Breakout Sessions
This session will provide an overview of the issues most relevant to higher education and religious liberty within the three branches of government.
Joy Mosley, VP for Government & Strategic Relations, CCCU and Jacob Dunlap, Director of Government & External Relations, CCCU
Christian higher education institutions attempt to become agents of Christ-centered transformation through many different services and experiences, both in and out of the classroom. If not mindful, however, these approaches can become decentralized in silos across the institution. This session will engage organizational theory to promote a holistic approach to student formation through faith integration and student support, while remaining strategic with campus resources. As we approach student leadership development, this session will call student affairs leaders to think critically about campus-wide change.
Andrew Cornelius, Director of Campus Life, Northwest Nazarene University and Ashley Gage, Associate Chaplain, Northwest Nazarene University
In this breakout session, Dr. Mike Jordan will address the growing crisis of anxiety, focusing specifically on how it manifests in CCCU student bodies and how leaders can bring restorative practices to this need. Drawing upon his book, Worship in an Age of Anxiety, Dr. Jordan addresses the underlying historical trends within church practices and beliefs that have led us to this crisis of anxiety and focuses on how CCCU leaders can utilize worship to minister to and empower students.
Michael Jordan, Associate Professor of Theology, Houghton University
In an increasingly isolated world, belonging remains a deep human need—especially at Christian colleges, with their central call to make disciples. This workshop will explore how to develop a compelling community where discipleship flourishes through the lens of the early church (described in Acts 2:42-47), where spiritual practices, unity and joy created a magnetic environment that attracted new members and made disciples daily. Participants will examine seven spiritual habits—scripture, fellowship, prayer, stewardship, service, worship and witness—that fostered deep connections with God and with others, leaving the session with actionable insights to integrate disciple-making into the fabric of campus life.
Jason Stephens, Vice President of Student Development, Olivet Nazarene University
Given the increasing number of adjunct faculty hired by higher ed institutions in the U.S., the CCCU started the Adjunct Faculty Project to conduct a pilot program for adjunct faculty formation seminars. This presentation will focus on how socialization, identity and community are formed through the lived experience of adjunct faculty to deliver research-based best practices that help schools serve their adjunct faculty and connect them to organizational socialization, institutional identity and a psychological sense of community at their colleges and universities.
Jeff Clawson, Director of Membership, Grants & Research, CCCU and Mark Sargent, Project Director, Sargent Strategies
The mental wellness of students has been front and center for the past few years. However, there is less discussion about the mental health of those who see themselves as protectors of students and faculty, yet who suffer from an array of mental maladies themselves. Last year, administrators completed surveys in Part 1. This year’s session will review the results of last year's session attendees as they reveal their struggles and mental health maintenance methods.
Lynn Eaton, Director of Faculty Development, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and Jerome Lockett, Assistant Professor of Accounting, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor
This session will introduce participants to Messiah University's framework for Christian spiritual formation as well as the Being, Knowing, Doing Christian Spiritual Formation Scale, which was developed as a means of assessing student needs and gains according to the framework. Participants will learn about the development of the framework and scale, what Messiah has learned about the needs of its first-year students and how departments at Messiah are collaborating in response to these demonstrated needs.
Emily Bingham, Director of Campus Ministries, Messiah University and Shelly Skinner, Professor of Christian Ministries and Chair of Biblical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies, Messiah University and Preston Teuscher, Residence Life Educator
In this breakout session, Dr. Andrea Summers and Dr. Keith Jagger will address the challenges and opportunities of leading non-covenantal schools. As non-covenantal/open-enrollment paradigms continue to rise in popularity within the CCCU, greater care is needed in equipping staff, faculty and students for ministry within this context. Through their experience in leading within non-covenantal schools, Andrea and Keith will outline critical strategies in creating evangelistic cultures that empower students for effective ministry.
Andrea Summers, Dean of Spiritual Formation and Campus Pastor, Indiana Wesleyan University and Keith Jagger, University Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual Formation, John Brown University
Many CCCU students today face pervasive hopelessness, feeling powerless to change themselves or their society. This workshop will integrate C.R. Snyder’s hope theory with Willard’s “vision, intention, means” spiritual formation paradigm and M.J. Wilkin’s New Testament scholarship on the meaning of “disciple” to investigate how to cultivate a “hope that does not disappoint.” This discipleship of hope paradigm “…brilliantly provides young adults with a pathway for taking responsibility for their faith formation” (M. Cannister, 2024), thereby helping foster a resilient, other-centered and hopeful faith.
Gary Stratton, Dean for School of Arts and Sciences, Johnson University
The CCCU Diversity and Inclusion Commissioners will discuss a gap that exists between the commitment of CCCU institutions on diversity and the reality of people of color’s experiences in Christian higher education. Commissioners will share some of the lessons they have learned over the years and make recommendations other leaders could consider for creating a culture that would encourage belonging for students, staff and faculty of color on our campuses.
This workshop will present George Fox’s approach to connecting with sexual and gender minority students through the Human Sexuality Care Initiative. The presenters will share strategies for relating to this demographic of students while guided by a traditional sexual ethic, working to improve the campus climate by training student leaders on sensitivity and inclusivity in their programming and expanding who is reached under the umbrella of Human Sexuality Care.
Jamie Johnson, Dean for Spiritual Life, George Fox University and Kara Martin, Director of the Human Sexuality Initiative, George Fox University and Matthew Runion, Campus Pastor for Spiritual Formation and Care, Bethel University (MN)
CCCU administrations and staff can help equip faculty by developing cultures of spiritual mentoring. In this breakout session, Dr. Guy Chmieleski will outline the ways a culture of spiritual mentoring can equip faculty and key staff for ministry both inside and beyond the classroom. Building on his experience developing cultures of spiritual mentoring at Belmont and Friends, Guy will outline the nuances of effective mentoring and help CCCU leaders develop strategies for introducing this system in their own contexts.
Guy Chmieleski, Vice President of Student Affairs and Church Relations, Friends University
In the past year, the Biden administration issued new final Title IX regulations, states and other groups challenged the new rule resulting in injunctions that applied in roughly half of the country, and, ultimately, a court vacated the final regulations nationwide. Higher education attorney Kathryn Nash will provide guidance on how institutions can ensure compliance with Title IX following this year of uncertainty. The presentation will include an in-depth review of the 2020 regulations that are now applicable nationwide, as well as a discussion of what steps institutions must take to come into compliance with the Trump-era rule.
Kathryn Nash, Partner, Lathrop GPM
In this session, Missouri Baptist University will share their experience implementing a comprehensive and cohesive student success and retention program using a student success funnel framework. They created a holistic approach to student support across all departments, overcoming challenges and building strong campus-wide buy-in by leveraging technology and new approaches to measuring success. This session will provide practical strategies and inspiring ideas to create a culture of care on every campus.
Jon Hessel, Vice President for Student Development & Dean of Students, Missouri Baptist University and Rachel Phillips-Buck, Vice President for Student Success, Pharos Resources
Generation Z seems surprisingly open to faith, according to a recent surge in spiritual interest from a variety of perspectives and on a global scale. The world took note during the Asbury Outpouring in 2023, but it soon became clear that this was not about Asbury, but about something much bigger. This session will explore the ways young adults are responding to God, reactions to this movement of faith and what it means for Christian higher education and for our society.
Sarah Baldwin, Vice President of Student Life & Dean of Students, Asbury University
In this session, Mike Whipple will unpack new data from a two-year study undertaken by the Evangelism Commission on effective cross-cultural engagement by CCCU students. In partnership with Cru, the Commission studied CCCU mission work in Central and South America, exploring what produced strong desire, confidence and preparedness for evangelism among participating students. This session walks through this data, outlining its role in the creation of a new, free resource for CCCU schools aimed at supporting cross-cultural trips and events.
Mike Whipple, Director of Strategic Partnering with Christian Colleges, Cru and Andrew MacDonald, Associate Director, Wheaton College Billy Graham Center
As culture wars and legal battles have broken out at institutions across the country, it is essential that Christian colleges and universities understand religious protections available under the law and consider how to apply them on their campus. Both nondiscrimination requirements and religious protections come from various sources under federal and state law, and Christian colleges and universities need to understand how to ensure they are protected under these laws. Higher education attorney Kathryn Nash will discuss the legal requirements that may conflict with institutions’ religious beliefs as well as the religious liberty protections available to institutions, including statutory exemptions and constitutional protections. The presentation will include a discussion with administrators from CCCU member institutions about how an institution can bolster its religious protections under the law while being mindful of the practical implications for its community members.
Kathryn Nash, Partner, Lathrop GPM and Mark Entzminger, Vice President for Student Development, Evangel University and Robin Maynard, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, Harding University and Abson P. Joseph, Vice President for Academic Services, Bethel University
Christian higher education institutions attempt to become agents of Christ-centered transformation through many different services and experiences, both in and out of the classroom. If not mindful, however, these approaches can become decentralized in silos across the institution. This session will engage organizational theory to promote a holistic approach to student formation through faith integration and student support, while remaining strategic with campus resources. As we approach student leadership development, this session will call student affairs leaders to think critically about campus-wide change.
Andrew Cornelius, Director of Campus Life, Northwest Nazarene University and Ashley Gage, Associate Chaplain, Northwest Nazarene University
Academic administrators of Christian colleges have the opportunity to promote and strengthen faculty success, particularly as it relates to the essential topic of faith and learning. While the goal of faith integration is often discussed, the role of administrators is to facilitate the development of theory into practice among students, between colleagues, through disciplines and into our communities. In this session, we will share professional development ideas intended to foster a faculty of theologians from a breadth of academic disciplines who will celebrate the unity of our knowledge and calling in Christ Jesus.
Chris Mathews, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Crown College
Campus ministry directors will have time to connect with one another, sharing their experiences and insights with others who serve their campus through ministry.
Academic officers will have time to connect with one another, sharing their experiences and insights with others who serve their campus by promoting academic excellence.
Every generation faces the challenge and joy of passing on our faith—helping to build a genuine relationship with Christ that is real and transformative. No two generations are the same, however, making new, research-informed, and generationally specific strategies helpful. Consider insights from current research that can enrich your discipleship strategy, and discover plug-and-play spiritual formation opportunities that model what it looks like to follow Jesus every day.
Luke Jones, Head of Partnership Initiatives, Reclaim Today and Dr. Todd Hall, founder of Spiritual Metrics, Professor of Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University, and faculty affiliate at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program
Factors such as undeveloped friendship formation skills, a lack of in-person interaction, mental health concerns, unhealthy attitudes toward male/female relationships and unhealthy parental relationships can have a ripple effect on students’ relational well-being. Higher education professionals want to care for students holistically, but budget and staff constraints can make addressing these needs a significant challenge. What innovative strategies might equip us to help our students develop healthy and resilient relationships using our current resources? This session will examine the reality of need and our capacity to respond before providing time to brainstorm innovative ways to help students develop skills for a lifetime of healthy relationships.
Rosemary Flaaten, Executive Director, The Center for Healthy Relationships at John Brown University and Kendra Vasquez, Director of Campus Resources, Center for Healthy Relationships at John Brown University