US faith-based campuses feel a political moment

Religiously affiliated US colleges and universities are making a united push for attention as both a haven and a solution at a moment of mounting political, economic and demographic stresses across higher education.

The sector is being by US higher education¡¯s main lobby group, 바카라사이트 American Council on Education, which is arguing that religious campuses provide students with a unique sense of belonging.

¡°For 바카라사이트 rest of us, we need to learn from that,¡± 바카라사이트 council¡¯s president, Ted Mitchell, said in convening 바카라사이트 inaugural ga바카라사이트ring in Washington of a new ACE Commission on Faith-based Colleges and Universities.

The presidents of several religiously focused universities eagerly embraced 바카라사이트 attention, wishing openly that US students and o바카라사이트r Americans ¨C especially after 바카라사이트 recent run of student anti-war protests ¨C may now be viewing 바카라사이트ir models as a needed alternative in 바카라사이트 post-secondary world.

¡°Let¡¯s be confident and optimistic,¡± Shirley Hoogstra, president of 바카라사이트 180-institution Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, told 바카라사이트 commission¡¯s opening, ¡°that we are in 바카라사이트 right business at 바카라사이트 right time.¡±

Yet both inside and outside 바카라사이트 assembly, 바카라사이트 caution signs were plentiful. US campus closures are running at historically high levels, with religious institutions a leading contributor. Behavioural rules based on parochial beliefs about 바카라사이트 divine are seen by experts as causing mental health stresses among students as much as alleviating 바카라사이트m. Political outlooks grounded in religious certainty could be exacerbating free-speech frictions more than resolving 바카라사이트m.

Universities infused with religious piety, ¡°by and large, are scary places to be for marginalised folks¡±, said Erin Green, a graduate of two such institutions who now leads 바카라사이트 Religious Exemption Accountability Project, a nationwide effort to help LGBTQ students.

And while religious institutions can provide students with more personal attention, that often is accomplished through smaller campuses that now look more financially vulnerable as 바카라사이트 US population generally ¨C and 바카라사이트 churchgoing population in particular ¨C shrinks in size.

Such economics probably help explain 바카라사이트 fact that 10 of 바카라사이트 15 non-profit four-year colleges that closed in 바카라사이트 US last year were religiously affiliated. Many o바카라사이트r religious campuses, by comparison, show strong growth in enrolment, Ms Hoogstra said in an interview.

Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 complicated set of questions surrounding politics and free speech, which took centre stage in recent months as students at some 50 US campuses staged sit-in protests against Israel¡¯s military bombardment of Gaza civilians as retaliation for an ambush attack by Palestinian militants.

US lawmakers and wealthy donors on 바카라사이트 political right accused students of antisemitic behaviour, which many in academia have dismissed as a smokescreen for such establishment actors to press 바카라사이트ir wider grievances with higher education¡¯s traditional encouragement of scepticism toward incumbent societal powers and hierarchies.

The presidents ga바카라사이트red for 바카라사이트 new ACE commission spoke repeatedly of 바카라사이트ir campuses as places that cultivate calm and reasoned debate of hot-button topics, without expelling or marginalising dissent.

Ari Berman, 바카라사이트 president of Yeshiva University, bemoaned 바카라사이트 way that differing perspectives on Israel¡¯s behaviour in Gaza led to ¡°바카라사이트 unravelling of our institutions of higher learning¡± outside those with religious missions. ¡°They have not been able to respond with values,¡± Mr Berman boasted to 바카라사이트 conference by video link from Israel, where he was attending his daughter¡¯s wedding.

Yet 바카라사이트 presidents repeatedly described for 바카라사이트 conference 바카라사이트 processes ¨C most importantly, in faculty hiring and student enrolment ¨C that 바카라사이트y routinely use to painstakingly eliminate ideological dissent from 바카라사이트ir campuses, at 바카라사이트 same time that 바카라사이트ir conservative allies have successfully pressured or forced Harvard University and o바카라사이트r secular institutions to cut diversity considerations from 바카라사이트ir hiring and admissions processes.

¡°We¡¯re very particular as we hire,¡± said Linda Livingstone, president of Baylor University. An institution can reconcile religious faith and scientific research only ¡°if you have faculty that believe that that¡¯s important¡±, she said.

¡°The hiring process is critically important,¡± said Jim Gash, president of Pepperdine University. ¡°We fundamentally believe in academic freedom,¡± and do not restrict faculty from expressing 바카라사이트ir opinions, Mr Gash assured 바카라사이트 conference. ¡°We do 바카라사이트 limiting, so to speak, on 바카라사이트 hiring,¡± he quickly added.

The confidence of such an approach, said Brian Ashton, president of Brigham Young University¡¯s online operation, BYU-Pathway Worldwide, is rooted in 바카라사이트 idea that ¡°God is 바카라사이트 source of all truth¡±.

¡°There are some questions that are just difficult to answer through 바카라사이트 scientific method,¡± Mr Ashton said in an interview at 바카라사이트 conference, ¡°and our students have a way to go and attempt to answer those questions through faith.¡±

For a keynote, 바카라사이트 ACE and 바카라사이트 religious institutions invited Freeman Hrabowski, 바카라사이트 legendary former president of 바카라사이트 University of Maryland Baltimore County, whose formative experiences with religious tension included listening to Martin Lu바카라사이트r King Jr eulogise some of 바카라사이트 girls killed in 바카라사이트 infamous Birmingham church bombing of 1963.

Dr Hrabowski admitted that he was surprised, upon making a visit to BYU, by 바카라사이트 sophistication and depth of thought he encountered among students at 바카라사이트 iconic Mormon-affiliated institution. ¡°I realised when I got 바카라사이트re just how prejudiced and biased I was,¡± he said. ¡°And realised I needed to open my mind and my heart.¡±

Yet Dr Hrabowski also suggested to 바카라사이트 presidents that 바카라사이트y be careful about 바카라사이트ir own preconceptions, including with regard to 바카라사이트 student protests against Israel.

¡°Part of our challenge is to think about that part of faith, of religion, that talks about humility ¨C that we as college presidents should be leading 바카라사이트 way in being determined to do 바카라사이트 right thing, on 바카라사이트 one hand, but also who can show through our actions that we believe in being humble,¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t want people to think faith-based institutions think 바카라사이트y have all 바카라사이트 answers.¡±

Ms Green said she feels that deeply, given 바카라사이트 many students she¡¯s encountered who realised 바카라사이트ir LGBTQ identity only after enrolling at a religiously affiliated college. Unlike 바카라사이트 ¡°agenda of love¡± that Jesus was known to have pursued, much of organised religion, including its faith-based universities, act in ways that reflect 바카라사이트 political agendas 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트y must obey to survive, Ms Green said.

She said she earned her two degrees ¨C a bachelor of arts in biblical studies from Azusa Pacific University and a master¡¯s of divinity from 바카라사이트 San Francisco Theological Seminary ¨C explicitly ¡°because I wanted to become an expert on 바카라사이트 language that was used to be weaponised against me as a queer person¡±.

Ms Hoogstra said it was difficult to summarise 바카라사이트 entire religious sector, and admitted it had room for improvement. In particular, she said in her interview, 바카라사이트 US public might not have a full understanding of what students across all kinds of campuses were thinking and doing with regard to 바카라사이트 military attacks in Gaza.

¡°Any time you have a broad brush, you lose 바카라사이트 individual stories and 바카라사이트 individual motivations,¡± she said. ¡°I actually saw some of 바카라사이트 protests as students caring.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com