The Christian College Phenomenon: Inside America's Fastest Growing Institutions of Higher Learning

by Samuel Joeckel, Thomas Chesnes

An in-depth look at what's happening inside the colleges and universities that are growing most dramatically among today's higher education institutions. The Christian College Phenomenon explores the explosive growth over the last twenty years of institutions affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). While public institutions of higher learning in the United States experienced a 3% growth in enrollment from 1990-1996, CCCU institutions witnessed a 36.9% growth during that same period. And in 2006, enrollment over the previous year at public universities grew by 13% and at other private colleges by 28%, but enrollment at CCCU institutions rose by 70.6%. Editors Thomas Chesnes and Samuel Joeckel have taken an empirical approach, surveying over 1900 professors at ninety-five CCCU colleges and universities and 2300 students at twenty different schools. The editors compiled responses to quantitative and open-ended questions on topics from pedagogy and politics to faith learning integration; they then made that data available to nearly thirty scholars who have turned their considered responses into chapters that are now organized into seven book sections, covering topics in gender, evolution, faith, learning, scholarship, and race/ethnicity.

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2011

Reviews

[Helle]

"What you allow, you teach."

Incredible view into another side of academia . Using data and reflections, the evangelical university is examined top to bottom, inside and out. The revelations are intriguing -- on one hand, there is a body dedicated to higher consciousness, but it is shadowed by fear, tradition, and authoritarianism. Perhaps still relevant for the continuing scholar, I found no redeemable quantity in the christian education paradigm.

[Reid Mccormick]

“If humility were the dominant virtue in Christian higher education, then CCCU institutions would indeed be set apart in an arena where pride and arrogance are rampant.”

I am not a fan of compilation books, where each chapter is authored by a different professional. Instead of getting a central message, all you really get is a bunch of individual, non-related essays. When I came across The Christian College Phenomenon, I was apprehensive to buy it because of its structure, but I could not resist. The subject is near and dear to my heart, and seemed like a valuable piece to read.

Simply put, the essays in this book are a response to the findings the editors gathered after an extensive questionnaire given to CCCU students and faculty members. I did not find most of the answers surprising, nor did I find the responses from the authors unexpected. Perhaps being an alumni and current employee of a CCCU school will do that to you.

There was very little buy in from student affairs professionals in the surveys. A survey of student affairs professionals would have really enlightened the conversation. There were a few authors that mentioned this missing piece in their chapters.

All in all this is a good book. There is nothing fantastic or original, but great comments by some amazing people committed to the world of Christian higher education.

[Jen]

Everyone who works in Christian higher education should read this book. As a refugee from a CCCU institution, the survey findings presented give me hope that conservative, evangelicalism might to be open to a glimmer of reality. These essays describe the emphirical data and suggest strategies for improvement in several key areas of Christian higher education. My wish is that these specific faculty members and all those who take up their charge succeed!