The Heart

Dr. Robert Knowles, Vice President for Advancement

I was asked recently about the uniqueness of Crandall University. What sets us apart? When you boil it all down, what makes us distinct? I love those types of questions because it really gets to the 'heart' of the matter. Let’s start with this - we offer a good education, but so do other universities. We have excellent faculty – that is true, but others boast of this. Our graduates do us proud, not unlike other places of higher learning.

In answer to the question, I said that size of our student body is a factor with those who choose Crandall. Okay, now we are getting a bit more specific. Not every university enrolls about 1,200 students. Some universities, while having great personnel and facilities, lose the personal touch as students by the hundreds gather in lecture theatres, with many feeling they are just a number to their professors.

At Crandall University, students are known by professors and staff because we are a smaller university with intentionally small classes. That has always been and continues to this day to be a high value. Because of this, students and employees can serve together in our CU Serves program, sit together in the bleachers and cheer on the Chargers, worship side by side in chapel, stop for a chat in the hallway, or sit together in the dining room. That is a high value at Crandall.

But that still doesn't get to the real reason why Crandall is what it is – I think the 'heart' issue is the 'heart' of the issue.

Our mission statement starts with the words – "transforming lives …" The difference in a student’s life over their time with us at Crandall is not just that they got 'smarter.' Sure, credentials are important, but how did the student change? Are they more others-focused? Will they make a positive mark in their world? Have they been introduced to, or grown in the Christian faith? Is their support circle wider? Have we as a university made the best investment we could in their life? Have they changed as a result of attending here?

That is my answer – we are like other universities, but unlike most in that we form our identity as an institution under the umbrella of a key verse from the Bible – Colossians 1:18b "That in all things He might have the preeminence." That Christian identity, that foundation is what we build on. It is at the heart of what we do.

Dr. Robert Knowles ('89) has served as Vice President for Advancement since 2012. He is married to Crystal (Huxter) ('92, '16), and they are parents of three Crandall graduates and one current student.