The Christian College Phenomenon by Samuel Joeckel & Thomas Chesnes
“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.
