During my six years of service as chief academic officer, I have come to understand that my initial perceptions of the role were inaccurate, or at least insufficient. The role of academic dean is much broader and deeper than a checklist of organizational tasks to be completed. It is a position of influence, through which the purposes of God can be accomplished in our institutions, if we are willing to serve Him humbly and faithfully.

J. Wilbur Chapman once declared that D. L. Moody was “so deeply impressed” with his own Chicago Bible Institute that “he cherished the hope that, at no distant day, there might be institutes of this character in all of our great centres of population.” A strategic individual who embraced Moody’s educational vision was William R. Jordan, who heard Moody at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. This article argues, however, that Jordan developed his own dream not merely by hearing Moody speak to the importance of ministerial training, but also by seeing Moody’s students at work in practical Christian ministry. They were actively engaged in his World’s Fair evangelistic outreach, filling key positions and enhancing the overall campaign. The educational institution established by Jordan carries on Moody’s initial vision of biblical instruction and training in Christian ministry, although adjusting the original model.

Online classes are no longer a new phenomenon in the academy, but they continue to be unfamiliar territory to many veteran professors. Some faculty hesitate on philosophical grounds, while others simply do not wish to alter their teaching style. Regardless of the motivation for faculty protest, technology has permanently changed higher education. In one sense, the Internet, with its seemingly limitless supply of information, is the new professor. Online classes can be designed to encourage student engagement, but they do not necessitate a lecturing instructor. This is an understandable threat for seasoned faculty. Though “muted,” experienced and high-quality teachers remain a necessary component of student learning. Undergraduates need to be guided toward first-hand discovery of foundational content, given opportunities to think about, reflect on, critique, and apply the readily available information. Students can be led through these online learning exercises if faculty are willing to reconceptualize their work of instruction, namely replacing the majority of their lecture materials with effective course design elements and digital media. The following article is intended to assist academic leaders to understand the unique nature of online pedagogy, appreciate the responses of hesitant faculty, and to discover multiple ways to help faculty develop an “online” voice.

A brief comparison of BA programs in modern languages and literatures with the typical undergraduate level for biblical languages highlights an interesting but obvious disparity. This inequality holds true regardless of the institution— public or private, confessional or not. The problem rests on philosophical assumptions about the quality and purpose of learning biblical languages at the undergraduate level.

A key distinctive of evangelical institutions of higher education is their commitment to faith-learning integration. While faith-learning integration may be our intention and desire, a shibboleth for those in the evangelical academic community, it is often an enigma to articulate and even more difficult to apply and assess. This article will present a practical approach to articulating and applying faith-learning integration beyond the classroom in Christian higher education institutions.

Christian colleges often struggle with diversity, but adult programs attract
and retain high numbers of African American students. This study suggests
ways traditional programs can apply the lessons learned by adult programs at
Christian colleges. A team of researchers interviewed students, administrators,
and faculty in adult programs with high African American student populations
at three Christian colleges. Findings indicate that relationships play a big role
in retention for African American students. They thrive when connected to other
students in a cohort group or have a close connection to an advisor to guide them
through the program.

Institutions of higher education face many challenges in the twenty-first century as they compete for funding, students, and relevance in a post-modern world. In this context Christian universities and colleges have a powerful position that the secular world often overlooks. How can administrators and professors at Christian colleges and universities make the case that dollars and education are best invested with them? When students, potential donors, and colleagues prove reluctant to accept Biblical arguments for the vital role of Christian higher education, administrators can find a powerful ally in Plato. In his battle with the relativism and amorality of the sophists, Plato withstood their opposition successfully. He was able to present truth and virtue to “enlightened” peers who often scoffed at such notions. I would like to survey seven points of Plato’s analysis of the crisis of his day that could provide powerful arguments for Christian education in our day.

Every Christian college and seminary professor hopes and prays that his/ her students will help transform contemporary culture. But to transform means “to change markedly the appearance or form of” or “to change the nature, function, or condition of; to convert.” While willing to accept that definition (I doubt very much whether the denotation or connotation of transform has changed much in the last 25 years), I fear the word “transform” may not be an option for students in our classes. Although our Homiletics department might produce another “Billy Graham” for the 21st century, we must focus on the realities of what our graduates can and will do. This article attempts a biblical answer to the penetrating question we all face: How can we prepare our students to deal with the degenerating culture of this new millennium?

America has witnessed three discernible immigration waves. In the 18th century, English, Dutch, and Spanish settlers established the colonies that would ultimately coalesce into the United States of America. The next great immigration wave occurred between 1820 and 1870, bringing Irish escaping the potato famine and Germans seeking the American dream (Bergquist, 2008). The third wave saw more than 23 million immigrants from Italy, Russia, China, and the Slavic nations arrive between 1881 and 1920 (Spickard, 2009). In 2015, America is in the midst of a fourth great wave of immigration with Hispanics immigrating from Central and South America in large numbers (Massey & Pren, 2012).