STRATEGIC PLANNING & CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

Strategic Planning

During the academic year, university leadership continued to execute the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. Thirty-five teams, each led by a team captain, pursued a department-related goal that advanced the university’s Christian mission and prepared students to be servant leaders who pursue a life of significance. The plan’s seven major goals are:

•Exemplify a Distinctively Christian Identity

•Pursue a Culture of Excellence and Innovation

•Attract and Engage a Vibrant Student Body

•Prepare Graduates to Flourish Spiritually, Intellectually, Physically, and Professionally

•Inspire, Empower, and Equip Faculty and Staff

•Renew, Develop, and Strengthen Relationships to Fulfill the Institution’s Mission and Vision

•Faithfully Steward Resources

VIEW THE PLAN: charlestonsouthern.edu/strategic-plan

Whitfield Center For Christian Leadership

The mission of the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership is to equip individuals for leadership and service through the development of a biblical worldview.

Biblical Worldview Institute

Dr Cole Jeffrey, assistant professor of English, led two reading groups for students, faculty, and staff during the spring 2023 semester. Participants read The Question of God by Armand Nicholi, and Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis. On March 1, Scott Klusendorf, president of the Life Training Institute, spoke in chapel and at an event for students. The Life Training Institute exists “to empower others with the knowledge and conviction necessary to make a case for life that changes hearts and minds.”

Faith And Learning Institute

The Faith and Learning Institute hosted Dr. Bill Brown, senior fellow of worldview & culture/dean of the Colson Fellows Program, to speak to faculty on the major worldviews. The Faith and Learning Institute’s New Faculty subcommittee provided faith and learning excellence training sessions for new faculty during the spring semester. CSU faculty and staff participated in the International Alliance for Christian Education spring reading group program, reading and discussing Craig Ott’s Teaching and Learning across Cultures: A Guide to Theory and Practice (Baker Academic, 2021). Four CSU faculty attended the International Alliance for Christian Education Faculty Development Conference at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas in May.

Leadership Institute

The President’s Cabinet learned how to improve student success efforts by listening to multiple speakers: Dr. Costin, CSU SGA student representatives, Dr. Emily Heady, partner & chief academic officer at Magellan Learning Solutions; and Dr. Marcus Leeds, associate vice president, retention and student success, Cedarville University.

Marketplace Ministry Institute

Dr David Palmer, dean of the Hans A. Nielsen College of Business, leads the Marketplace Ministry Institute. Steve McCullough presented “How to Improve Our Spiritual, Personal, and Business Lives” at a God in the Workplace event. Anne Obarski, founder of Merchandise Concepts, shared a presentation on customer service at the God in the Workplace breakfast.