds will increase 20 percent. Christian colleges have every reason to expect these young adults to be interested in the value-based education they provide. But with young families and careers, these older students may not be able to live at a CCCU campus,
Thus, CCCU schools are making a difference in attracting and graduating students for whom quality Christian higher education has been previously inaccessible. Continuing this work is crucial to the 2020 Vision for a nation where 60 percent of adults have college degrees.
so our colleges must develop their multi-site and distance education programs to become accessible to this age group. In addition, CCCU schools must remove barriers to college graduation, ensuring that these older, more diverse students go beyond just attending to actually graduating. Yet, Christian colleges are on the right track in meeting these challenges and are becoming very successful in producing college graduates among these new student populations. In general, adults in higher education have had dismal persistence and graduation rates. The National Center for Education Statistics in 2003 indicated that adult students had a 38 percent graduation rate. However, the data collected by the
34 CCCUAdvance spring2011
Cynthia Tweedell is executive director of the CCCU Center for Research in Adult Learning, Indiana Wesleyan University.
open source Students Use Social Media to Get the Inside Scoop on Your School
T
by Amy Goldman
racy Stewart, vice president for enrollment
social space.”
management and information technology at
She recommends
Regent University, presented a talk entitled “7
using Google Alerts
Incredible Benefits of Social Media” at the CCCU
and TweetDeck to start
Chief Enrollment Officers Conference earlier this
listening to what people
year, highlighting the benefits of social media and how it can
are saying about your
be used effectively.
institution in the social-
Stewart firmly believes it is essential for colleges to be “present and engaged” in social media communities if they want to connect with the Millennial generation. Twitter, Facebook, and iPhones and are “a way of life” for today’s prospective students, and “meeting them where they are and communicating with them in the way they prefer is necessary to be successful.”
sphere. Radian6 can be used to track what has been said in the past. Next, determine which social media channels are used by your
7 Benefits of Social Media 1. Quality of Website Traffic 2. Engagement with Multiple Audiences 3. Students/Alumni Become Ambassadors 4. Influences the Decision Cycle 5. Measurable Results 6. Easy, Fast and Inexpensive Testing of Ad Campaigns 7. Improves Organic Search Results
various audiences and
In a society where formal advertising is often considered
pay attention to what
suspect, prospective students turn to social media to get an
topics these groups mention most. “Then, craft a measurable
authentic, inside look at colleges and universities. A recent
strategy to launch your social presence. Keep listening and adjust
online survey conducted by Maguire Associates, Inc. and
for what’s working best,” she concludes.
FastWeb of 21,339 high school students found that students frequently use social media to learn about institutions and the experiences of current students.
Maguire Associates provides consulting services to colleges, universities and educational associations in areas such as social media. Maguire recommends that colleges draw upon
Regent University has responded to this substantial shift in the
the expertise of their students and younger staff members.
way prospective students gather information. On the Regent
“Leadership should take a ‘meet in the middle management’
homepage, a “Why I Love Regent” link redirects visitors to
approach in order to align their thought leadership with the
YouTube, where they can watch one-minute videos created by
creative and willing minds of those who have become experts in
students.
something that still makes many in an older generation shudder,”
Colleges and universities must be aware, however, that the benefits of using social media are accompanied by the challenge of “reputation management.” Stewart quips, “If you’re going to turn on all those microphones, you better be ready to receive all that feedback—and trust me, it will come.” Institutions must have resources in place to track this feedback and respond in a timely fashion. Stewart provides helpful tips for launching a social media strategy: “Listen first, then engage. Find out what people are saying about your brand and evaluate the best ways to enter the
say Kathy Dawley, Maguire’s president, and Sarah Madey, director of marketing. Maguire Associates presented a workshop entitled “Lots of Fuss About Social Media, But Where’s the Wisdom?” at the 2011 CCCU Presidents Conference. To access this presentation and “7 Benefits of Social Media,” visit www.cccu.org/advance. Amy Goldman graduated from Cedarville University in 2010 with a degree in International Studies. She participated in the CCCU’s BestSemester China Studies Program and is currently working for the CCCU as an intern in the Office of the President. Amy was accepted into the 2011 Teach for America corps and will begin teaching in Oklahoma this fall. spring2011 CCCUAdvance 35
36 CCCUAdvance spring2011
egypt Feature
Rocks, Fear, and a Giant Roar in the Land of the Pyramids
By Joel Carillet
The Nile wasn’t the only thing flowing through central Cairo
I once saw Egypt. Gone, too, was the stability of the Mubarak
on February 2, my first full day back in Egypt since finishing a
regime. The rocks and blood in Tahrir were among the many signs
seven-month photography stint in the Middle East the previous
that Egyptian history did not come to a halt with the Pyramids or
November. So were rivulets of blood, dripping down faces
the Suez Canal; it was still under construction, and ferociously so.
and staining shirts and sidewalks. Rocks flowed, too, at times hurtling through the air in barrages so thick the sky seemed half solid. Images of these things flowed onto television sets around the world. This was Tahrir Square, and its anti-government
photograph by Joel Carillet
demonstrators were under siege.
It was not difficult to feel stimulus overload in Tahrir on February 2. There were hundreds of placards to read, rocks and the occasional Molotov cocktail to avoid, famous photojournalists to admire, cries of Allahu Akbar and Welcome to Egypt to hear. Yet, it was the faces of the protesting men and women that I wish I could have
The contrast to my first day in Cairo, in 1996 as a Middle East
looked at longer. I had never seen a community of faces like these:
Studies Program (MESP) student, could hardly have been
scared and whimpering faces, determined faces calling others
greater. I remember orange juice and croissants on a wooden
forward to defend the lines, faces with eyes closed in prayer, faces
table in a sunlit classroom and the thrill of beginning a semester
of Christians and faces of Muslims. Most stunning to me were
in a foreign landscape with 16 other fresh faces from North
the beautiful faces of several affluent young women who could
America, many of whom are still my friends today. We had a staff
have been across town drinking lattes in a cafĂŠ but instead were
to guide and look after us, people who taught us not just facts
here, making a defiant stand in what, now that afternoon light was
but to care. I valued the program, and it was with pleasure that I
fading toward dusk, felt uncomfortably like the Alamo.
returned four years later to work as an intern.
I remember the face of one man, a doctor in a blood-stained
Now, in 2011, I was back in Cairo as a freelance photographer,
white coat, as he demanded my attention. He was overseeing the
wanting to capture something of these profoundly historic events.
construction of a barricade at the entrance to a makeshift clinic
Gone were the croissants and fresh collegiate face with which
where scores of injured lay, and his voice shook the way one does
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 37
egypt Feature
when a person knows he has taken a stand from which he will not back down, and which might lead to his death. “The regime will try to slaughter us in the next hours,” he roared, squeezing a club in his hand and quaking. In the remaining light I retreated to my hostel, about a block from the square, to download photos and rest. I took a circuitous route to avoid fighting and on the way passed Mubarak supporters who were ripping scaffolding from a building, presumably to use as weapons against those inside the square. I walked nervously, still shaken after being grabbed earlier in the afternoon by other
write in my journal: How do you tell fear to sit down and keep its mouth shut?
Mubarak supporters and seeing photographers chased and
After several tense days the atmosphere around Tahrir settled
punched.
into something like calm. The rocks and blood were gone, and
Once on the hostel roof looking down onto the streets, I became aware of the wobbliness in my legs. Whether due to the fear I felt for the people in Tahrir or the fear I had felt for myself I couldn’t be
at a leisurely pace I strolled through the square, sitting with demonstrators and listening to their stories. I met men like 45-year-old Khaled. He told me things like,
sure. All I knew for certain was that I didn’t like the effect fear had
“We are not Iran, we are Egypt,” referring to the fears some
on my body. Years earlier, when standing in Pakistan and looking
Americans had that Egypt would go the way of Iran’s 1979
across the border to Afghanistan, I had written in my journal that
revolution. Khaled was here with his 25-year-old nephew
“the craziest of things make sense when you love more than you
Hatem, who added, “This is the first time in 30 years when
fear.” But on this Egyptian rooftop I felt fear too strongly, and it
people stand and say, ‘It’s enough. It’s enough.’”
angered me.
Bright-eyed children sat in Tahrir too. Nine-year-old Miriam, for
It would be a long night, punctured occasionally by gunfire that
example, was from Fayoum, a two-hour drive to the south, and
would kill some of the people in Tahrir, and in my wakefulness I’d
was here with her dad. Other fathers had left their children at
38 CCCUAdvance spring2011
egypt Feature
All photography by Joel Carillet
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 39
egypt Feature
home and come to Tahrir because they wanted a better country
of Egyptians, swept through the streets: Mubarak had resigned.
for their children, one they could participate in and be proud of.
We raced down the stairs and stepped into a sea of exuberance
One such father, Mahdy, had once lived in Texas. “Fear is dead,”
and relief, into what felt like another world. The courage of
he insisted. “Nobody is going to back down even if they die. I
Egyptians, their communal vision and how they put conviction into
came today prepared to die if I must.” Looking into his eyes you
practice had achieved results.
knew he meant it.
A rough road still lay ahead for Egypt. But tonight was a time to
On the evening of February 11, a Hungarian journalist and I sat
celebrate, not least because Egyptians had just laid down another
on the hostel roof exchanging phone numbers, agreeing to work
marker in history, and they knew it.
together if and when Tahrir again became violent. “We shouldn’t go out alone like last week,” he said. “If thugs attack again [his camera had been broken on Feb. 2], it is harder to beat two people unconscious than one.” He spoke so calmly. I was mostly silent, glaring at my fear as it began to stir. Then suddenly a roar, straight from the lungs of tens of thousands
Joel Carillet, a writer and photographer based in Johnson City, Tenn., is the author of 30 Reasons to Travel: Photographs and Reflections from Southeast Asia. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Christian Science Monitor, Touchstone, and The Best Travel Writing 2011. A graduate of Milligan College, he is also an alum of the American Studies Program (1995) and the Middle East Studies Program (1996). For more of his writing and photography, visit www.joelcarillet. com and www.istockphoto.com/jcarillet.
Egypt awakes: A ‘nation in waiting’ no more By Dena Nicolai For 18 days the eyes of the world were riveted on Egypt, as a people who had been silenced for decades were finally heard by those in power, and an example was set for oppressed people throughout other Arab countries and around the world. After 30 years of dictatorship, Egyptians found their voice, telling their government, “We want change, we want freedom, we want our rights. And you must listen.”
The Revolution A young Egyptian woman, Asmaa Mahfouz, expressed the mood of a nation when she posted a video on the internet on January 18 with an impassioned plea to Egyptians: “Four Egyptians have set themselves on fire to protest the humiliation and hunger and poverty and degradation. [They are] hoping we can have a revolution like Tunisia; maybe we can have freedom, justice, honour and human dignity . . . . We want to go to Tahrir Square on January 25. . . [to] demand our fundamental human rights. . . I will say ‘No to corruption’ and ‘no to this regime!’” What is now being called the “January 25 Revolution,” which drew people to the streets in unprecedented and completely unexpected numbers, continued after that first Tuesday and grew in strength.
“Muslim, Christian, we’re all Egyptian” Despite the violent scenes in Tahrir Square that have been played out again and again in the media for the past few weeks, there were overwhelming stories of solidarity among the protesters there. On February 6 Coptic Orthodox and Protestant Christians held prayers in the square. A Christian who attended wrote, “Today, our church went to Tahrir [Square] to pray in public for freedom . . . we were joined by thousands of people there. After this prayer [a prominent Muslim leader] went to one of our leaders in the church and gave him a hug and he told him, ‘I am sorry for any offensive word I have written about Christians.’” Reports and photos show protesters chanting together “one hand, one hand” (an expression of unity) and “Muslim, Christian, we are all Egyptian.” During the height of the protests, when fear of the riot police (and later of the pro-Mubarak/pro-government “thugs”) was strongest, Christians formed a human chain around Muslim protesters as they prayed, and Muslims did the same for Christians.
40 CCCUAdvance spring2011
The West The 18 days of the revolution revealed that, as one American professor living for 12 years in Cairo points out, “One of the big stories to emerge this past week is how little support the Muslim Brotherhood appears to have. They were like a bogeyman in the closet that the regime used to keep the international community and Egyptians in line. But when the lights were turned on, the threat turned out to not be so real…Christians, who undoubtedly have been among the most afraid of what would happen if Mubarak left, are…realizing that as ten percent of the population, if they all voted, combined with the majority in the cities who want a secular democracy, more radical elements would be kept on the fringe. This is doubly true if Egyptians abroad vote.”
A new Egypt As the army and various councils discuss the political future, on the streets people are already beginning to work on their “new Egypt.” One young protester’s note entitled “Long Live Egypt” included “ways to build our country diligently and without compromise” and listed things such as “Beware of sectarianism,” “Do not bribe”, and “Listen to and respect the opinions of others.” A year and a half ago, I wrote in Christian Courier that Egypt faced “poverty, an authoritarian government, foreign interference and a growing unemployment rate. It’s a combination that encourages revolution, but it’s not clear whether this country — accustomed to a pattern of fasting and feasting — will be able to break its fast from the status quo.” An Al Jazeera documentary on Egypt once described it as a “nation in waiting.” Now, as the world has seen, Egypt has awoken, and is a nation in waiting no more.
This article appeared in its entirety in the Feb. 28 issue of Christian Courier, available at www.christiancourier.ca. Dena Nicolai is the program coordinator for the CCCU’s BestSemester Middle East Studies Program.
going global UPH Shines Light, Hope and Excellence in Indonesia by Amy Goldman
C
CCU international affiliate Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) has been making its mark in Indonesia. From presenting an honorary Doctor of Law degree to President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines when his March state visit
included a stop at UPH, to qualifying for the third year to represent Indonesia at the annual Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., to sending
students out to serve local communities, “the University of Light and Hope” stands as a beacon in the most populous Muslimmajority nation in the world. Home to 238 million people, Indonesia is 86 percent Muslim and only 6 percent Protestant. Yet, since 1995 UPH has provided thousands of Indonesia’s future leaders with a holistic, Christ-centered education rooted in knowledge,
photograph by Steven Sutantro
faith and godly character. UPH has grown to over 10,000 students on two campuses in Tangerang and Jakarta, two cities located in the northwest portion of the island of Java. It is known for academic excellence, state-of-the-art technology and strategic global partnerships with overseas universities. One of the largest Christian universities in Indonesia, UPH offers a broad range of degree programs
dynamic, yet UPH has remained a truly Christ-centered university while welcoming students of other religions, such as Islam and Buddhism. Miller says many of these non-Christian students have become “seekers of truth” because of their experiences in the UPH community.
in 13 different faculties, or schools, including programs in law,
UPH is part of a movement to bring Christian education to
medicine, engineering and business.
all of Indonesia, both at the K-12 and post-secondary levels.
Many of UPH’s degree programs include a service component
developing a new system of quality education that is both
intended to express Christ’s compassion to local communities. Medical students, for example, often work with local leaders to improve health care in villages, while engineering students have helped local contractors design safe and functional buildings. These service projects not only benefit communities but are transformative for UPH students, helping them graduate with a life-long commitment to serving others instead of just creating wealth for themselves. Only 60 percent of UPH students are Christians. Gary Miller, UPH president, notes that this is sometimes a challenging
42 CCCUAdvance spring2011
The foundation associated with UPH is leading the way in holistic and transformative. Miller notes in an email interview, “Our foundation leaders are amazed at the response. In the last eight months more than 10 schools (mostly primary) have been ‘given’ to the Pelita Harapan Foundation to be re-built and re-structured. Many of these schools are in populations that are not distinctly Christian.” As part of its vision to transform education in Indonesia, UPH started a teachers college in 2006. Steven Sutantro is a senior student at the UPH Teachers College (UPH-TC) and will be part of its second graduating class. He comes from the
capital province of Jakarta, which is home to 10 million people.
younger generation was to be equipped with knowledge and skills
Sutantro says many people come to Jakarta to work, but few
to survive in a competitive world. After attending UPH-TC, he now
people attend college because of the great cost of doing so.
believes his “great calling” as a Christian teacher is to help his
UPH-TC is unique in that it provides all of its students with full
future students not only learn knowledge and skills but also be
scholarships to cover the costs of tuition, books, housing, food
Christ-like and fruitful in using the unique talents God has given
and other expenses.
them. He dreams of one day writing educational books, journal
Sutantro never aspired to be a teacher until his senior year of high school, when he became increasingly dissatisfied with the education system and its limited focus on imparting knowledge rather than building character. At the same time, his youth
articles and stories that will impact the national education system. Sutantro says it is a privilege to be able to attend UPH and witness Christ-centered living. For more information about UPH, visit www.uph.edu.
minister encouraged him to use his talents and gifts to be part of God’s work in the world. After he heard a presentation about UPH-TC, Sutantro had a burning desire to become God’s minister through education and to “explore what our generation really needs to learn according to God’s perspective.” Sutantro admits he used to think the greatest need of Indonesia’s
Amy Goldman graduated from Cedarville University in 2010 with a degree in International Studies. She participated in the CCCU’s BestSemester China Studies Program and is currently working for the CCCU as an intern in the Office of the President. Amy was accepted into the 2011 Teach for America corps and will begin teaching in Oklahoma this fall.
spring2011 CCCUAdvance 43
the last word A Cultural Shift by Karen M. Cianci, Ph.D.
T
he 2010 census shows that Hispanics now make
doors for all children, and pragmatism suggests that our
up the majority of the population of my county
workforce and national health is in jeopardy unless the
in central California, totaling 50.3 percent of
intelligence, gifts and skills of the members of the large and
the population. Whites, the traditional majority,
growing Hispanic constituency are fully integrated and used.
now reflect just 32.7 percent of the county’s
population. Asians (9.3 percent), blacks (4.3 percent) and other races compose the remainder. Our numbers are ahead of national totals, but all analyses show that the nation as a whole is experiencing the same trend. A report issued this March by Excelencia in Education shows that between 2005 and 2022 the number of Hispanic high school graduates in the United States will rise by 88 percent, while the number of white graduates will decrease by 15 percent. Fresno Pacific University was founded by a group of Northern European Mennonite Brethren whose theology was shaped and focused by their own experience of alienation, hostility, persecution and immigration. America’s amazing story is one of wave upon wave of new ethnic groups, like these Mennonite Brethren, arriving and experiencing alienation, discrimination, and sometimes, overt persecution. It is interesting in FPU’s present era to watch the German immigrant wave of yesteryear address the changing culture of the San Joaquin Valley. Fortunately, the new demographics of our region are showing up on campus. FPU became a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2004, a federal designation for schools that serve a student population of 25 percent or more Hispanics. FPU’s Hispanic student population has grown steadily at about 1 percent per year since then. In addition, FPU’s student body includes about 45 percent first generation college students.
FPU is presently in the midst of a variety of cultural struggles. Among the challenges accompanying growing ethnic diversity is acclimating new students to academia’s unique culture, which is replete with its own mores, lingo, values and rules. For first generation college students, the liberal arts can be hard to understand. On top of this is the generational shift within academia toward electronic, instant results and constant stimulation and away from old, seemingly static pedagogical methods. The cultural opportunities for disconnect are everywhere. Teaching at FPU sometimes feels like trying to explain threedimensional space to a flatlander. Sometimes the process is humorous, such as the surprise on the face of a student who sees you write in the margin of a book (they would never deface a book). Sometimes the experience is sobering and sad, such as when you realize a student has memorized four permutations of an equation because they do not understand basic math skills and have survived thus far by memorization. But the best moments come when the flatlander has gradually come out of the plain and, glancing back, exclaims with wonder, “I see it now! I think so differently than I did before!” Jesus pointed out that those who are forgiven much, love much. Likewise, it is true that when those who do not have privilege are given opportunity, they have the deepest gratitude and greatest loyalty. It is a joy and privilege to share in their education.
The American experiment--a government of the people, by the people, and for the people--is dependent on an educated populace. The American dream is attained primarily through educational gatekeepers. Justice requires fairness in opening
44 CCCUAdvance spring2011
Karen Cianci is dean of the School of Math and Natural Sciences at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif.
Launching may 2011 www.christiancollegeguide.net will exclusively feature CCCU North American member institutions The CCCU has launched a strategic partnership with Christianity Today International (CTI) to aid Christian families in the college search process. The CTI college website, www.christiancollegeguide.net, has been dramatically redesigned to exclusively feature CCCU North American member institutions in its search database. The newly-designed and upgraded website launches in May and includes expanded information on each school, enhanced school search and compare features, and numerous ways to connect with and request information from schools. For more information on how your school can take advantage of this exclusive benefit, contact Walter Hegel at whegel@christianitytoday.com
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cccuinstitutes With the goal of developing educators and administrators of skill and character, the CCCU offers a broad spectrum of conferences, seminars and training to member and affiliate institutions. Designed to meet the needs of specific peer groups or to address particular topics, these opportunities for enhancing skills, disciplines, networks and fellowship promote strong leadership on Council campuses.
Leadership Development Institutes 2011 Women’s Advanced Leadership Institute | June 12 - 16, 2011 :: Sumas, WA 2011 Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institute | June 20 - 24, 2011 :: Sumas, WA
Faculty Institutes 2011 CCCU Faculty Publishing Workshop | June 6 - 9, 2011 :: Abilene, TX 2011 Faculty China Seminar on Religious Freedom | June 2 - 16, 2011 :: Shenghai & Beijing, China
Presidents Institutes 2011 New Presidents Institute | July 9 - 12, 2011 :: Breckenridge, CO 2011 Governance Institute | July 14 - 16, 2011 :: Breckenridge, CO
2010 / 2011 | conferences & events renew :: information • Networks • fellowship For a complete listing of all the CCCU Conferences & Events, vist www.cccu.org/conferences.