On Jan. 31 through Feb. 2, President Shirley Mullen, along with several other Houghton faculty and administrative staff, attended the quadrennial Council for Christian Colleges & Universities International Forum in Dallas, Texas. The event united representatives from CCCU member institutions across the globe, including board members and ministry directors to participate in “purposeful reflection on the past and collaborative engagement for the future,” according to the Forum website.
President Mullen participated in two panels: “Faith In Action: Politics and Policy In Changing Times” and “Preparing CCCU Graduates For The Pluralistic World of the 21st Century.” During the first panel, which also featured the presidents of Roberts Wesleyan College, Biola University, Azusa Pacific University, and Point Loma Nazarene University, she discussed practical ways of approaching issues like LGBTQ inclusion, financial aid, and governmental regulations. The second panel, which included Houghton alum and commencement speaker Richard Mouw, as well as Eboo Patel of InterFaith Youth Core, addressed cross-cultural and inter-faith dialogues at Christian universities.
According to Mullen, “The most valuable thing [about these conferences] is the encouragement that comes from seeing the global scope of Christian higher education, interacting with fellow colleagues who are dealing with the same challenges, and hearing from speakers that none of us would have access to on our own.” According to Mullen, the conference also bestowed on university administrators “a deepened sense of the importance of Christian colleges like Houghton in preparing graduates who are competent to be problem solvers, confident enough to be agents of civility and community, and creative and surprising witnesses to Christian hope in our increasingly pluralistic and divided world.”
Vincent Morris, Vice President for Finance, co-led a session titled “Strategies for Implementing Enterprise Risk Management,” which explained how college administrators can better identify risks, take advantage of opportunities, and prepare for the tumultuous financial future of higher education. According to Morris, these strategies are more necessary now that 2.7 million fewer U.S. high school students have chosen to attend Christian colleges in the last few years, putting pressure on enrollment numbers and financial assets.
“Some of the sessions I attended at the CCCU conference that were most beneficial,” Morris said, “included presentations on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly for Christian colleges (both possibly challenged by societal trends), an instructive but rather depressing session on demographic, enrollment and financial trends for Christian colleges and universities…and the session on cyber security co-led by Houghton’s own Don Haingray of IT. Some nasty people out there trying to break into college systems!”
Kim Pool, Director of VOCA, presented at a breakout session entitled “Faith-Informed Approaches to Vocation: Four Institutional Strategies.” At the session, she shared information about Houghton’s
vocational programs, paying particular attention to the yearly Sophomore Leadership Conference and to the college’s “goal of providing intentional time and space for vocational reflection and discussion about God’s callings in our lives.” She enjoyed swapping ideas on best practices and learning from other career services professionals. “It was refreshing to be reminded of the importance of our work and the mission of Christian institutions in Higher Education,” she said. “I was grateful to see Houghton well represented and contributing to impactful conversations.
H. “Skip” Lord, Houghton’s Executive Director of Athletics, also attended the event to present in a panel titled “Inclusive Intercollegiate Athletics in Christian Higher Education” alongside the Executive Director of the National Christian College Athletic Association, among others. “Our presentation grew out of our involvement with the NCAA’s ‘Common Ground’ program,” he said, “with which I’ve been involved for a little more than 3 years.” According to the NCAA website, the “Common Ground” initiative was formed to establish “inclusive and respectful” athletic communities for all sexual orientations, gender identities, and religious beliefs. Along this theme, Lord also attended sessions titled “Cultivating Capacity for Inclusive Excellence through an Active Bystander Strategy in Christian Higher Education” and “Caring for LGBTQ students at CCCU Institutions.”
When asked about highlights of the event, Lord mentioned worship sessions led by musician Matt Maher and devotionals delivered by speaker Andy Crouch. Mullen also highlighted Crouch’s devotionals as highlight, reflecting that “God’s work has always gone on in the midst of stressful conflict, opposition from the larger world, and divisions within the community of God’s people. The deep sense of God’s Sovereignty and his faithfulness in accomplishing his purposes was overwhelming.”
Speaking about the continuing impact of the event, Lord said, “I came home even more motivated to be part of what God is doing in our ever-changing world and privileged to play even a small part.”