A Few Words of Mann

Steve Jobs: A Modern Day Conundrum?

2011-10-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have many interests. Two of them include historic leaders and technology. Over the years I have followed with interest some past tech leaders (Rockefeller, oil; Carnegie, steel; Vanderbilt, railroads) as well as present tech leaders (Gates and Jobs). All five of these leaders were domineering pioneers of their times and all of them gave away vast amounts of money, except Jobs.

Steve Jobs has many similarities with other great industrialists: Visionary, determined, confident, and dictatorial. And of course, each of them had their distinctive features. Here, I want to focus on two features of Jobs that I believe are noteworthy, particularly in this day and age. These are his tendencies to be a micro-managing dictator and to be secretive. These two features are not uncommon among leaders across the ages, but today, they seem to be out of step with mainstream leadership that puts a high value on collaboration and transparency.

Steve Jobs’ tendency to micro-manage at a high level is legendary. Here I mean high level in two ways. First, he micro-managed at a high level meaning that he did it all the time. Second, he micro-managed at a high level meaning that it is unusual to see a successful CEO of such a large company micro-manage to such an extent. Details from the Apple cafeteria to the amount of memory in an iPad were all within Jobs purview. At times, he was known to control almost every detail on some projects. This is the CEO of a company that had almost 50,000 employees and revenues in excess of $100b.

Most leaders today are by personality or by necessity more collaborative than in the past. Many workers at every level want to be more involved and have more of a voice in the life of the company. Consulting gurus talk about engagement, buy-in, and teamwork as though it is today’s organizational religion. It is noteworthy that Jobs was such an exception to this rule particularly since Apple is so popular among today’s hip young workforce. Apple is often among the top companies to work for.

Steve Jobs also was known for his high commitment to secrecy. A recent Huffington Post blog started off with these words:

While at the helm of Apple, Steve Jobs was notoriously tight-lipped about his company's plans. Secrecy was of the utmost importance -- and he would lie regularly, assuring the world Apple had no plans for a certain product, just months before he'd release precisely such a device.

In a day and age when transparency is also part of our corporate cultural language, how was Jobs so successful and so revered while being so secretive?

In summary, Steve Jobs was one of the most iconic and successful business leaders of our generation. At the same time, he had a personality, leadership style, and organizational culture that are different than most other leaders and companies in their success, flair for design, and counter-cultural practices.

I have probably raised more questions here than I have answered and so feel free to join in the discussion. Is Steve Jobs and Apple the model for what we would like to replicate in the future or are they an interesting mix that is unlikely to be repeated or even undesirable in their features?

Should we continue down the path of collaboration and transparency that is increasingly common in our day or follow Jobs’ lead toward greater secrecy and/or autocratic leadership?

Yolanda Perez: A Leadership Lesson for the US Govt and Others

2011-10-18T11:46:00.001-07:00

Every year Crown College has to remind the US Government, the State of Minnesota, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (our accreditation body) of its mission. Crown’s stated mission is:

“To provide a biblically-based education for Christian leadership…”

Increasingly, the federal government is asking us this question: “Can you tell us who at your college does the Christian work?” Our reply is: “Everyone.” From their point of view, there are some faculty and staff who do religious work, but most do not. From our point of view, everyone who is employed at Crown is part of the Christian education that we provide.

Yolanda Perez, a dear sister in the Lord and employee at Crown College, passed away th is past week. At today’s memorial celebration at Crown College, you will see once again how much our students feel that Yolanda was a part of their education at Crown College. For our students, Yolanda, who worked in housekeeping, represented the highest ideals of the College: Care, compassion, teamwork, dedication, community, and service.

I wish the federal government could have learned this leadership lesson from Yolanda. She would have taught them that who you are is as important as the role in which you serve. At Crown College, when it comes to learning about life together with students, it is all hands on deck. When a recent survey asked faculty and staff why they work at Crown, their top three responses were:

Christian Environment
Impact on Student Lives
Alignment of personal values and institutional mission

We will miss Yolanda. She came to my office early each morning, always with a smile, and made things look perfect. She always had a high sense of calling to Crown’s mission and to the people on campus. For her family was a high value and at Crown, everybody was family to her.

In closing, I am not always sure what to do about the federal government that presses in harder each year. At Crown, however, we will continue to come to work each day with that high calling we have in Christ and the remembrance of Yolanda’s life and leadership.

To Russia, China, and Back

2011-10-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

Many people don't realize that over the last century, the Christian and Missionary Alliance has worked in over 70 countries and has over 100 educational institutions worldwide. Every year representatives from Alliance educational institutions gather to collaborate on their work together. I have had the privilege of chairing the committee of these institutions.

The original plan for this fall was to meet in Beruit, Lebanon. However, because of security issues, it was decided to move the meetings to the Alliance school in southern Russia. Once the dates were decided, we began to work on getting our 10 regional delegates to that location. Having met in the past in Hong Kong and Canada, we were used to pulling together letters of invitations, visa applications, and other documents. We have also learned that bringing people in from 10 different countries is invariably more difficult than it appears. Each year, we have visa issues that are challenging.

Speaking of visas, did you know that each country has a different mix of countries that require visas and those that don't. Not surprisingly, Americans need a visa to go to Russia. I didn't know that Russia has a list of preferred countries that don't need a visa. A number of former Soviet Union countries along with Cuba do not require visas, but also Argentina, Israel, Thailand, and Venezuela.

As an American, I have also always had an interest in Russia and the Soviet Union. Additionally, with a background in China, I have often been interested in the similarities and differences between these two communist countries. This trip gave me the opportunity to see how in so many ways Russia and China are similar. And in so many ways they are different.

When I was filling out the visa application, it reminded me of the early visa apps in China. Almost entirely in Russian, I found the paperwork very difficult to navigate. I had help from three angles. First, I had help from our Alliance team in Moscow. They referred me to a visa processing organization in the States. Lastly, Sasha, our Crown student from Moscow helped me with the language.

Once in Moscow, I was surprised how much it reminded me of Chinese cities of a decade ago. Today's buildings are not like Russia's and China's buildings of 30 years ago which were more grey and stoic, but today's buildings in Russia are plain and utilitarian in many cases. China's buildings in the major cities today are fancier and more elaborate. Of course, there are many exceptions to these simplistic generalizations.

I had been warned that the people of Russia are not outgoing, particularly in street settings. In several instances, I smiled and/or said hi to people and the response was serious, sober, or in some cases stunned. I asked some Russian friends what locals thought of Americans and most said that Americans are more optimistic than Russians, more open with Russians being more cautious.

One significant difference between China and Russia is the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church. When I visited Red Square, it reminded of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It was not surprising to see the Kremlin on one side of the Square. What was surprising was to see the famous St. Basil's Cathedral on another side of the Square. This would have never happened in China.

When we went to an evangelical church, we found Russian believers very warm and inviting. The church service we attended had contemporary music and several people raised their hands in worship. It is encouraging to see how Russian evangelicals are touching the lives of so many.

In both China and Russia, the impact of communism is still being felt. At the same time, the evangelical church in both countries seems to be growing and I believe that Christians are increasingly seen as part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We can thank God, many tireless international workers, and a sea of believers for that.

2011-09-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Some 9/11 Reflections

I am not sure if I have a lot to add to the 9/11 conversations, but I will share some reflections. First, I can still remember that day. Gary Benedict was the president of Crown College at the time and I was the VP/Academics. We were in the mountains of Colorado at a MidAmerican District meeting of pastors. Gary and I were up in our hotel room getting ready for the day and watching the morning news. That's when the news began to hit. We gathered with the other pastors as the horror continued to unfold. A day we will never forget. On the practical side of things, we had to tag along with several others by car because air travel was shut down. Eventually, Dennis Ingolfsland, Director of Library Services, drove down to Omaha to pick us up.

How has the world changed? For all of us, the world will never be the same. We recognize that the safety of the world around us is in question everyday. We feel vulnerable. We recognize that at any moment we could face a significant security danger. That watershed date along with the student shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech reminds us of the danger around us. We all feel more vulnerable. Even at a place with an impeccable safety record like Crown College, it is impossible to rule out every possible act of violence.

What are some of the takeaway from this day? One is the reminder that our fallen world will continue to experience heartache. Second, we as believers can engage the world around us for peace. Christians have across the ages been agents of peace whether it is through hospitals in war-torn areas, the care of orphans, or work to eliminate slavery and human trafficking. Lastly, we do look forward to that day when there will be justice and peace forever.

We read in Revelations, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

A day to remember. A day to look towards.

Sailing Lessons

2011-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have always had an interest in adventure sports. As a child I had done a bit of sailing and so this summer I decided to take some sailing lessons. One of the reasons for this is that Minnesota is a great sailing location and so it wasn’t hard to find a place for lessons.

I knew that sailing was a complicated endeavor. What I didn’t know was that there would be many spiritual metaphors. At the beginning of the first lesson, the instructor says, “The first and most important thing you need to know is where is the wind coming from?” Time and time again he would ask me “Where is the wind coming from?” All things sailing are oriented in reference to the direction of the wind. What I began to realize is that I rarely think about the wind. I go to work. I go home. I even go water skiing. But I rarely think about the wind and its direction.

In the same way, we can be unaware of God’s presence and work in our midst. Do we constantly ask ourselves, “What is God doing and where is He moving?” Unfortunately, I don’t. A.W. Tozer, in his book, The Pursuit of God, writes an entire chapter on The Universal Presence. He emphasizes how we as Christians believe the God is present, but don't always experience the reality of that presence.

Additionally, the Spirit of God is often referenced to wind. In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, we read “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

We read in Acts 2, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

As my sailing lessons continued, I began to realize that the wind is important because it is my only means of power. The goal of sailing is to engage the wind in a way that drives the boat forward. This process may seem simple at first, but the actual work of sailing is a mix of skill and feel.

Once I got the hang of getting the wind and sails to work together, the instructor said “look across the lake and see the puffs of wind coming?” I said “I don’t see them.” He said “see the dark spots on the water, those are puffs of wind.” Okay. It was hard at first, but over time I could begin to see the wind at work in ways I had never noticed before. Lesson after lesson, the instructor helped me to see how the wind and the sails could work together in powerful ways.

My prayer for you and for me is that 1) we can become more aware as to the direction of the wind and God’s work in our midst, 2) we can partner with the wind of God’s Spirit to see his full manifest power in our midst, and 3) we can enjoy the majesty of his presence in giving energy that we can experience in our lives.

The Journey from age 13-30: Part 3

2011-07-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been speaking on the topic of helping teens and young adults on their journey from age 13 to 30. Everywhere I go, I find many people who have high interest in this topic. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, pastors, and many more understand how important these years are in the life of an individual. Here are a few of the insights I have been discussing:

Vision
Most would agree that many teens and young adults are adrift. Leonard Sax, MD, PhD, author of Boys Adrift, highlights these issues. This year, we have also seen the popular books, Guyland, by Michael Kimmel, and Manning Up, by Kay Hymowitz. This issue is not just for males. Many of our teens and young adults, male and female, are struggling with a sense of purpose and direction. In Proverbs 29:18 we read, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained (NASB)." We need to help those around us understand that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. In Deuteronomy, God invites the people of Israel to enter into a covenant relationship with him. In the New Testament, that covenant relationship is offered as a blessing to all people (Acts 3:25). Just as a marriage covenant gives direction to a newly married couple, so God's invitation to a relationship for life and eternity can give a child, teen, and young adult vision, purpose and direction for their future. Let me encourage you to speak often of God's destiny for your 13-30 year-olds. This will give them a sense of vision and strength when the winds and waves of our culture buffet them about.

Teaching
Many of you may be familiar with the research of Christian Smith, a sociologist at Notre Dame and the author of Souls Searching and Souls in Transitions (Some good reviews by Scot McKnight). These two works come out of the largest research project ever done on spiritual development in the lives of teens and young adults. One of the most surprising findings by Smith is the fact that adults are so unwilling to talk with teens and young adults about their faith. This is unfortunate because Smith emphasizes over and over again that the biggest influence in spiritual development of children, teens, and young adults are parents. He writes, "The best way to get most teens more involved in and more serious about their faith … is to get their parents more involved in and serious about their faith (p. 267)." Deuteronomy 4:9 emphasizes this as well, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." When should you teach your children, teens, and young adults about your faith? Deuteronomy 6:7 gives us some direction, "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." We know that American adults get nervous talking about politics, religion, money, and sex, but our young adults want to have meaningful and authentic conversations about all of these topics, particularly our faith.

Caution
Deuteronomy 5:9 reminds us to be cautious regarding our faith journey, "You shall not bow down to them [idols]or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." We don't know exactly how the sins of our fathers are passed down through the generations, but most of us would agree that this truth affects most all of us. Just as a couple needs to enter into a marriage covenant with a sense of joy and optimism, they also need to be cautious to guard the exclusive nature of that relationship. In the same way, God wants our children, teens, and young adults to guard their relationship with God and not to allow other things (e.g. idols) to distract them from all that God has for them.

The journey from 13 to 30 is an exciting and dangerous journey. Let's do all we can to help our children, teens, and young adults to successfully navigate the high seas of this important passage. We as older adults can share, support, and encourage them along the away reminding them of all that God has done and will continue to do.

Joshua 4:4-7
So Joshua… said to them, "Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder…to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, `What do these stones mean?‘ tell them…
These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Why I Love Crown Birthdays

2011-05-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

As president of Crown College, I have a wide range of responsibilities. Some are work. Some are just plain fun. One of those is handing out birthday cards. I inherited this duty from Crown’s previous president. It works like this. My Executive Assistant gives me the cards for a given month with names and dates. Before the dates arrive, I write notes to the faculty and staff members, a small gift certificate is included and off I go to deliver the card to the appropriate office.

You might ask why this is so much fun? I do a lot of work that is not very personal. Things like reading reports, analyzing data, reviewing financials, reading trade journals, etc. Each card I pick up gives me the opportunity to think, pray, and write about the person. This is a personal experience because every person at Crown is different and each year the circumstances surrounding that person change. For example, one year a person may be right in the middle of helping Crown to develop a new program. The next year may involve a serious illness. Each year is different.

When I first started at Crown, I wrote a note to the person and put the card in campus mail. Somewhere along the way, I decided to try and hand deliver the cards. It proved to be harder than I thought. Meshing my schedule with others so that we end up on the right day is tricky. What I realized is that this gave me an excuse to see people in their world. Birthdays often include co-workers, decorations, food, and fun. It is wild to see the variety. Also, some people engage birthdays with great gusto! Others look like it is a bit of a downer. Regardless, it is an opportunity to share our lives together around a special day. I don’t get to every person on the right day as I would like, but overall it is a lot of fun, especially when the winters get long.

A Case for Boring Orthodoxy

2011-04-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Over the last year, there have been endless discussions in the news about the hysterics we see in political dialogue. Many have complained that the rhetoric has been over the top at levels not seen in recent years. Maybe they are right.

Then comes along Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, and it seems like we are off and running with high stakes rhetoric on both sides. Now, I must say that I am not an emergent follower of Rob Bell nor a five-point Calvinist or “Neo-Calvinist” in the ilk of John Piper. I think that Bell’s points are over-stated as well as John Piper’s. Just to make sure we are clear however, I believe that Piper’s views are well within the framework of evangelical orthodoxy. I think the jury is still out on Bell’s views. If they are not heretical, you may be able to see heretical from here.

What strikes me in this discussion is the polarization or bifurcation of viewpoints. Traditionally, most people have held positions that would be well within the middle of Bell’s and Piper’s. For reasons I have not quite figured out, the polarization seems to be starker in the last decade than I remember from earlier years.

In The Huffington Post blog, “Rob Bell vs John Piper: Do we have to decide?" author Jonathan Weyer writes, “We should be for neither, and we should be for both.” He makes a pitch that we should be both. I know what he is getting at, but I am not sure he hits the sweet spot either. It is difficult to reconcile Bell’s views with Piper’s and come up with a reasonable solution. They both have some aspects of their viewpoints that seem to be out on the edges.

Do I have to choose Bell’s love, which may border on (heretical) universalism when the Scriptures make a plain case for the exclusive claims of Christ and hell for those that reject Him? Or do I have to choose Piper’s dyed in the wool Calvinism which has predestination and limited atonement as central tenets? Historically, most orthodox, evangelicals have chosen a path that steers clear of universalism and all the exegetical and theological problems that it creates. They have also lived with some of the biblical tension between extreme Arminian / Calvinistic views.

Maybe the reasonable middle of historical orthodoxy is just too plain to be attractive or newsworthy. Bell certainly has generated a growing movement both at his church in Grand Rapids and around the country. Likewise, John Piper has large followings with The Gospel Coalition as well as the “Young, Restless, and Reformed." At the end of the day, I believe that we are best served by engaging a biblical theology that has a sound hermeneutic and has stood the test of time across the centuries. I recognize that both Rob Bell and John Piper would contend that their views do represent a sound biblical theology. I would respond by saying that Bell's views at this point are not widely held by biblical theologians and are not in keeping with historical orthodoxy. In my opinion, John Piper's views do have significant historical support, but may be more in keeping with systematic theology (Calvinism) than with biblical theology. Lastly, I feel that the level of warring factions and the vitriolic rhetoric doesn’t serve Christians well in the church or in the marketplace. Maybe my views just are not very interesting.

Thanks to Ken Castor, faculty member at Crown College and Nathan Miller, staff at Desiring God for their input on this article. Do not hold them responsible for the ideas of this article.

Where have all the good men gone?

2011-02-21T06:29:00.000-08:00

This is the title of a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article (http://ow.ly/3ZDQ ) on the topic referred to as “pre-adult” men. Having three sons, being a social science researcher, and being a bit of an armchair sociologist, I have followed with some interest the literature on 13-30 year-old male development for many years. One thing is clear from all the literature on the subject, young men in America having been struggling over the last 25-50 years. The popular book from 2000, The Quarterlife Crisis, is referenced in the article and is a research project on the struggles of those around 25 years old. My three sons (no pun intended) are now 25, 28, and 32. When they were in their teens, I would say to them, “It has never been easier for young men to succeed today, because so few are.” I am not sure I am proud of this statement and its double-mindedness, as I think that Christian men struggle with many of the same issues, a few more and a few less. Several things we do know from the WSJ article and other sources include the facts that women are doing better in school, church, and the workplace as well as having fewer problems with substance abuse, incarceration, and short-lift span.

First, let’s look at the WSJ article and draw attention to some of its central tenets. The author of this article and book Manning Up: How the Rise of Women has Turned Men into Boys, Kay S. Hymowitz, brings a good overview of the topic from a historical perspective. In centuries past, there was nothing called adolescence. Boys became men, got married, went to work, and raised families. That began to change through the industrial revolution and the rise of secondary and post-secondary education. Boys didn’t go to work in their teens anymore but rather continued their education. One way to look at this is to say that marriage typically follows the completion of education and as education levels have moved up from primary school to graduate school, so has the age of marrying. This gap between going to work in their mid-teens and going to work after graduate school has formed what I refer to as the “13-30 journey”. Some would refer to this as “American adolescence”. If this age span started as 13-18 and has moved to 13-23 and beyond, some would say that it is moving to 10-35 in the continued trend of children wanting the features of adult life younger and younger and taking on adulthood later and later. In summary, once adolescence was non-existent and lasted zero years and has progressed from lasting five years to 10 to 20 or more.

Second, I don’t think we can overlook the impact of the sexual revolution. Before the Korean War in the 50’s, most sexual activity occurred within the confines of marriage. Two developments have forever changed that. First, birth control came into its own in the 60s allowing for a free flow of sexual activity. Second, abortion was nationalized through Roe vs Wade in 1973. By the time I went to college in 1975, the traditional barrier to sex, pregnancy, was virtually removed from the American landscape. That has played a big role in leading to today’s pervasive “hook-up culture”. Several recent research projects (Sex and the Soul) and commentators have highlighted the growing distain among young adults for hookup culture. Some would say that sadly and ironically, the drive of the feminist’s movement of the 60s and 70s took out many of the reasons for males to act responsibly in their teen, 20s, and beyond. To say it a different way, traditional cultures used the attraction of sex as a driver for marriage and children. Added to this was the prohibition of divorce. If that driver now has no consequences, marriage and children are left behind. To add one more layer to this viewpoint which some would ascribe to moral virtue while others would ascribe this to natural biology, men wanted sex which resulted in marriage and children, which then required responsible financial support with no opportunity for divorce. Some would describe this as the classical, Catholic family. Today, this has largely been lost in American society except for the conservative, evangelical family.

In later segments, I want to discuss what this might mean for the future of American society at large (maybe Europe gives us that picture) and how this interfaces with the Christian men and women I work with at an evangelical college.

Interesting titles by Kay S. Hymowitz
▪ Marriage and caste in America: separate and unequal families in a post-marital age (2006)
▪ Liberation's children: parents and kids in a postmodern age (2003)
▪ Ready or not: why treating children as small adults endangers their future--and ours (1999)
▪ Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men Into Boys (2011)

Pro-Family, Marriage, Life, and Adoption (FMLA)

2011-02-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

In 1993, the US Government put into place the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to support families in time of need. At Crown College, we want to be a pro-family environment in a way that is centered on our biblical values. The following acrostic FMLA highlights these key features.

Pro-Family: From the beginning of time, God has shown us the value of families. It is the cornerstone of society and the framework in which all people exists. Across the ages, when families have done well, societies have done well. The Heritage Foundation (www.heritage.org ) has an endless amount of research that highlights how strong families support virtually every measure of societal and individual success (http://ow.ly/3Z14F). Therefore, with the percentage of traditional families with two parents continuing to decline, we are facing a time of crisis. At Crown College, we value and support families and want model healthy family life for our students. To support these goals, we are developing policies and practices that will support our faculty and staff families including reasonable salaries and benefits, a campus environment that is family friendly, and a tuition-free education for for the dependent children of our full-time faculty and staff.

Pro-Marriage: The biblical foundation of strong families is marriage between a man and a woman (Mk 10:7). This is true not only in this era in America, but it has been true across time and across cultures. When cultures put a high value on traditional marriage, those cultures have enjoyed greater strength and stability. Research shows that currently over 40% of American children are born outside of a traditional family. As this percentage rises, children are more at risk for poverty, low educational attainment, higher rates of imprisonment, and shorter lifespan (http://ow.ly/3Z2as). Marriage is a blessing from the Lord and those who are married live longer and happier lives (http://ow.ly/3Z2fD). In contrast, when life and sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman becomes commonplace, relationships are put at risk, families suffer, and society is weakened. At Crown College, we promote traditional marriage by educating students about the biblical perspectives of divorce, sexual activity outside of marriage and homosexual marriage.

Pro-Life: Strong societies have always valued children. People seem to inherently know that children are the future and so their care and safety is of the utmost importance. Across history there have been times when infants have been in danger of being killed. One of those times is now. Over the last 40 years, millions of unborn children have lost their lives through abortion; nearly 50 million in the U.S. alone, between 1973-2008. This has caused untold pain and sorrow for families. When life becomes a choice, all those involved lose. Crown College along with the Christian and Missionary Alliance church, our sponsoring denomination supports pro-life policies and practices.

Pro-Adoption: If we are going to be a pro-family, pro-marriage, pro-life campus, we want to encourage adoption. Research shows us that children raised in a traditional family have so many advantages (http://ow.ly/3Z2rs). Therefore, we want to not only reduce the number of abortions each year, God calls us to care for the orphans of the world. Adoptions allow Christians the opportunity to bring wholeness to the lives of children who were born into brokenness.

Our hope is that we as a college can model through our voice, policies, and practices that are consistent with God’s truth found in the Scriptures. This not only invites God’s blessings to our campus, but also prepares a generation of graduates to bring strength and vision to a needy world.

168 Hours in Washington, DC

2011-02-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Cheri and I arrived at our hotel in Washington, DC one week ago. These 168 hours have been very full and exciting. The time is nearly over and so I wanted to reflect over the week of activity. In later blog postings, I will unpack some of the memorable moments. For now, here is an overview.

Thursday, Jan 27
Senator Amy Klobuchar-We went to her office, but she was giving a speech in the Senate chambers and so an aid took us to the Capitol Building where we met with her. While we would not agree on many issues, as a democrat she is very supportive of education and Crown and reasonable enough to not to favor current Department of Education proposed policies that are very problematic.
Representative John Kline-He was not in the office and so I met with his legislative aid on education. Because he is the Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee for the House, his influence on education issues is very high. His aid was very well-informed on the key issues and very well-aligned with Crown's issues on current proposals.
Andy Crouch-Opening keynote address at the President's CCCU conference. Andy is a creative speaker and capable worship leader. He spoke about the power that presidents have and the accountability that is often avoided by most leaders. Are we creatively using the power and privilege entrusted to us?

Friday, Jan 28
Molly Broad-President of the American Council on Education. Very detailed speech on the issues facing higher education in America particularly as it relates to international competition, the "business" of higher education, and systems of quality assurance. Striking statistics like the fact that China has 50% more college students than the US. Jobs of the future will require college degrees. Delivery systems for education are changing rapidly.
Workshop on Colleges and Govt Relations-A Panel of college presidents discussed how they have become more effective in their work with local, state, and federal government agencies.
Donna Freitas-Author of Sex and the Soul discussing the sexual activity of college students in relationship to their spiritual views at four kinds of colleges: private-secular, public, Catholic, and evangelical. For not coming from a Christian background, she was overwhelmingly positive about the students at Christian colleges and their ability to avoid "hookup culture" found everywhere. She was very clear on how negative "hookup culture" is on the lives of college students and how much they dislike it.
Workshop on Colleges and Financial Stress-A panel of college presidents discussed how to effectively embrace the financial challenges of our times as we all face moving to a "new normal."
Workshop on International Partnerships-A panel of college presidents discussed how they are partnering with other institutions overseas in sharing academic programs.

Saturday, Jan 29
Christian College Presidents and the Public Square-A panel of college presidents discussed their different approaches on how they have increasingly been a part of the assortment of voices in their communities.
International Educational Partnerships in a Post-Colonial Era-Howard Wilson, the president of Ambrose University College in Calgary, and I led a session with one other institution on working with institutions overseas. We discussed our work with the Alliance World Fellowship and its 120 C&MA institutions worldwide.
George Marsden, renowned historian at Notre Dame, was recognized for his leading scholarship as an evangelical.
Miroslav Volf-Director at the Yale Divinity School, discussed the move world-wide toward secular pleasure and individualism and the dead end this brings. Further discussion on how the universities of the world have given up on the discussion of Meaning. This puts Christian colleges in a very important position as we look to the future.

Sunday, Jan 30
Traveled to visit my sister who lives in Baltimore
Visited with my brother-in-law, Jim Phillips, who is a senior analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank on Capitol Hill. He has been working night and day on the Egyptian crisis with things to write as well as radio and TV interviews. Jim's brother, Richard Phillips, was the ship captain who was captured by pirates in the Somalian sea two years ago.

Wednesday, Feb 2
Larry Julian-Met for lunch near the National Prayer Breakfast site for a briefing. Larry is the author of God is My CEO and other books and hosts the Leadership Roundtable in Minneapolis of which I am a member. He was the one who invited me to this year's Prayer Breakfast as a part of the business leaders track.
Os Guinness spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast Business Leaders Track dinner. An insightful political analyst and Christian apologist from the UK. His profound sense of history and the direction of civilization is profound. Very classical in his approach.
Will Schenk-Recent Publisher of Rolling Stone magazine-An adult convert to Christ, Will spoke about how to survive and thrive in the secular publishing world.
Mark Kelly-Astronaut and wife of Rep Gabby Giffords who was recently shot in Arizona.

Thursday, Feb 3
Russell Wallace-Screenwriter of Braveheart, Pearl Harbor, and Secretariat. Compelling story teller about his year's growing up, his present working years, and the place of prayer. One of the best speeches I have ever heard.
President Obama-As the reporters have said, the speech was very personal and soft-spoken on the role of prayer in his work leading the country.
Micheal Flaherty-Head of Walden Media (Narnia Series) spoke on the role of the media in culture and faith.

As I mentioned above, a full week and this doesn't describe all of it. More to come later.

Three Steps Forward, One Step Back

2011-01-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

If you know me personally or if you read my Myers-Briggs profile, you would know that I like progress. It is just how I am wired. Across my professional life, I have had the privilege of seeing a number of initiatives both big and small move forward. The joy in this is seeing the lives of people touched in ways that are meaningful both here in the States and around the world. It is that sense that what we are doing is making a difference.

I would love to say that every chapter of progress is three, four, five steps forward. Sometimes this is the case, but often, the progress is slower and more uneven. Over the years, I have learned to call three steps forward, one step back a win. The math gives us a net gain of two.

There are two realities in this discussion that we must face. First, making a lot of progress fast does not happen often. Life is just more complicated than it appears. Years ago when people said that we should have been be able to get Crown’s nursing program launched in a year, probably don’t realize that we had to process mountains of paperwork with three different accrediting bodies, let alone the issues around facilities, faculty, curriculum, etc.

Second, there is that dreaded step back. This can come from many directions. Sometimes, I miss something. Sometimes, I make a wrong decision. Sometimes others do the same. Some of these setbacks can come from poor work. Other times, things come up that no one could have anticipated. Occasionally, a step back provides a chance to catch your breath because the pacing has been a little unrealistic. If you read through the Psalms, you see example after example of steps backwards.

I have learned that good things can happen with three steps forward and one step back. At the end of the day, progress is made. And yes, it is always better than two steps forward and three steps back.

As we begin 2011, my hope for you and me is that we can see many steps forward and not too many steps back.

A Decade at Crown College

2010-12-20T13:06:00.001-08:00

No nursing program. No communication program. No new science labs. Hard to imagine isn’t it? A number of publications (e.g. TIME) are reflecting on the last decade (2000-2010). I wanted to take a moment and reflect on the last decade at Crown College. As mentioned above, many of our largest majors were not yet at Crown.

Gary Benedict, Crown’s president in 2000, led the College forward in a number of areas including increased enrollment and the development of Crown’s online program. Faculty members Craig Cook, William Allen, Johnny Grainger, Dawn Locklear, and many others have joined Crown in these years. At the same time, we have been blessed by an outstanding group of senior faculty members who have served more than 30 years at Crown including Dr. Gianoulis, Dr. Hustad, Dr. Bedford and Dr. Hardy as well as Dr. Steele and Dr. Ratledge who have served 20 years or more.

In 2000, the Athletic Center was just opening and the Coffee Shoppe was an old gym sitting empty. The west wing of the library was a residence hall floor. There was one practice field instead of the present complex of three.

Over the last 10 years, the creative arts have been greatly expanded with the expansion of the newspaper as well as courses in art and dance. The communications department has also been instrumental in expanding the creative pathways for our students and campus.

We have experienced many blessings at Crown College since Y2K. Looking back on this past decade gives us confidence in what God can do at Crown in the future. Let’s lean into all that He has for us in this coming decade.

(NOTE: This post was adapted from an article written for the StormChaser)

Student Questions-Part 2

2010-11-12T07:51:00.001-08:00

Why change the name to Crown University when it doesn't change anything else?

Over the last 30 years, Crown has continued to evolve. Years ago, Crown's primary focus was on ministry preparation. About 20 years ago, that mission was expanded to include additional majors like business, English, and elementary education. Soon after that new graduate programs were added along with adult and online programs. The progress has moved Crown from a Bible college to a small comprehensive university. That's why the name change makes sense.

What is the difference between a Bible college and Christian college/university?

The Bible college movement started in the late 1800s with certificate and undergraduate programs designed to train pastors and missionaries. This was an alternative to seminaries which were viewed as too liberal. In 1950, St Paul Bible Institute (now Crown College) had four majors: Bible, Christian Education, Missions, and Music, which all focused on vocational ministry training. Today's Christian college prepares students across a wide variety of majors from the liberal arts (English, history, philosophy, math, etc.) to the professional studies (business, education, health care, engineering, etc.). The goal is to educate all students in every major with a heart for Jesus and people and to equip them to lead in every profession.

How is Crown going to stay affordable if we build new dorms and become a university?

It may sound surprising, but the more Crown grows, the more affordable it can stay. That is because of something that is called fixed costs. Fixed costs is a category of expenses that don't change much whether we have 500 students or 2,000 students. Examples include the heating bills, athletic fields, and accreditation costs. If we have more students and the fixed costs stay the same, the cost per student is less. One of our top priorities is affordability. In the last two years, the increases at Crown have been the lowest of any private college in Minnesota.

What is your favorite NFL team?

Okay, this is not directly a Crown College question, but I did say in chapel that you could ask other questions. My favorite football team is the Crown Storm. Under the leadership of Coach John Auer, we are having the best season ever including a victory over Northwestern. Go Storm! On the NFL side, I am a Vikings fan and last week I had the opportunity to go to my first Vikings game! It wasn't great until the 4th quarter when the offense lit up the scoreboard and we won in overtime.

Student Questions-Part 1

2010-11-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

Why are we talking about this?

Our goal is to work hard at communicating what is going on in the life of Crown College. Not every topic is of interest to every student, but lately the energy and interest around the topic of Crown’s university future has been high. Therefore, we are taking time to try and communicate where things are headed in the short run as well as the long run.

Why do we focus on these big things (structure and future) and not the small things (food service and housing)?

We hope it is a both/and. We want to plan well for the distant future even though the current undergraduate students will not be affected much. We also want to work on the smaller pieces that affect students today. I want to thank Student Senate for taking time each semester to work on the daily issues that affect student life. Some of the recent issues include food service, library hours, disc golf, etc.

When are we going to get an MDiv program so I don’t have to go to Bethel?

That is not on our agenda. Crown has never had a seminary and it is not in the plan. MDiv programs are very expensive for everyone (college, students, etc.) and our MA programs have been very popular with less than half the credits and less than a third of the costs. Many ministry-minded students have enrolled in our MA/Ministry Leadership. If you want an MDiv program, you may want to consider the Alliance Theological Seminary in New York.

Why don’t we have a women’s soccer coach?

Last year when Tim Prusha, our then women’s soccer coach, decided to go back to graduate school in marketing, we did a national search for a new coach. Because of the timing, the search started a little late and did not turn up a candidate at the level we were seeking. That search is continuing on now and we have to have an excellent candidate in place before March. I want to personally thank Tim Prusha for his outstanding leadership for so many years!

Crown: College or University-Q&A

2010-10-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

I continue to enjoy conversations about Crown's Christian global university future. I thought I would take some space for Q&A on the topic of college and university.

-Are there universities with less than 5,000 students?Yes, in looking at the federal (IPEDS) reporting data for colleges categorized as "Baccaulaureate Colleges-General" which includes Crown College, of the 315 listed institutions, 144 (47%) use the "university" title. Even for those colleges smaller than Crown College under 1,000 students, 30% use the "university" title.

-Are colleges requred to have certain programs to be called a "university"?
In some states that is true. In most states, including Minnesota, that is not true. An institution can change its name simply by filing the paperwork.

-If Crown College changes its name to Crown University, would it change its Christian identity?
Absolutely not. Crown continues first and foremost to be a Christ-centered institution.

-If Crown College changes to a university, will the state and federal guidelines change?
No, while the government is less supportive of faith-based institutions than in years past, that relationship is not impacted by the college/university label.

Rumors: Is Crown a College or University?

2010-10-04T18:51:00.001-07:00

People often ask me if Crown is going to become a university. It is a complex topic that I will try and unpack. Most Americans think of colleges as quiet four-year, undergraduate campuses of 1,000-3,000 students ranging in age from 18-23. We tend to think of universities as having 10,000 students or more, with a wide array of undergraduate programs (history, math, education, etc.), graduate programs (MA/PhD in history, MBA in business, MS in biology, etc.), and some professional schools (law, medicine, etc.).

In recent years, the landscape of higher education in America has changed. We see more two-year "technical colleges" and "community colleges" just calling themselves “colleges”. We see more four-year colleges growing, adding graduate programs and other academic units, and moving to the "university" title.

The guidelines for colleges and universities vary by state. There are four Christian and Missionary Alliance colleges in the US including: Crown College, Nyack College, Simpson University, and Toccoa Falls College. Why is Simpson called a university? Partly because they have grown and added graduate programs and partly because the State of California will let them use most any title they want. While Nyack College, which is the largest of the Alliance colleges, is in the State of New York which requires that they have three doctoral programs to use the title of university.

What does this mean for Crown College? It makes sense that in the next five years Crown will make the transition to university status. Why? Because like many four-year colleges, Crown is growing, adding graduate programs and is also increasingly surrounded by two-year technical and community colleges that are changing their status to “college”.

This change to "university" will not change Crown's Christian identity and focus. There are Christian colleges that are strongly Christ-centered and there are many that are not. There are Christian universities that are strongly, Christ-centered and those that are not. Also, this change will not affect Crown's status with the federal or state government nor with any of its accreditation relationships.

Alliance World Fellowship: A Gathering of Educators

2010-09-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

This past week, I had the privilege of meeting in Calgary, Canada with Alliance educators from around the world. I wanted to give you some insight on AWF at a glance as well as some of the things I learned this past week.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance is a movement of churches that first started in the late 1800s. The distinctives of this group have been the centrality and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as described in the Four-fold Gospel and Deeper Life as well as the vision to plant churches around the world. After 120 years, the C&MA worldwide has a presence in more than 80 countries with over 10,000 churches and four million adherents. Because of the missionary vision of the Alliance, there are several countries that have more Alliance adherents than those found in the US including the Congo, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Many of these national churches have also become missionary-sending denominations. The C&MA church in Hong Kong has over 100 churches and over 50 missionaries.

The Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) is the world-wide network of Alliance churches. There are five designated regions including Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe/Middle East, Latin America, and North America. With more than 100 Alliance institutes, colleges, seminaries, and graduate schools, there has been a goal of establishing a working group of Alliance Educators. In 2004, the International Commission on Theological Education was established in Amsterdam. In follow-up to these meetings, I was asked to lead this Commission which now meets annually.

It is exciting to gather together with the delegates of the AWF regions and discuss the issues facing Alliance educators around the world. On the one hand, the delegates have a common C&MA heritage and commitment to see leaders developed in their regions. On the other hand, the culture backgrounds of Latin America, Africa, and Asia are so different from that in the US, I learn a great deal about the wide variety of issues facing our institutions.

Our hope is to develop an AWF Journal that can serve our national churches around the world. We are also developing a course on Alliance distinctives that will be offered in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. This should all be available in 2011 in preparation for the Quadrennial meetings in Toronto in 2012.

As is often the case, I have learned so much more than I have contributed. Many of the topics addressed have direct application to our situation at Crown College, particular as we work out Crown’s Christian global university future.

Canada: Just the Same or Different

2010-09-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just one day back in Canada reminds me of the three years when we lived in Regina, Saskatchewan (1981-3). Time and time again, I was confronted by experiences in Canada that were just a bit different than our typical American experiences.

Take English for example. Canadians sound like Americans, almost. Underneath those similarities you will find an accent that sounds like someone from Northern Minnesota. Today, I saw a traffic sign that said "No Dual Turns". I think this refers to U-turns. You also have differences as Canada follows British conventions in spelling such as "centre" instead of "center".

How about colleges and universities? To Canada's credit, over 60% of their adults have a two-year or four-year degrees. They rank first in the world while the US has dropped to 18th. Tomorrow, I will be at Ambrose University College which is, well, between a college and a university and is usually used to describe private institutions.

Today, we ate at a restraurant and I had some french fries. Here in Canada, you might find people using ketchup, or in British fashion, vinegar. You can even find an interesting concoction of french fries with cheese curds. At the end of the meal, the server brought a portable device to run my credit card. I asked if they had been using these for a long time. In Hong Kong, they use their phones for touchless payment, but you don't see it in the states yet. She looked at me like, well, I was dumb, or from another country. She couldn't believe that Americans would let their credit cards out of their site.

Western Canadians are great people, warm and generous. A lot like Midwesterners in the US. That's what can seem confusing. They are just like the people I know in Minnesota, except not exactly.

Philip Ryken, New President at Wheaton College

2010-09-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

As a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Crown College joins with about 100 other institutions in providing a Christ-centered education. There may be disagreement on how to best carry out this mission, but there is little controversy over which college leads this group as the flagship institution. Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL (not to be confused with Wheaton College in MA) is the leader on many levels.

I am personally a fan of Wheaton College and its past president Duane Litfin. I believe that they have done well at representing the best of a conservative Christian liberal arts education. Wheaton is not perfect, but has done better than most at balancing the demands of integrating a rigorous liberal arts education with a historical, orthodox, and biblical faith.

For many reasons, I was glad that my schedule allowed me to attend the inauguration of Wheaton's eighth president, Philip Ryken. Dr. Ryken was an unusual choice in this chapter of Christian higher education in America. As most of the elite Christian colleges have long ago moved toward hiring professional academics as their presidents, Wheaton once again selected a pastor. I say once again, because 17 years ago, they tapped Duane Litfen from the pastorate in Memphis. Some would contend that Litfen was not a lifelong pastor having previously served on the faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary, Indiana University, and Purdue University.

Philip Ryken has been a pastor his whole career having served most recently as the Senior Pastor at the famous Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Why did Wheaton choose a pastor as its president when so many other institutions would have gone in a different direction?

Here are a few thoughts:

-Ryken is an alum and more. He not only an alum, he is a faculty kid. His father, Leland Ryken, has been on the English faculty for more than 40 years.

-He was a board member. It is not unusual for organizations to feel comfortable in hiring someone with whom they have served. Gary Benedict was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Crown College when he was selected as President.

-He is young. Wheaton has only had seven presidents in 150 years. At 44, Ryken could serve as president for more than 20 years. Crown has had a dozen or more presidents (depending on whether you count interims or not) in less than 100 years with only two serving more than 10 years. That pattern is not ideal.

-Ryken is well-studied with a D.Phil from Oxford and having authored more than 30 books.

-The board wants to maintain its historical identity and mission. By choosing a clergy candidate, the College may be trying to avoid the cultural and theological drift that have impacted so many other Christian and church-related colleges.

Some faculty members in hopes of strengthening the academic ethos of Wheaton may have preferred Nathan Hatch, a Wheaton alum, former Provost at Notre Dame, and current president at Wake Forest University.

For reasons we may never know, the Board chose Philip Graham Ryken.

For Wheaton and the rest of the Christian colleges in America, I think it's a win.

Signs of Commercialization of Education: Part 1

2010-09-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

If you read much on education in America, the world is changing, in a hurry. Whether it is K-12, public or private colleges and universities, the business language and imagery is more and more commonly applied to education.

Today for example, there was an NPR radio broadcast on the "value-added" approach to K-12 education. In other words, we should evaluate teachers and schools not on test scores alone, but on the improvement of test scores. The authors contest that this is a better indicator of the "value-added". If the term "value-added" is not the most commonly used term in MBA programs, it is certainly in the top ten. Merit pay, alternate paths to licensure, students as customers, and Obama's Race to the Top funding plan resonate with educational reformers many of whom borrow from the language of business effectiveness.

Tenure is probably the feature most hated by business leaders. The fact that a sitting democratic president and Secretary of Education would speak out directly or indirectly would have been unimaginable in past decades. However, dismantling tenure has been one of the priorities of Obama's "Raise to the Top" funding initiative. This has put Obama and Duncan at odds with many of the unions.

Regardless of your political views, there is a shift in public sentiment about education with an increasing focus on demonstrating its tangible value through testing, increased salaries, etc.

What this will mean for schools, colleges, and universities is yet to be seen.

The Journey from age 13-30: Part 2

2010-08-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Why do young adults like adults? When I went to college, my parents had little or no involvement. It wasn't that they didn't care. I didn't want them involved. This was integral to the 60s and 70s in which I lived. Adults were bad or at least irrelevant.

So why are students so positive about adults today? First, the gap is smaller today between generations. Compared to the 60s, parents and students have more similar tastes in music, dress, and entertainment. Secondly, most parents and students communicate better than in past generations. Parents of the last two decades have been reminded over and over the need to communicate effectively. The U of Illinois site, FamilyWorks, emphasizes one thing, "The task of parents and teenagers is to talk to each other". Thirdly, Lecturing young adults has become a #1 sin in American culture (in contrast to most other cultures). For this reason, most American young adults find most adults supportive. Lastly, until the last couple of years, family wealth has been growing. Many parents have been willing and able to support their children well into their 20s. Therefore, most young adults have seen their parents as a positive source of funding. Related to this topic is the growing number of young adults who are living with their parents. A Minneapolis Star-Tribune article quotes a Pew study that says 20% of 19-34 year-olds live with their parents.

How is this the same or different for Christian families? In my estimation, it is largely the same. Christian students in general are very positive toward their families.

In closing, I want to mention that the trends listed above while generally true are not always true. There are endless examples of abusive families, delinquent teens, and poor relationships.

The Journey from age 13-30: Part 1

2010-08-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Most of my career has focused on working with the age group from 13 to 30. My first job out of college was teaching middle school students. Since then, most of my teaching career has been at the college level.

This summer, I have been working on pulling together some of the research related to the developmental issues facing teens and young adults in this age range. I have given particular attention to the social, moral and spiritual development of this age group.

There are several well-documented trends that impact this discussion including:

Marriage is changing
+Fewer are marrying
+Adults are marrying later
+More and more children are born to single mothers (40%)

This summer's Time magazine cover article explores marriage in America with the title "Unfaithfully Yours".

Some More Reflections on LIFE 2010

2010-07-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Stepping away from LIFE 2010 over the last couple of weeks has helped me to reflect back on this grand experience. I have been to many large conference and this was one of the most engaging. Maybe it was Jason Ostrander's leadership. Maybe it was the energy of 6,000+ teens. Maybe it was God at work in some unusual ways. I am not sure, but it was very moving for me and Cheri to see the embrace by so many. The Experience Project was compelling in its ability to grab the hearts of people on the topics of poverty, education, human trafficking and beyond. LIFE 2010 also did a great job at balancing large scale productions with personal relationships with small group experiences. Teens seemed to do well at connecting with their local groups in a way that allowed them to de-brief from their experiences.

Envision was showcased as a next step for emerging adults. This extended overseas experience provides a developmental opportunity for those looking to invest a year or two overseas. Crown alums Chris and Jamie O'Dell have been very effective leading the Taiwan site.

I will remember this time as both an observer watching all that was going on as well as personally seeing what God was doing in my heart.

Some evening energy!

See you in Kansas City, 2013.

Some Reflections on LIFE 2010

2010-07-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Every three years the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) hosts a national youth conference called LIFE. This year it is being held in Louisville, KY with approximately 7,000 in attendance. Crown College joins the fun as do the other Alliance colleges and appreciate being part of a denomination that values raising up that next generation of Alliance leaders. Crown is committed to serving in that mission.

Jason Ostrander, the National Youth Director for the C&MA and a great board member at Crown College, is the lead visionary and voice for the conference. If you know Jason well, you know that he has an amazing visual sense. You can see that at LIFE 2010. First you will notice on the main stage the huge screen on the back that must be 100-feet wide and 20-30 feet high. Running several projectors together, the visual imagery has been stunning all week.

Jason's influence can also be seen with the speakers from Francis Chan to Derwin Gray, the messages have been about serious and authentic discipleship. Sure there has been fun everywhere, but at the core, LIFE 2010 has been about challenging students to step into all that God has ahead for them.

There is still much left in the week, but so far, the engagement has been strong and compelling.

Like all others-Unlike all others

2010-05-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

For several years, I have posed the question, "How is Crown College like all other colleges, like all other Christian colleges and unlike all other colleges?" For example, Crown College is regionally accredited which is the highest level of accreditation available in the US. Crown is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission just like the University of Minnesota and Carleton College. Crown's nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and its Teacher Education program is accredited by the Minnesota State Board of Teaching. In other words, Crown has features that are the same as other colleges and universities across America. This is a good thing.

Crown is also a member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). This means that like all other Christian colleges in the US, Crown only hires faculy members who are Christians. It also means that we have a diverse curriculum that is broader than that of Bible colleges and includes 40 majors from English to biology to nursing and beyond. This is a good thing.

While Crown is like every other college in some ways and like every other Christian college is some ways, it is still unique. The focus at Crown is truly Christ-centered. At Crown, all undergraduate students graduate with two majors including Christian Studies and an additional major of their choice. Faculty, staff, and students gather weekly to worship together in chapel. All students get out in the community for service opportunities. Crown's global focus mobilizes about one-quarter of the undergraduate student population overseas each year. That is a good thing.

I am glad to be a part of a college that has the strengths of accreditation, a common faith commitment with other Christian colleges, and at the same time is unlike any other college.

Data Bias

2010-04-25T16:36:00.001-07:00

One of the grad classes I enjoy teaching is data-driven decisions. In that course we wrestle with the topic of data bias. How do we handle data in a way that gives a clear and unbiased look at what is before us? At best, it is a challenging topic and sometimes feels impossible to manage. However, just being aware of data bias is a good step forward.

In the course, I give many examples of data bias from a wide variety of sources. I was particularly struck by a recent edition of TIME. For full disclosure, I am more conservative in my views as compared to those views typically found in TIME. However, I read it regularly because it reports on so many topics related to American and international life.

In a recent edition (May 3,2010) with a cover picturing the 50th anniversity of the Pill, there were two articles that caught my attention on data bias. The first focused on CNN as a centrist media outlet in contrast to FOX and MSNBC (http://ow.ly/1CU6e). Most would agree that FOX and MSNBC support views on the right and the left. What is left in question is whether or not CNN is centrist.

Second, and to me more interesting, is the article The Long-Term Effects of Spanking (http://ow.ly/1CU8L). You don't have to think too long on the topic to guess TIME's views on the topic. That said, I was still struck by the bias of the language in this study.

The short 580-word article starts off with a straight forward treatment of the study published by Catherine Taylor in Pediatrics. In addition to the one quote by the author, the writer quotes another specialist who writes, "There is now some nice hard data that can back up clinicians when they share their..." These words "nice hard data" are not used together very often. In fact, if you Google them, 11 of the top 20 hits are from this very recent article. What are the odds of that? The second half of the article begins with "The reason for this may be..." and includes a supporting section by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

I am not writing here to contend the topic, but rather to remind us that data bias abounds and to raise our ability to account for it.

Evaluation: Part 2

2010-04-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

Having been a college educator or administrator for most of my adult life, I have seen quite a few evaluations. It often involves some kind of survey with a numerical scale as well as a place for comments. In principle, both parts can be very helpful. The first part might ask about different areas of effectiveness with a 1-5 scale. Those doing well will get lots of 4s some 5s, a few 3s, and some random 1s and 2s. The average on any given variable will probably be 3.5 to 4.5. Some superstars move toward 4.9 and those with some issues may drop drown to a 2.5 to 3.5. Generally, this is helpful because 1) The variables are reasonably valid, 2) Those filling it out are generally fair, and 3) The sample size is large enough to give some stability balancing out those who think you are Jesus with those who think you are the Devil. Over a few semesters or years, this data set is pretty stable.

The comments are more challenging. Most educators I have worked with will get at least a handful of comments. Let's say 10-40% of the total sample size. Most of them will be positive, some very positive. Some will be technical with comments like "I liked this book, but not this assignment." A few will be harsh. It is this last group that can be very distracting. I have found that for me and most others, I can have a positive review by every measure, but those two comments thoroughly take the wind out of my sails. For first year faculty members, this can be almost devastating. So much so, that for some, I recommend that they not even read the comments their first year.

I am currently working through the survey data for my two-year evaluation. Generally, it is positive. Some of the numerical trends and comments highlight some areas where I really need to improve. And lastly there are those few comments. While the harsh comments have some thoughts that are helpful, I wish after having done this for over 25 years, I could handle them a little better.

A Personal Review of Souls in Transition: Part 2

2010-04-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Christian Smith opens his book with a chapter that describes the lives of three young adults. He refers to this life stage as "emerging" but makes a point to say that this has no connection with "emerging" or "emergent" church advocates.

In Chapter Two, Smith spends over 50 pages describing the cultural landscape of emerging adults. Here are some highlights that resonate with me as one who works at a college:

"So much to figure out" Smith writes, "Most emerging adults are close to being overwhelmed". When I talk with our college students, many of them are trying to balance school, relationships, work, homework, eating habits, etc. Overall, it seems that most students and young adults find this mix very stressful. For some that stress is occasional, for others, high stress is almost constant.

"Optimism" Smith goes on to write, "for most, their hopes run high". Unlike some of their Gen-X siblings and/or friends, current emerging adults are remarkably upbeat about their futures. Many of them have had success in the past and believe that the future will be great as well.

Positive toward parents and adults. For as long as most can remember, most teens and young adults have been in conflict with adults. In contrast, emerging adults tend to feel very positive about their parents and adults in general, particularly as they move from their late teens to their late 20s.

Evaluation

2010-03-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am beginning a month or so of evaluation. Every two years, the Executive Committee of the Crown College Board of Trustees engages campus stakeholders on the quality of my work. These stakeholders include trustees, faculty, staff, selected students and the President's Council. I am firmly committed to formal evaluation, but I have to admit, it is always a little scary and at some points it is going to hurt.

We all benefit in having our work effectively reviewed. We can review the progress we have made on agreed upon goals. We can also survey the general characterictics of our work and relationships. A co-worker pointed me to a good Harvard Business Review (HBR) posting by Melissa Raffoni on reviewing our work.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/three_questions_executives_sho.html

I will cover more of this material later, but these three questions were helpful:

1.If there was only one thing I could do to improve my organization, what would it be and how would I make it happen?
2.If there was only one thing I could focus on to improve my personal performance, what would that be and how would I make it happen?
3.What messages am I not listening to or refusing to confront in my organization and personal performance and how am I going to overcome that this year?

Asia Educational Partnerships

2010-03-23T05:58:00.001-07:00

This month I had the opportunity to be in China for two weeks. The main purpose of this trip was to recruit partnering colleges and students as a part of our Christian Global University initiative which will see Crown's student population expand to include more international students in all programs. The first week I joined a team of executives from the US to teach a course on Business Strategy to about 20 Chinese and ex-pat (western) managers and executives. It is always fun teaching Chinese students and this was no exception. The participants were bright, experienced, and engaged. After teaching classes each morning, we visited companies in the afternoon to provide personalized consulting addressing their specific concerns.

The organization sponsoring this course was also able to make connections for me with an area university. There I had the opportunity to visit with the president of the Chinese university to talk about partnering with Crown College in the education of their students. Our goal is to develop a summer English camp at Crown for international students. The earliest pilot program would involve having a group of 20 Chinese students with a few faculty members come to Crown College this summer and study English for 2-4 weeks.

Cheri joined me for the second week which was spent in Beijing. Here we spent time working on a partnership to open a Christian community center as well as continuing talks with a college in Beijing concerning an educational partnership. After many days of meetings and negotiations, we signed an agreement to have students come to Crown. We are working on a joint-degree program that will have a 2+2 format. With this approach, these Chinese students would study in Beijing for two years and then at Crown for two years receiving degrees from both colleges. We will probably see our first students in the fall of 2011.

On a separate note, I had the opportunity to lecture at Beijing University, the Harvard of China. I spoke to a group of undergraduate students and then had a Q&A time at the end. I was impressed by their level of English and critical-thinking. At the same time, Chinese students continue to seem young compared to their American counterparts. There was high interest in studying in the US.

While the weeks were full, the time was productive as we learned more about the educational needs in China and the places where Crown College can enter into "win-win" partnerships.

A Personal Review of Souls in Transition: Part 1

2010-02-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

There are several reasons why I am embarking upon an interesting journey through the book, Souls in Transition, by Christian Smith. First, I like good research. I am a social scientist by training and believe that it is worthwhile to study people. Thus, I am going into Souls believing that it is a well-crafted research study. Second, I have given much of my adult and professional life to the informal study of 13-30 year-olds. Souls focuses on this age window with particular attention on 18-23 year-olds. This represents a large portion of our Crown College students. Third, Christian Smith is a product of a Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) institution, Gordon College, and represents one of the more accomplished scholars of our day. Lastly, I would like to take you with me on this journey and give you some perspectives from the president of a Christian College. If you find this interesting, feel free to follow along.

Let me open by highlighting four observations listed by Smith in the opening pages of Souls. First, over the last 60 years, there has been dramatic increase in the number of students in college and graduate school. Second, there has been a corresponding delay of marriage. The average age of women getting married has gone up about one year per decade (20.3 to 25.9 in 56 years). Third, orientation toward professional careers has become more flexible and fluid. Fourthly, parents of “emerging adults” have been more willing to support their children into their 20s. These features have reshaped the age-span from 18-30. For some time, I have referred to the age span from 13 to 30 as the growing American adolescent window.

That’s enough for now. I look forward to continuing this journey in the days ahead.

2010-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl: An American Holiday

This past Sunday I was preaching for a pastor friend who was sick. In my opening remarks, I made a comment about Super Bowl Sunday being a national holiday. People laughed and from early that morning until late that night, I was reminded time and time again that the Super Bowl is has truly been woven into the fabric of American life.

A year ago, when planning a retreat for the Crown College Board of Trustees. I sought a date that was mid-winter between our October and May board meetings. Which date did I pick? I chose the weekend before the Super Bowl as it never has a playoff game. So many people are involved and impacted by the NFL playoffs, I couldn't plan for people to travel on a Sunday night when an NFL game.

Where were you on Super Bowl Sunday? Many were at the house of a friend or family member. Even if you aren't a football fan, you are still affected. People plan the schedule, the food, the people and the party around the game.

And then there are the commercials. One interesting thing about the Super Bowl is that you don't have to be a football fan to get involved. You can simply be a commercial fan. Almost like football plays, you can see the teams (Doritos and the beer companies) scoring points by presenting the best commercials.

When we lived in China for a few years, we learned that the cultural calendar centered on Chinese New Years, which is in the late winter or early spring each year. For most Americans, we have no idea what that means. In China, it is not a big deal, it is central.

This year at Crown College, the Athletic Department in collaboration with some other departments put on a campus-wide Super Bowl Party. My mistake was under-estimating how popular it would be. Why have we waited so long to have a campus celebration of this American holiday? I should have known better.

How do you feel about the prominent role the Super Bowl plays in American life?

The #5 Reason Why I Love Working at a College: World Impact

2010-01-06T19:14:00.001-08:00

Experiencing New Year’s Day this year in another country reminds me of the global reach of Crown. All across the world, we see the impact Crown is making in so many places. If you have had the privilege of visiting the campus of Crown College in Minnesota, you have seen its beauty and tranquility. At the same time, it can feel removed from the greater Twin Cities metro area. Walking across the campus reminds you of the great attributes of a small college campus: quiet, contained, peaceful, and intimate.

At first glance, you do not realize that the influence and impact of Crown College extends to dozens of countries every day. From the earliest years of the College, alumni from Crown have been active in serving on virtually every continent. More recently, we see Crown graduates serving in key leadership roles around the world. It has been exciting to see Chris and Jamie O’Dell leading the team here in Taipei, Taiwan. Just two years removed from their studies, they play a significant role in reaching the urban district of Ximending where thousands of young Chinese adults call home.

While I can’t mention their names, there are also a number of Crown grads who are serving in difficult and remote parts of the world, touching the lives of nationals through teaching, training, and community development. While some of these alums are serving vocationally as missionaries, many are involved in outreach through in a wide variety of roles in fields of education, business, technology, communication, health care, etc.

I want to give my life to the great things that God is doing around the world. At Crown College, I have the privilege of seeing this happen in a multitude of settings.

The #4 Reason Why I Do Not Love Working at a College: Me

2009-12-17T20:19:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This posting does not present Rick Mann in the best possible light. It was suggested that I not post this, but here it is.

As I mentioned in my last “reason” blog, I like the variety found in collegiate work. There are so many areas I enjoy. But here is the rub. I am not great at all these things. Now, I will be the first to admit that there are some things I do well. But I wish I could do more. For example, on the Myers-Briggs profile, I am an ENTP. That means that I am extroverted (E), I like the world of ideas (N). I am analytical (T) and I like the world of possibilities (P). It is also means that I can be inconsistent. One website uses these words to describe an ENTP: “comfortable in unfamiliar situations, appreciates strangeness, disorganized, adventurous.” There you see it: disorganized. Some people mistake my interest in analysis as being organized. Thank you for being so generous.

I can also be inconsistent. Ouch, that hurts. Consistency is an important leadership quality and I have to work very hard to keep things pretty consistent. One strategy that helps is for me and others to put things in writing.
There are times when I can be visionary, inspirational, and compelling. This just doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes, I can be geeky, analytical, and too concerned with some things that don’t matter that much. That’s when my leadership becomes distracting which is not good.

I like new initiatives which can be a good thing. However, most organizations need consistent messages for years, not months. When I was younger, I would spend a few years doing one thing and then go off to something else. I now realize that to see significant change and progress, you have to stay at it for a long time.

Most months I work too much. That is good because that is generally required of college presidents. The downside is that I can get wearied with all that is in front of me. That’s when I feel like withdrawing from the relationships I care most about. I need to stay focused on proper exercise, nutrition, and rest.

Most days, I feel pretty good about myself. Some days I say, “Come on Rick, you can do better than that.” That’s when I need to step back and remember the Incarnation who stepped into the life of an 18-year-old and gave me hope, rest, and joy.

The #4 Reason Why I Love Working at a College: Variety

2009-11-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

I love variety and colleges are full of it. Colleges are often compared to hospitals and small cities because they are functioning 24/7, year-round. There is the people side. This includes working with faculty in a myriad of disciplines and staff in multiple departments. There are legacy issues including alumni from 60 years ago, academic records from 90 years ago, and history from a wide variety of angles. There are future issues including vision-casting, masterplanning, endowments, etc.

Drawing from the insights of Jim Collins and his book, Built to Last, the best organizations are radically committed to their rooted pasts while at the same time being relentlessly committed to future innovation, all at the same time. I love this paradoxical tension. I want to see Crown grow in its Christian rootedness even as most Christian colleges drift away from them. Crown has the opportunity to be more innovative than most colleges with its responsiveness to changing vocations and global needs. By being more rooted and more innovative, Crown has the opportunity to be a truly unique college and university.

My schedule is a matrix of variety. In a single week, I might meet with faculty members to talk about new programs, write pieces for a number of different communication channels, and twitter 20 minutes a day. I spend a lot of time with our senior team. David Tarrant is a master at keeping our finances sound, planning for adjustments this semester as well as reaching our goals over the next 20 years. Mike Sohm, is a good friend of almost 30 years, funny, and an important spiritual voice in my life. Dwight Carlblom is encouraging and brings relational glue to our team. Scott Moats and I have put in hundreds of hours of conversation about higher education and how Crown can follow many of the best practices while at the same time thinking outside the box on how Crown can be an unusual college.

I could say so much more about travel locally, nationally, and internationally. Managing an almost 20-million-dollar budget and complex operation is very challenging. I love what I learn from students and being Chief Executive Cheerleader, calling forth God’s divine destiny in the lives of the large and very special Crown community. I love this place!

10 Cs on Hiring at Crown College

2009-11-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

With some key job openings at Crown College, many of us are talking about topics related to hiring. Some years ago, the use of Crown Cs was helpful in the conversation. This related to some of the values central to our community. First and foremost, Crown College seeks to be Christ-centered. People generally agree that most public and some private colleges and universities have been hostile to a Christ-centered focus. In the world of Christian colleges, some provide a Christian atmosphere as an option to those who seek it. Lastly, there are some Christian colleges where Christ is clearly at the center of the institutional mission, compellingly integrated into the curriculum, and foundational in campus life. This is where Crown wants to be.

Next, character is key to hiring. We want to see a high commitment to honesty and integrity. There will always be difficult decisions to make that are not popular, but in the midst of that we want to build a team of people that are able to keep the welfare of the College first and foremost.

Competence includes the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to advance the very best practices at Crown College. Community is important at a relational place like Crown and so we seek people who are personable, able to manage conflict, and are committed to Crown’s mission of investing in the development of our students. Calling refers to that sense that God is bringing the person and Crown together for His divine mission. In other words, on a bad day when the work isn’t fun, we still have that sense that God has called us to this work at Crown.

Colleges are collaborative environments that value multiple voices in shared governance. It is ideal when new hires enjoy discussion, dialogue, and debate that result in better ideas and decisions. Courage is needed to press on toward accomplishing the mission of the College even in the midst of criticism and complaining. Creativity is that element that brings fresh ideas for complex challenges and future opportunities.

Ideally, the College is able to hire high capacity professionals who are able to multi-task in the midst of many demands. It is challenging to prepare sufficiently, teach effectively, manage budgets, connect with students, and relate well in the mist of conflict all at the same time.

Lastly, we hope for good chemistry. It is fun to work with great people who have a common passion for Crown’s mission.

Do we find all these characteristics at high levels in a single person? Rarely. Most of us are a mix these qualities. At the same time, this grid can be helpful in the hiring process as we seek to recruit, engage, and retain a great team of quality people committed to Crown’s compelling mission.
Here’s the list!

-Christ-centered
-Character
-Competence
-Community
-Calling
-Collaborative
-Courage
-Creativity
-Capacity
-Chemistry

NOTE: These are my thoughts and not the official policy or practice of Crown College.

What have we missed here? What are you looking for as you add people to your team?

The #3 Reason Why I Do Not Love Working at a College: Disappointment

2009-10-30T15:29:00.001-07:00

Most people who work in non-profits (social services, schools, churches, hospital, etc.) have noted that colleges are very complicated. One aspect of this complex world is the stakeholder environment. Colleges engage a wide variety of stakeholders including:
1. Students
2. Faculty
3. Staff
4. Board members
5. Donors
6. Parents
7. Churches
8. Community partners
9. Employers
10. Government agencies

All these groups are interesting and have their own characteristics, hopes, and concerns. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate each group and I feel comfortable engaging people from each group on the issues they view as most important.

Collectively, however, it can be overwhelming. On a good day, I have the opportunity to talk with students and parents, faculty and staff, donors and boards members, and sometimes even beyond. On a bad day, I feel like I am under-serving every stakeholder group. For example, I love going to student events (athletics, music, drama, etc.) to cheer on our students with their gifts and accomplishments. The challenge is the endless array of student events on even a small college campus like ours. When I go to a volleyball game, I am disappointed that I didn’t make the cross-country meet. I love the music concerts, recitals, and plays. There are just so many of them. Then there are parents I want to meet, board members to talk to, and churches I want to visit. Even with 70-hour weeks, disappointment can easily set in when there are so many things I can’t get to.

How do I manage this? In a good month, I feel I am able to connect with many different people. Technology is able to help all of us to stay connected through email, blogs, Twitter and Facebook. In a bad month, you just have to live with the disappointment and the hope of connecting next month.

China Travels

2009-10-17T21:06:00.001-07:00

Having lived, worked, and travelled in China over many of the last 25 years, it is always interesting to see the changes. During this trip to Shanghai and Beijing, I was struck by the sophisticated transportation systems in both cities. Shanghai has its high-speed train running almost 300 mph. Both cities now have elaborate subway systems.

On the human side of life, Chinese cities are becoming much more middle class with fewer poor people and more widespread affluence. While English is still very limited, Hong Kong is using more Mandarin instead of just Cantonese.

Within Christian circles, I continue to be amazed at the growing openness. I have met many Christians in China, particularly a growing number of young urban Christian professionals. The openness of their language, faith, and fellowship is striking. There seems to be a growing comfort between urban officials and Christian professionals. Part of this seems to be the many ways in which Christians are adding value to their communities through care, leadership, and volunteerism in the social sectors.

One example of this growing synergy was the extended discussion I had with a college in Beijing about a partnership with Crown College whereby their students would come to the US and study in our non-traditional programs for a year or more as well as their expressed interest in partnering with our online programs.

The #3 Reason Why I Love Working at a College: The Smart People

2009-10-12T02:47:00.000-07:00

I could talk to history professor, Dr. Bill Bedford, all day long. His understanding on a host of topics is remarkable. Crown College has many people like Bill Bedford: Smart, articulate, and insightful. Just sit down at lunch with any of the Crown faculty members and you have the opportunity to learn much about an endless number of topics. Wilbert Ratledge has been very gracious to help me with improving my English, a life-long goal of mine. You can talk with Glenn Myers about contemplative spirituality or Don Hardy about Minnesota ecology. I have always been inquisitive and a college provides for endless exploration. Add to this the integration of our Christian faith into the equation, and it gets even more interesting.

It is not just the faculty members who know so much about so much. Our staff members also have great understanding on endless topics. You can talk with Cheryl Fisk about document imaging or Rick Larson about 5s. David Tarrant’s understanding of finance and the visual communication of data are masterful. Todd Wilsey can discuss topics of campus safety and Maureen Tarrant has the latest on H1N1.

I don’t have as much time as I would like to learn as much as I would like, but the tapestry of knowledge at Crown College is endless. If you like learning new things, it is a great place to work.

With whom do you enjoy conversing?

The #2 Reason Why I Do Not Love Working at a College: The Machinery

2009-09-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Gary Benedict and David Rambo have something in common. They have both held a number of leadership roles. Gary Benedict was district superintendent and college president. David Rambo was president of two colleges and a seminary as well as the president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Both of them have served as the president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. They also agree on the hardest job they ever had: College president. They talk about the complexity of the role including the endless bureaucratic machinery. I love the college. I do not love all the machinery that goes with a college.

Most of the machinery comes from outside the College. Regulatory oversight comes from federal, state, county, and city agencies. Added to this is accreditation by the regional accrediting agencies. Lastly, there are some special accreditation groups like nursing. Our nursing program had to have three accreditation groups give approval at the national, regional, and state levels. Our education department has to be approved by the Minnesota State Board of Teaching. Lastly, these oversight agencies don’t just come once. They come on a set rotation of years.

Added to the academic agencies are other agencies related to health, environmental protection, athletics, food, etc. While all this oversight ensures that we provide a setting that is both of high quality and safe, it is also very time-consuming and costly. Ideally, we would spend more time and energy on things more central to accomplishing God’s purposes in the lives of our students.

What machinery do you have to deal with?

The #2 Reason Why I Love Working at a College: The Mission

2009-09-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

The #2 reason I love working at a College: The mission
When Gary Benedict, our former Crown president, asked me to come to Crown College, I wasn’t interested. It wasn’t because I thought Crown was a bad place. In fact, I didn’t know much about Crown. The reason I wasn’t interested is because in my experience most Christian colleges were moving away from their Christian roots and most colleges in general were not interested in leadership development. Gary reminded me that the stated mission of Crown was developing Christian leaders through a biblically-based education. I listened and the more he talked, the more interesting it sounded. Now in my 10th year, I am sold on Crown’s mission. First, after many years of rubbing shoulders with a number of Christian colleges, I believe that many are moving away from their Christian roots. In contrast, Crown is distinctly, if not radically committed to its Christ-centered focus. If you surveyed the 100 or so Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) institutions and asked how many have a Christian Studies or Bible and Theology major for all students, have regular chapel participation for faculty, staff, and students, and involve all students in Christian service, the list would be very short. You would find less than five institutions. This was not true 20 years ago. And let me emphasize that this is not just about required activities. This is about Crown’s unique ability to keep its Christian heart and soul when most colleges are moving on. I find Crown’s mission compelling, life-changing, and far-reaching. While some would not agree with me, I think that colleges have roots that are too shallow and a vision that is too small. I believe that it is our mission to go deep with our roots and reach far and wide with our vision. This is the fuel that drives so many at Crown College.

What are you looking for in a Christian college?

The #1 Reason Why I Do Not Love Working at a College: Cost

2009-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

In a survey in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the #1 stressor college presidents experience is faculty. That is not true for me at Crown College. In fact, I like working with our faculty. No, for me, the #1 issue is cost. I wish that a Crown education could cost less. Since Crown is a private college and not supported by public funds, we are dependent solely on student dollars (tuition, room, board, etc.) and the generous gifts of others (churches, donors, grants, etc.). While we work daily at keeping a Crown education affordable, it is not cheap. There are many reasons why a college education has increased in cost. First, we have tried to raise faculty and staff salaries to a reasonable level. The good news is that Crown salaries are approaching the same levels as the 100 Christian colleges (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, CCCU) across America. The bad news is that Christian college salaries are at the low end of salaries found across the 4,000+ institutions in the US. We also face increasing costs related to regulation. Federal, regional, state, and accreditation standards are in place to ensure that Crown meets the highest expectations. The cost of all this machinery is not inconsequential. Lastly, the standard of living for college students has gone up. As much as complaining about dorm food is a national sport, the amenities of college life have improved over the last several decades. Too keep Crown affordable, we are enlisting a greater number of donors who have a common passion of raising up the next generation of Christian leaders with a vision for the nations. Tomorrow, we will get up once again seeking new ways to contain costs and raise additional dollars in gifts. I don’t always like it, but it is critical to our mission. A Crown education is not cheap, but I believe the investment is priceless.

What have you found most valuable about your Crown education?

The #1 Reason Why I Love Working at a College: Students

2009-09-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

This is a part of a series on The Reasons Why I Love/Do Not Love Working at a College.
In a survey in the Chronicle of Higher Education last week, college presidents said the #1 thing they liked about working at a college and/or university was the students. Students are probably why most of us got into education. Except for six years of pastoring, I have spent every year of my adult life as a student or working with students. Students bring energy, idealism, and potential to every campus. What is true for every college campus, is especially true for me as I work at Crown College. I asked Dr. George Gianoulis, Professor of Greek and New Testament, what was different about students today as compared to Crown students 30 years ago when he started. He said passion. He said the passion that our students have for Christ and the world is higher than when he started. This passion not only drives the hopes and dreams of our students, it helps them to stay out of the ditch on issues that trip up so many college students. Excesses with drugs, alcohol, sex, and violence are virtually non-existent at Crown as students instead give themselves to service, community, learning, and figuring out how they can bless others. Perfect, they are not. We do have our lapses toward immaturity and sometimes social interests outpace learning. Nonetheless, it is an adventure each and every day. I would be remiss as well if I didn’t mentioned that we have hundreds of adult students coming back to college in hopes of pursuing new dreams, new chapters, and new opportunities. At the end of the day, I love working at Crown College first and foremost because of the students.

Why do you enjoy working where you do?

New Horizons for Communication

2009-08-25T11:27:00.001-07:00

One of the things I like most about working at a college is what I learn from our students. On the one hand, we have a student body that is passionate about Christ and their role in touching the lives of many for the sake of the Gospel. On the other hand, these students do reflect contemporary features that are different than my generation. If we remember that our freshmen were born in the early 90s, we immediately recognize that they are digital natives (as opposed to digital immigrants, that's me). That means that they have always had technology in front of them. They grew up with keyboards and screens. Additionally, they have seen technology evolve. They have experienced email, cell phones, facebook, twitter, and of course, texting. On a personal note, I have three sons who are severn years apart in age (24, 27, and 31). It is interesting to note their different preferences. Our oldest son is more inclined to email and call. His younger brothers are more connected through texting. What does the future hold? I am not sure. But I do know that landlines are on the way out and the future is yet to have been written. I will keep you posted.

1. What is the first technology you remember?

2. What is your preferred communication modality? (face-to-face, email, facebook, etc.)

The Extended Christian Family

2009-08-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

This week hundreds of families brought their students to Crown College. All week long there was a high sense of excitement. Emotions were evident with both parents and students. It was a joy and a privilege to meet families and hear their stories of how they ended up at Crown. For some, they had family members coming to Crown for decades. For other students, they are here by themselves navigating the challenges as first generation college students. As the week moves along, we all knew that Friday night was coming. This is the comissioning service when we have the official handoff and parents say goodbye. That's when the tears come. Not just with parents and students, but also with siblings and in some cases aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
It is at times like these that I am reminded of the great strength of the extended Christian family. Previously, we worked in Asia and became familiar with the missionary tradition of missionary kids referring to other adults as aunt and uncle. I believe the church is a great parenting co-op. We are able to team together in helping our children move into their teen years and begin that arduous journey to age 30 and beyond. My hope is that Cheri and I as well as the faculty and staff at Crown College can be great aunts and uncles to the hundreds of students at Crown. Not only is this biblical, it is also the value added of a conservative Christian college. When so many students are adrift at secular universities and confused at nominal Christian colleges, we have the goal of partnering with families, churches, and students in the skillfully shepherding of this great emerging generation of future Christian leaders toward all the ideals we count dear.
When I think of the family that just left our house a few minutes ago with their daughter at Crown to go back to Asia for service, I want to stand with them as a faithful part of their extended Christian family.

The 2009-2010 Academic Year is Here!

2009-08-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

It is exciting to see students rolling into campus and feel the energy level going through the roof. I believe that we live in exciting times and the opportunities to partner with families, students, and churches in the raising up of the next generation of Christian leaders are what fuel my life everyday. The complexities of our world and the passion of our students are a great match and we at Crown College get to be right in the action. Just today at our faculty Fall Focus, we heard about the growing role of the city and how worldwide, we are seeing an unprecedented migration to cities. As I say on my Twitter feed, I have the best job in the world!