The role of religious faith on the secular college campus can be controversial, as a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire resident assistant Lance Steiger learned when he risked losing his job for holding a Bible study in his room. But a study published in the Winter 2006 edition of i>Liberal Learning has found that students who incorporate faith activities as a part of their college education seem to get more out of their collegiate experience.
“Students who engage frequently in spirituality-enhancing activities exercise more, attend cultural events more often and are more likely to perform community service,” the study concluded. “They also are somewhat more satisfied with college.”
Freshmen entering college are inclined toward spirituality. The 2004 survey of entering freshmen by the Higher Education Research Institute of the University of California, Los Angeles, found 80 percent of freshmen have an interest in spirituality and 47 percent consider it important to seek out opportunities to help them grow spiritually.
A 2004-2005 faculty survey by HERI, released at the end of February, showed 81 percent of 40,670 faculty surveyed said that they considered themselves a spiritual person, and just under 70 percent said they seek out opportunities to grow spiritually. While more than half said they believe it is important to develop students’ moral character and values, only 30 percent think colleges should be involved with students’ spiritual development. Click here for an article on reaction from Kansas University faculty.
The online news magazine i>Inside Higher Ed reports that a group of 25 scholars, affiliated with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, has been working on a new statement about the role of religion on campuses. The Wingspread Declaration on Religion and Public Life: Engaging Higher Education has not yet been finalized, but the article says that it calls on colleges to:
- Provide students with “religious literacy” in their educations.
- Promote civility in discussions about religion and religious issues.
- Help students with their concerns about “meaning” and “purpose” in life.
The i>University of Chicago Magazine, February 2006 issue, reports on how students at UC “find ways to square conviction with critical thinking.” The story quotes several InterVarsity staff members who work on the UC campus and illustrates that faith can be enhanced, rather than threatened, on a secular college campus.
InterVarsity has been actively ministering on American college campuses for over 60 years. Our vision is to see students and faculty transformed, the campus renewed and world changers developed.
