David L. McKenna, a long-time president (33 years) of several universities, has written a very helpful book entitled Christ-Centered Higher Education, Memory, Meaning, and Momentum for the Twenty-First Century. His perspective and resolve are very encouraging. The following are ten questions he believes “must be answered by boards, presidents, deans, and faculty leaders, especially in pivotal times such as strategic planning sessions, accreditation self-studies, and presidential transitions. The moral ecology of Christ-centered campus depends on each new generation giving affirmative answers to these ten questions.”
1. “Is Jesus Christ,” in whom all things hold together, “identified as the commanding truth for the integration of faith and learning?”
2. “Is Christ-centered integration of faith and learning specifically affirmed in our vision, mission, and strategic planning statements?”
3. “Is the integration of faith and learning front and center in the professional qualifications, nurturing plans, and performance standards for presidential leadership?”
4. “Is the integration of faith and learning prominent in our plans for the ongoing education of board members?”
5. “Are faculty development plans from recruitment to retirement designed to understand, nurture, and reward the integration of faith and learning?”
6. “Is the integration of faith and learning in the core curriculum of the Christian liberal arts being renewed for changing times while continuing to cultivate the intellectual skills of liberal education?”
7. “Is chapel the vital center where integrative influences come together and move outward throughout the campus community?”
8. “Is integration a pervasive influence throughout the institution, especially in new initiatives for teaching and learning?”
9. “Is the integration of faith, learning and serving evident in the increasingly diverse community of the Christ-centered college and university?”
10. “Are the qualitative goals of integrating faith and learning achieved in the assessment of student outcomes for the Christ-centered college and university?”